“Everything okay?”
She locked the door after him. “It’s fine. Actually, Aspen was just telling me she spent the day with Jesse.”
“Yeah, he ran out to get us coffees this morning, and after an hour, I started to wonder just where the hell he’ddrivenfor this coffee, but then he texted that he was with Aspen. I assumed he wasn’t coming back.”
Callie cringed. “So, no coffee?”
“I had to fend for myself.”
“What a tragedy.”
“You have no idea.”
She laughed. “Is that why you’re here? Jesse deserted you, Lock’s doing a job, and you eventually got bored?”
“Actually, Lock got caught up on his job and asked me to drive you home. Is that okay?”
“Oh. Of course. Thank you. I’ll just wipe down the machine I was using and pack up my stuff.”
She’d just started cleaning the reformer when Antwan lifted something from the desk. “What’s this?”
“It’s another note.”
He scowled. “Lock mentioned you’ve been receiving them. What do they usually say?”
“Silly stuff about my looks and how Lock’s not good enough for me. I’ve been trying to forget about them.”
Another narrowing of his eyes.
“The person hasn’t actually done anything,” she added. Once the machine was clean, she moved over to Antwan and slipped the letter from his hold. “Let’s see what they have to say this time.”
Because she was no longer alone, opening it felt easier. Or maybe it was because she was trying to prove that she was unaffected when, in reality, that was far from the case.
The same familiar handwriting stared back at her.
He doesn’t keep you safe the way I do. He doesn’t love you like I do.
Keep her safe? How on earth was this person keeping her safe?
Her phone rang, and she jumped again.
Jesus. She needed to get a hold of herself.
Antwan put a warm hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay. It’s just a call.”
She blew out a breath, only to frown when she saw the unknown number on her screen. “Hello?”
“Callie. It’s Eastern. Are you with Lock?”
Eastern? Why was he calling? Something cold and uncomfortable skittered down her spine. “No, I’m with Antwan. Why? Is something wrong?”
“Actually, yes. We need you to come down to the station and tell us about all of your encounters with Lucian Tate.”
She straightened. “Lucian. Why?”
There was a small pause. “He was murdered last night.”
Lock pulledinto the parking lot of the sheriff’s station. He was pissed. He wasbeyondpissed. Eastern had called Callie in for questioning after a damn murder, and he hadn’t told him. It had beenAntwanwho’d messaged him.
