Liquid sprayed over his face.
Fuck.
Pain brought him to his knees.The sharp, spicy chemical seared his eyes and nose.The white-hot agony was nearly paralyzing.“Son of a—” Hands on his face, Callum folded over.
“Leave me alone!”she cried.
“Grace.”Damn it.He couldn’t see.He choked on tears and snot and fuckin’ pepper spray.“Hayden—” Adrenaline coursed through his body.Every nerve in his head screamed for action.Run.Water.Anything to stop the searing burn.“—sent me.”
Callum couldn’t see if she’d sprinted away or watched him keel over.Fire licked his burning lungs.His throat screamed.The overpowering urge to rub his face and eyes was too much.He’d been trained for this.The intense pain would stop, but maybe not before he could see again.He tore off his shirt and pressed it to his face, praying for a reprieve.Hell, the shirt probably had pepper spray on it, too.
He forced himself up and backed until he hit the building.He peeled the shirt from his eyes and tried to get his bearings.Then he saw Grace through his blurry, crying eyes as she backed away.The sunshine intensified the burn and his tears.Callum re-covered his face.
“Haydensent you?”
Mopping his eyes, he battled the burn and labored through each fiery breath.He nodded and should have identified himself but couldn’t.Hell, he needed to string words together to say something, anything, but the effects of this fucking spray had him brain-dead.Not to mention, that was Grace.Alive.It blew his mind to see her, even as it aggravated him to no end that she’d maced him.
“Why did he send you?”
“Why the fuck do you think?”He wiped his nose and rapidly blinked as he lifted his gaze.She hadn’t run.That was about the first good news he’d had since Viv sent him chasing shadows.“I need to…” Fuck.His face hurt.“You gonna run if I go wash my face?”
“I…uh, I don’t know.Maybe.”
Callum snorted and immediately regretted breathing through his nostrils.Did he have to talk to her?The assignment had been to set eyes on her.He’d set eyes on her.Sorta.And could report that Grace Willoughby and her can of pepper spray were doing just fine.
He peered back in the direction he’d come from.If he walked into the library, the pen-throwing librarian would call the cops.That wasn’t what either he or Grace needed.
Grace inched closer.“How do you know Hayden?”
“Fuckin’ hell, Grace.”He pulled the shirt away from his face.“Look at me.”
“Iamlooking, asshole—Oh God.Callum?”
He grunted.The years sharing a backyard fence should have left her with a few memories of him, even if he was currently red-faced, choking on snot, and blind.He covered his face with the shirt again but found no relief.
She rushed to his side.“I didn’t know it was you.I’m so sorry.God.”Her hand rested on his shoulder.“What are you doing here?”
He pulled the shirt away again and narrowed his irritated eyes.“What the hell do you think I’m doing?Trying to help.”
She touched his elbow but backed up as if he were a powder keg that the peppery spray had just primed.“Cal, come with me.I can help.I’m so sorry.I didn’t know it was you.Just come with me.”
“Where?”
“To the bathroom.”
Callum snorted again.Again, that was another massive mistake.His nasal passage throbbed as if he’d been snorting lines of dried habaneros.At least the pain was dulling, or he was growing immune to it.The cyclical nightmare of breathing and blinking wasn’t as bad as it had been.That didn’t change how badly he needed to wash his face.“The librarian threw office supplies at me.I’m not welcome.”
“It’ll be fine.”She walked backward, as if she didn’t trusthimnot to run away.Grace gestured with large movements.“This way.”
“I can see.”More or less.The pain had somewhat dulled from white-hot agony to a general, all-consuming fire, enough that he could semi-function.
They returned to the library’s main entrance.He couldn’t stop the tears or blinking, and with his chin tucked to his bare chest, he followed her inside.
The cold blast of air conditioning rolled over his sweating shoulders, reigniting the burn on his face.His muscles twitched and shivered.
“This way.”They turned into the hallway off the main entrance.“The bathrooms are over here.”Grace lifted her hand to the door in front of the men’s restroom like a very quiet tour guide who hadn’t just brought him to a standstill with a bottle of pepper spray.“Here you go.”
He itched to rush inside and let cool water rush over his face, but wanted to keep an eye—more or less—on her until they were able to talk.She was in a predicament that he could quickly fix.If only she would give him a chance.“You gonna run off again?”
