“You going to let me in?”he asked.
Almost as tall as him but slight and slender, she placed her hands on her hips like a force to be reckoned with.“Are you going to do something to hurt or scare her?”
Again, he tried to appreciate Alicia’s protective role and didn’t want to spook either woman.“Hadn’t planned on it.”
“If you do, it will be something a lot heavier and sharper than a pen or magazine that hits the back of your head.”
He held up his hand like a scout.“Honest, Alicia.I’m here to help.”
She pushed back her glasses and scrutinized him in a way that would make most people wilt.Finally, Alicia inched aside.“Then good.She could use more help than she’ll ever ask for.”
That struck a nerve.She had money for security and a family she could trust.What didn’t he know?“I’ll do my best.”
Chapter Five
Callumwalkedintothetiny room and took in the pale woman he believed to have died in a fire.Part of him hurt, but most of him wanted to pull her into his arms and rejoice.But they were far from there.She reminded him of a scared, caged animal all too familiar with the ways she could be abused.“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know that.”She rolled her eyes but didn’t look at him.
Now that the painful effect of the pepper spray had mostly diminished, and with his eyesight back to normal, he could get a look at the woman he hadn’t seen in years.She didn’t resemble the picture Vivian had shown him.Without makeup, she wore a thin-strapped tank top and yoga pants.Braided and beaded bracelets were stacked on her wrists.Her honey-brown highlights looked more sun-kissed than salon-placed.She was prettier than he recalled, even if there was a hesitant cloud of worry hanging over her.
“Can I sit down?”
“Of course.”Grace cracked the top open on a bottle of water and sipped.“You don’t have to treat me like a lost child.”
“I’m not.I—uh, Grace, I thought you were dead.I don’t know how I’m treating you.Carefully, I guess.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Honey, you faked your death.So…” Maybe he was treating her like a lost child because she looked like a scared, lost puppy.He hated that his mind went back to the hurt animal analogy, but her evasive eye contact and hard voice were too much like a fearful dog that growled when offered help.“I’m trying here.”
She rolled the water bottle between her hands and wouldn’t make eye contact.“I should explain, but I need time to think about how to say it.”Her gaze skittered to his face and shot away again.“It’s complicated.You said you’re not in the Army anymore?”
“I’m not.”Callum pulled out the chair across the table from her and eased in.He leaned back and tried to give her space, tried to give her as many reasons to trust him as possible.They’d known each other for a long time, but that didn’t mean shit when he only had the barest details on what had happened to her in the years since she “died” and Marino had been imprisoned.
“Are you mad at me?”she asked quietly.
Furious.“I’m figuring it out.”
“That’s fair.”The water bottle crinkled as she toyed with it.“Don’t be mad at Hayden.He had little choice.”
“Everyone has a choice.”
Her half-laugh rang sad and lonely.He thought she was about to defend her brother, but the silence ticked by.
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”She pushed the water bottle away but immediately toyed with the beads of her bracelet, as if she had to fidget.
“It was probably hard with my face full of pepper spray.”
She cringed.“I’m sorry.I thought you were…I wasn’t trying to hide from you.”
“From me.But you are hiding.”
“I’m supposed to be dead.”
“That’s not the reason you’re hiding.”
Her fingers picked up the pace as she worried over the bracelets.“You look different.Bigger than the last time I saw you.”
