“Yeah.” I clench my fists thinking of all of them. How dare her father let her suffer with Shane? Her brother not do anything he could to help his sister? Her husband pass up a life with someone as incredible as she is?
“But then you came along, the psycho stalker serial killer that you are.” Noah elbows me in the side, and I stare down at my hands. “And she’s accepted every part of you from the start.”
I swallow and try to breathe past my tightened chest. Yeah, it was wild she didn’t react differently to my stalking and drugging and zip-tying, but?—
“She liked that I was looking out for her. Protecting. That I obsessively cared about her.”
“Exactly. She should’ve run screaming, like every other woman you’ve tried to date.” Noah chuckles.
“But she tried to stalk me back.” I can’t help but smile as I think of Callie trying to break into my cabin, as if she could pull that off without me noticing. How she brought me one of her book page art hedgehogs, which sits on my mantle. Then how we stayed up the rest of the night talking and drinking tea and getting to know each other.
“Who fucking does that?” Noah shakes his head and tips the rest of his hot chocolate in his mouth.
“Calliope.” Her name is precious on my lips.
Could Noah be right? Am I letting her go too easily? Maybe she does want to be with me, but she’s so stuck with her previous plan she can’t see that we are meant to be.
Maybe I just need to convince her to change her plan.
Because Callie Callahan is mine.
I thought that from the start. I never wanted to let her go, but I knew that I loved her too much to force her to be with me. I wanted to respect her wishes.
But maybe I really need to fight for her. Not just a battle. A full-on war.
“Wes?”
“Fuck.” I jolt up and stand. “I gotta go.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Thank fuck what?” I turn to Noah, but my mind is already racing.
Relief is written all over Noah’s face. “I kept warning you to be careful around her, and I was afraid I was the one responsible for you letting her go. And I don’t think you should.”
“Good thing I ignore what you say half the time.”
“Good thing. What are you going to do about it now?”
“I gotta find Callie before she leaves town.”
I just hope I’m not too late. I pull out my phone to figure out where she is.
Chapter 38
Mistakes Were Made
CALLIE
Idid exactly as he asked me to do, yet I think there’s a good chance Shane is going to kill me.
“Fucking bitch.” Shane has me duct-taped to a folding chair in the cold, dark barn, and he’s pacing back and forth in front of me.
I have no idea where we are. Last thing I remember is approaching my car in the dimly lit parking garage, and then nothing.
I woke up about ten minutes ago with my hands, wrists, and mouth duct taped. There’s an ache in my head that indicates Shane hit me with something to knock me out. As an aside, I much prefer Wes’s less violent drugged hot chocolate.
I’m freezing, but adrenaline races through my veins as I observe this completely unhinged man. And not unhinged in a good way. Unhinged in a he-might-murder-meway. My whole body shakes with fear and cold, and I clench my jaw to stop my teeth from chattering.
