“And your father, did he like Shane?”
“God, no. Shane lived with Dad for a while after he lost his father. I think Shane thought of him as a new father figure, but Dad never felt that way. I think Shane married me to stay a part of our family, and I married him to piss off my dad, at least partly.”
I grunt. He should’ve married Callie because he was hopelessly in love with her, not using her to advance his career. I ball my hands into fists under the table.
“I’m glad you’re divorcing him instead of staying miserable. It’s brave.”
“It doesn’t feel brave. It feels…” she trails off, staring into her empty coffee. I let my eyes roam her face. Callie’s beautiful, but she’s got dark circles underneath her eyes and deep lines between them, like she spends a lot of time with her brow furrowed.
“What does it feel like?” I bring my forearms onto the table and lean forward, watching her with rapt attention.The coffee shop empties, the middle school girls heading out with giggles and the couple following.
“Almost shameful.”
I have to bite my tongue to not jump in right here and contradict her. There’s nothing shameful about making a mistake. Misjudging someone. Callie deserves so much more than to feel bad about that.
“I stayed married to him when I knew he was a terrible match for me. But I can’t even divorce him correctly.”
“I’m not sure there’s a right way to divorce someone, Calliope,” I say gently. I relax my fists and want to reach over and touch her hands, which are wrung together on the table.
She shrugs. “It should’ve happened a long time ago. I suspected he was cheating. The job required him to stay away overnight on a regular basis, but it became more frequent in the past year or so. Then I found woman’s underwear in his pocket after a fight.”
Oh, hell no. If I ever get in the same room as this man, I am going to fucking kill him. Cheating is never, ever okay. No matter what. And cheating on Callie? This beautiful woman, so pure and untouchable? She’s managed to stay true to herself through a lifetime of being in the Callahan family. Somehow, she’s clung to some kind of moral compass that has kept her from becoming a bad person. Somehow, she’s remained good.
“I finally realized I needed to leave. But then?—”
A shadow of sadness passes over her face, and she blinks a few times. I wait patiently for her to continue, my eyes not leaving hers.
“My father died. I asked for a divorce, and we fought about it. Then Shane disappeared.”
“Fuck, Callie.”
“He isn’t going to let me go on my terms. It’ll have to be on his, if at all.”
I make a decision. This isn’t going to be a simple job where I find someone and move on. It’s not just a job anymore. Callie won’t go through this alone. I was already invested, but now I’m committed.
“Shit, I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” Callie’s cheeks turn a deep pink. “Please forget all of that. This is a job to you, not a sob story.”
I shake my head, not willing to voice my thoughts: It’s not just a job to me anymore.
“Think he’s working at the fight club? God, that would be so obvious.”
“No. He’s not, I’m almost sure. But I have a feeling someone there might know something.”
“Oh.” Callie raises her eyebrows and hope creeps onto her face.
This woman might not want me to protect her, but I’m desperate to take that job. She deserves to have someone place her first. To watch her back. I can at least do that much for her while she’s sorting out the end of her marriage.
“I was thinking I’d pay a visit.”
“I’m coming,” she says immediately.
“That’s not a good idea.” I shake my head, but it’s a weak protest. Didn’t I know she’d insist on coming? This woman who appears to be a good girl but also followed a serial killer to his isolated cabin and then came back looking for him a few days later? “Those places are dangerous. Violent. Filled with bad people.”
“Yeah, I know.” Storm clouds come over her face, and she narrows her eyes at me.
“It’s not safe.” The idea of taking a beautiful woman likethis to a nasty fight club filled with lowlifes is a nightmare. But she’ll have me at her back. I can protect her.
“I said I’m coming,” she says, and I huff, then smile. “What the fuck are you smiling about?”
