Page 115 of Stolen Voices

Maybe Eli needs another little push. Then, once he’s over the line, he won’t be able to deny the chemistry between us, and he’ll see how great we are together and that we’re worth the risk of crossing it.

twenty-five

Eli

WillingCallietoacknowledgemy message from this morning, I stare at the phone mocking me from my desk as I pretend to work.

Silence.

She’s ignoring me, and I deserve it.

Two days ago, I returned to California, leaving Callie behind in Pine Hills to rest and recover while I began my search for the perpetrator—or perpetrators—responsible for her fall, the cupcake mix-up, the stage dive… All of it.

Something about the incidents irked me, but hearing Callie tell me her family’s story set off alarm bells in my head. There is no way these events are coincidental.

I hated having to share my suspicions with Callie, but she’s so damn stubborn. The blood drained from her face, turning her ashen, as she processed the information. She hasn’t connected all the dots yet, and I don’t want her to because it’s heartbreaking to think the only person who would benefit from her death is her half-sister.

Silla Treymonde.

Unfortunately, I have yet to come up with any solid evidence. Everyone is digging, including my brothers. Mason is searching the bank accounts to get a bird’s-eye view on Silla’s finances, while Jace is attempting to track down Andrew Cartwright’s will by reaching out to his old lawyer friends.

No matter what, I’m going to find the person trying to hurt my girl.

I drop the contract I’m pretending to read and pick up the manilla folder sitting on my desk. Flipping it open, I search for the grainy picture of the man found lurking around Ricochet lounge the night before and stare at it.

The bastard in the photo is dressed in all black and hides his face from view with his hood pulled, so there is no way to identify him. Something about the man’s build and side profile feels familiar. I can’t put my finger on why, but I can’t shake the lingering sense of déjà vu the picture gives me.

With a tension-reducing neck roll, I close the file and dive back into work for another hour. Sadly, no number of contracts and client calls can keep my mind off Callie or the way my phone goads me from its silent perch on my desk.

Disappointment hits me like a kick in the nuts.

Leaving Callie was the last thing I wanted to do. I finally kissed her, after years of secretly pining for her, and what did I do? I left her alone to fend for herself while she’s injured, in a place she’s never been before, and to top it off, I demanded she stay inside like a prisoner.

As some kind of karmic punishment, I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since the one I spent holding Callie in my arms. All I want is to get back to her as quickly as possible. If I concentrate hard enough, I can still taste her lips on mine.

I promised her things between us were going to be different, and I claimed her in front of my family. Then I left, when I should have stayed and nursed her back to health. I should have stayed to kiss her every night until we fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.

Yeah, because you would have stopped at kissing her.

My brain might be a snarky bastard, but it sure hasn’t lost its ability to conjure visions of a naked Callie laid out in the middle of the bed for me—bare skinned, legs spread, pussy glistening, and ready to be worshipped and fucked with my mouth, my fingers, and my cock.

My dick thickens behind my zipper, making my slacks tight.

Fuck.

Shifting in my seat, I adjust myself. Keeping Callie safe extends to me as well. I’m not sure I’d be able to control myself, or my cock, if I was still sharing a bed with her. I was barely keeping myself together when I glimpsed Callie’s naked body for the first time. It took everything in me to be a gentleman and keep my eyes off her delectable, flawless skin.

Forcing myself not to pick up my phone and check my messages for the hundredth time, I shuffle through a few more contracts and skim the proposal Dez left on my desk to review before our meeting with Hudson, who returns from England today.

After we catch up, I plan to tell him and Dez about me and Callie. I’m nervous, but it’s time. There’s no going back for me, and with Hudson home, I have no reason to stay in LA. Dez is more than capable of taking care of things for me while I’m gone, and I can easily wait for my contacts to call with any information they dig up. It’s time for me to get back to my girl.

Fuck, I love calling Callie “my girl”.

The security alarm for Cam’s door chimes, and I reach for my cell, pulling open the app. A bouncing, pregnant Rylann stands on the doorstep with a grinning Rhys. Affection fills me with warmth at the sight of my sister-in-law and nephew coming over to keep Callie company. If those two are there, then the rest of the girl crew isn’t too far behind.

“Knock, knock,” Dez announces, pushing open my office door.

I lock my phone, place it back on the desk, and look up to find my friend studying me with a curious expression.