Page 181 of Stolen Voices

Mason groans, which brings a smile to my face. “Fuck off. You’re in the middle with me. But I love you too,bigbrother.” He cuts the call before I can tease him.

My brother has grown a lot since he met Emery, but he’s still the same emotionally stingy grump.

Before heading back to bed, I send a text to my parents confirming dinner, and one to my buddy, Boone, giving him a heads-up, along with a copy of the photo so he can keep an eye out when he guards Callie tomorrow.

I crawl into bed, exhausted, and curl my body around Callie’s, spooning her. She mewls in her sleep, and I pull her tighter, repeatedly whispering, “I got you,” into her hair until she settles.

Callie is my heart, and without her, I don’t exist. I protect what’s mine. Silla better be prepared because I’m going to do everything in my power to make her pay for what she’s done to the woman I love.

Even if it’s the last thing I do.

thirty-nine

Eli

IturnontoHighwayOne and head north. We are on our way up the coast to my parents’ house. They live on the other side of the canyon, but I wanted to give Callie a little ocean view to help calm her nerves. She loves the water, and anything I can do to help her mood, I’m going to do.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as she nervously twirls her dad’s ring.

“Are you excited about dinner?” I run my thumb over her knuckles.

Callie hums as she stares out the window at the ocean. She’s been extra quiet today. Not that I blame her. Seeing her father’s murderer’s picture was a lot to handle.

We had a long talk about everything this morning. Callie explained how she’s seen the man in her head for years, but it felt like a figment of her imagination because the police could never find him. Now, he has a name and a connection to her life, and it’s overwhelming.

I let her in on my hunch about the cupcakes and Mason’s investigation, trying to connect Novak to the scene. I also suggested we turn everything we know over to the police, which did not go over well. Callie thinks the evidence we have is circumstantial at best. She’s probably right, but I hate the idea of that monster walking around free. I want him and Silla behind bars, where they belong.

Which is why dinner with my parents will be a pleasant distraction for both of us.

“My mom is going to fawn all over you, and my dad will probably tease you. It’s how he shows love.” When I told Callie she had nothing to worry about, I meant it. Karen and Mark Miller are the most supportive parents and most welcoming people I know.

“So, he’s a lot like you, then?” she asks.

I bark a laugh. “Yeah, princess.”

Her responding smile reaches her eyes, making my heart skip a beat. She looks like a golden angel beside me as the California sun sits over the ocean.

Callie is wearing a cream-colored jumpsuit, and her hair lies over her shoulders in waves. She looks fucking stunning. Sexy and sweet. I can’t wait to peel those pants off her tonight.

“I’m excited. I’ve never brought a woman home for them to meet,” I confess.

Callie perks her head up like I knew she would. “How is that possible? You’re thirty-five.” Her shock should offend me, but she’s right.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m just surprised.”

“Why are you surprised? I’ve been married to my job for as long as I can remember, and the relationships I had were casual. And I’ve been secretly obsessed with a particular blonde.” I give her a sexy wink, and I can hear her swoon as I turn my eyes back to the road.

“Am I allowed to love and hate that statement?” she asks.

I glance at her face as she pouts and scrunches up her nose. I smirk at how fucking cute she looks jealous, overlooking the fact that I’ve been into her for longer than I want to admit.

“You can feel however you want. I don’t enjoy thinking about you and other men.”

“There was only one before you.” She tightens her grip on my hand.

“I know,” I grouse. Chad fucking James-Mitchell. They met on a movie set, and he was her first boyfriend. She loves those pretty boys with long hair.