Page 4 of Tone Deaf

I kiss him gently, both of us needing the connection, before pulling back and looking into his green eyes. “I’m telling you, we’re not that far behind. Callum left on the first flight out early this morning—I’m sure of it,” I say, releasing him, then reaching down and hefting the bag over my shoulder. “There’s the shuttle to get to our rental car.”

Without further encouragement, we climb in the crowded bus. The drive to the lot takes fifteen minutes and it’s a welcome reprieve when we get off the transport. The multiple body odors and the mix of perfumes—all strong—mingling in the air, causing an overload to my senses.

Once the fresh air clears my head, we track down the dark blue Bronco. We load our things into the back of the vehicle and leave the lot.

Getting on I-70 is a breeze, but we’re jammed up in traffic through downtown Denver. After we pass the city limits, the drive turns easier. Finally, about an hour and a half later, we pull into Callum’s driveway.

I was here once before and was blown away. The place is amazing—five bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom, a game room, a professional kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows in the huge living room, and a deck, a hot tub, an in-ground pool, and a fire pit in the back. Now I’m watching for Pen’s reaction.

Through the thinning pine trees, the house doesn’t look imposing. But as we drive closer, the bigger the home stands against the mountain backdrop. From the way Pen’s eyes are nearly popping out of his head, he is as shocked as I was to see how beautiful Callum’s retreat home is.

“I didn’t know,” Pen mumbles.

“Neither did I, until I came here with him after the break in,” I admit.

Pen lowers the window half way and sucks in the clean mountain air. “I can get used to this.”

I’d have to agree, taking in the view. From this angle, I’m partly facing the Rocky Mountain range. I’m excited for Pen to see the back of the house and the deck.

“Before we unload the luggage, I want to surprise Callum first,” I say with a smile, putting the vehicle into park in front of the four-car detached garage.

We walk around a gigantic boulder on the corner of the side yard, then follow the walkway to the front door—which is wide open. My stomach drops when my eyes land on Callum’s still form, lying on the floor in the doorway. For a second I think—he’s dead.

“Fuck. Callum.” Pen’s shout yanks me out of that horrible thought. We move fast and drop onto the floor next to Callum. “Dom, his face.”

“Call 911.” I check for his pulse. “It’s strong,” I inform Pen without looking at him.

“Jesus. He looks like someone used his face as the punch dummy,” Pen grates out.

“Call the fucking cops, Pen.” I glare up at him.

“I am,” he fires back, nostrils flared and mouth in a snarl.

I drop my eyes back to Callum, who remains motionless. I lean in and examine his face more thoroughly. His nose doesn’t look broken, but there’s a ton of blood. His left eye is swollen shut; there’s a gash on his lips and scrape marks on his cheeks. Whoever did this to Callum is in a world of hurt, once I get my hands on the son of a bitch.

Callum groans, his right eye slowly opens, and I see the white of his eye is all bloodshot.

“Dom?” he whispers, like I’m an illusion. He reaches a hand to my face but it falls before he can touch me and he whimpers.

“I’m here, baby,” I choke out, trying to swallow down the knot at the base of my throat.

“Is that really you?”

“Don’t move, sweetheart, the cops are on the way.” I place a hand on his cheek. “Who attacked you?”

He closes his eye, slowly shakes his head and let out a groan of pain. “I didn’t see his face. But it was a guy who…”

“A guy? Are you sure it was a man?” I growl low, rage filtering through my words even though I’m trying to keep him calm.

“Yes. He called me by name.”

“Hey,” Pen says, the cell phone still to his left ear. He takes Callum’s uninjured hand, raises it and kisses his knuckles. “The ambulance is on its way. Just hold on a little longer, sweetheart.”

“My father…”

“What about your father?” Pen asks gently, but he can’t hide the disdain on his face.

“He said… Brian…” Callum swallows hard and then chokes out a cry.