Page 47 of Tone Deaf

I completely understand—I’d feel the same way. It must be so hard to return to a place where all you see is the shadow of what happened, the weight of that tragedy lingering the moment you walk up to the door. No. I don’t blame him for wanting to get rid of the place.

“Come have a seat, Callum,” I suggest, but he shakes his head.

I don’t push, and remain quiet until Pen comes out. He sits on the end of the sofa and looks to me to start.

“Callum, please sit down,” I say, hoping he’ll listen this time, but he still doesn’t move.

“There’s a lot to go over, and I think once you hear what Dom has, you’re going to need to sit down,” Pen explains.

Callum glances at Pen for a moment, before he nods and sits on the single chair across from him.

So damn stubborn.

“Go on.” Callum clasps his hands tightly in his lap, his shoulders hunched inward, eyes fixed on the floor.

“First of all, Pen and I aren’t hiding anything from you. Uh-uh-uh, wait,” I say as Callum open his mouth to argue. “We wanted to make sure we have all the information before coming to you with details.”

“Alright.” Still standoffish, Callum is at least looking at me now.

“Let me break it down. First, Dean’s guy found out the real reason why your father left Australia.”

“Brian. And that is?”

“Brian was mixed up with a group that dealt with drugs, prostitution, guns and human trafficking. Pretty much what there is to do illegally, they were—or still may be, doing it.”

Callum’s eyes go wide. “I remember Granddad saying it was bad, but I didn’t know Brian was that corrupt. I wonder if my mum did?”

“Probably. Since Brian was part of the group for the better part of four years until he got caught selling guns to undercover agents. That’s when your grandfather got involved and sent you two away.”

“Shit.” Callum grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Once this is all done, I need to talk to my mum about keeping secrets.”

“Don’t blame your mother for not telling you. She was only keeping you safe,” Pen says.

“I’m not mad at her. But I wish she had said something to me about it. Then I would have?—”

“What would you have done if you knew what you father—sorry, Brian was mixed up in?” I ask, knowing the answer already. He was a kid. There’s nothing he could have done—not without repercussions.

Callum sits there, in silence for a long moment, contemplating. “Nothing… I guess.”

“Yeah.” I give him a second to absorb that, before asking, “Want to hear the rest?”

“Go ahead,” he utters solemnly.

“Not long after you and your mom left Australia, Brian made a plea bargain to keep himself out of jail.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Callum says, his body slumping.

“He turned evidence on the top two men in that organization,” I say, watching Callum carefully.

“And now they are after him?” he asks shakily, rubbing at his arms. “Why? After all this time?”

“We don’t know, but Dean’s tech guy, Levi is digging deep into Brian’s current activities.”

“And you think they are the ones who are coming after me and my mum?” Callum says, his hands now clenched into fists. “Still, why?”

“I don’t know, babe. But until we have solid proof that it’s Brian who is bringing this shit to you, we can’t ignore anything that comes our way,” I explain, lowering myself onto the coffee table to be eye level with him.

“The woman with the gun—what if she—” Callum shutters.