27. Callie

“Bianca!”

Sprinting from the bus stop, I stopped just at the bottom of the steps to my apartment and gasped for breath. I’d run so far that my chest was aching, but the pain from the lack of air was nothing compared to the pain of seeing my Best Friend huddled at the top of my steps, leaning against my door with tears streaming down her face.

“Oh Bianca, are you alright?” I asked, taking the steps two at a time. “What’s happened?” Reaching her, I crouched down to her level and grasped her curled up hands that clutched at crumpled tissues.

“Callie,” Bianca whimpered, lifting her red-rimmed eyes to me. “Oh god, it’s so awful, chick.”

“What is? Tell me, what’s happened?”

“I’ve been fired!” Bianca gasped and a fresh wave of tears poured down her cheeks. “Someone— someone put in a complaint that I had abused their dog and that it wasn’t the first time it had happened. I was fired on the spot!”

Bianca pulled her hands away and buried her face in the crumpled tissues, sobbing loudly.

All thoughts of Sawyer and everyone else fled my mind. My focus became Bianca. How was this possible? Bianca was the sweetest, most genuine person I had ever met in my life. She could barely raise her voice, never mind even thinking about harming an animal. I didn’t even need to ask her if it was true because I knew her. That accusation was bullshit.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” I embraced her and used that hold to slowly pick her up from the steps. Keeping Bianca close became a balancing act with my keys to get her inside. Soon, she was seated in my kitchen with a fresh pile of tissues to cry into while I hurried around making her some tea.

Tea without milk since my carton was well past the safe use-by date. Whoops.

“I’m sorry,” Bianca wept, tearing the tissues apart in her hands as she sat there.

“Don’t be,” I replied immediately, boiling the kettle and hunting out the sugar. “Just tell me what happened.

“Well, I arrived at work today, and everything was normal, y’know? I fed all the animals, sat in on a surgery on this adorable old dog like usual, and then took five of them for a walk. It was a regular day, and my boss was happy with me. I was worried about you, sure.”

Bianca glanced up at me and a twist of guilt pulled my heart south while I poured the hot water.

“But I didn’t hurt anyone. I love all the dogs there and I love my job so much. I would never do anything to hurt them. You have to believe me.” A fresh wave of hurt overtook Bianca and she sagged forward against the table.

“I do believe you,” I said firmly, slowly setting down a hot cup of tea in front of her and rubbing her back. There must be some kind of mistake because I know you. I know you would never hurt a soul.”

Bianca’s hands slid around the hot cup and she cradled it against herself, not caring when tears dripped from her chin and landed in the liquid.

“They named me,” Bianca whimpered, and she gazed up at me with shining eyes. “They said it was me specifically, and they had enough proof that my boss didn’t want to hear it. He fired me on the spot and didn’t care for anything I had to say.”

My heart broke for her. Sliding my hand from her back to her opposite shoulder, I hugged her close as another wave of fresh sobs overcame her.

“I’m so sorry, Bianca. We’ll fix this. I promise.”

Honestly, I had no idea how but I did know I wasn’t going to let her fight this alone. I kissed the top of her head, then stepped back to the counter to pick up my own cup. As my fingers closed around the hot porcelain, a call came through on my phone that I had every intention of ignoring until I saw the name on the screen.

Eli.

What the fuck did he want?

Talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do, especially when Bianca was so upset, but I knew he wasn’t the kind of man I could ignore.

“I’m so sorry Bianca. Can you give me two seconds?”

She was too upset to do anything but wave a soggy tissue in my direction. Moving to the doorway, I answered the call and huddled around my phone to try and hide the noise of her crying.

“What?”

“Oh you sneaky, conniving little bitch,” Eli barked down the phone.

A sickening chill crawled down my spine, turning my arms to gooseflesh in the process. “Excuse me?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Did you really think you could try and scam me and get away with it, huh? You little cunt. I warned you what would happen if you betrayed me but you didn’t listen.”

“Eli, I have no idea what?—”

“Don’t speak,” he hissed darkly. “Just listen, for once in your miserable existence. I don’t know if it was misplaced confidence or if you were just sick from all the dick Sawyer gives you, either way you’ve gone and crossed the wrong motherfucker.”

Each word dripped in venom and the confusion in my chest eventually gave way to cold fear.

“You thought your life was miserable before me? When I’m finished with you, before me is going to look like fucking heaven. Do you understand me bitch? Bianca was first. An appetizer of what I can do. Your mother is next. I hope it was worth it, Callie, because when I’m through, there’s going to be nothing left for you.”

The call ended, leaving a hollow silence ringing in my ears as I struggled to process everything he yelled at me in a span of thirty seconds.

Bianca was first?

Slowly, I turned back to Bianca who was still crying into her tea. She hadn’t drank a sip but that was okay. I’d made it mainly for the warmth.

Did… Eli gets Bianca fired? But why? She wasn’t a part of this. She wasn’t a part of anything. She was just my best friend.

Maybe that was her crime. He hurt her because he knew it would hurt me, and he definitely had the money and the influence to spew god knows how many lies to get his own way.

Slowly, I typed out a message to Eli asking for clarity because I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. I did everything he asked of me, didn’t I?

I did everything.

Just as hopelessness swelled up inside me like a balloon, Bianca let out a louder sob and it pulled my attention away. I hurried to her and wound my arms around her in a tight hug.

Bianca first. This I had control of. I could soothe her and care for her. Everything else would come later.

“Listen to me Bianca. We know there’s some kind of mistake here. There has to be,” I assured her gently, stroking her hair with my hand. “I know you’re heartbroken right now but I’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. And I’ll get you your job back. I swear it, okay?”

“How?” Bianca wept, turning her tear-stained face to me. “How can you possibly fix this? The things they said I did to their poor dog, I can’t even think about it.”

“I don’t have the answer right now but I’m not giving up, okay? This isn’t over. You’re going to get your job back, I swear it.”

Bianca didn’t believe me, and I couldn’t blame her. She cried until she had no tears left to give, then I was able to guide her out of the chair and into my bedroom. Sending her home was not the greatest idea and I didn’t want her to be without some sort of comfort. She was compliant as I guided her into bed. As she lay down, I kissed her forehead and drew the covers up to her neck, then I firmly tucked her in. She sniffled and stared up at me with hollow eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I hushed gently. “Just get some rest, okay? Things will look better in the morning. I promise.”

I sat with her until she fell asleep, then left her to rest and retreated back to the kitchen. Numbness weighed down my chest, and I sat down with a thunk, staring into the now-cold tea left by Bianca. It had been a few hours now since I messaged Eli, but he hadn’t replied. Outside, the world was as dark and silent as my kitchen, and the lull of quiet was broken occasionally by the rising hum of my fridge.

I stared at Eli’s text until my eyes blurred, replaying his threats over and over in my mind.

I did everything he asked, and yet he spoke as if I had betrayed him. Sure, I had planned on telling Sawyer the truth, but nothing should have changed since I never went through with it. Did they find out some other way?

Maybe Sawyer was able to see how files were copied on his computer, or maybe someone else saw me and reported it. Useless theories bounced around my mind as the night wore on and I was still no closer to understanding by the time a pink tinge crept across the sky.

My best friend had been targeted and was now heartbroken and jobless. Eli claimed my mother was next and given how furious he was, I have no reason to doubt it. On top of that, I turned rat against the men I have fallen for, and now I have a baby inside me that will grow up fatherless thanks to my actions.

Maybe even motherless if Eli’s anger was any indication of what my future held.

What was I going to do? What could I even do?

I replayed everything over in my head, repeatedly until details started to dog slightly thanks to my own exhaustion. I couldn’t sleep though. There was far too much going on in my head and the guilt was eating me alive.

With everything spinning out of control, by the time the first early morning bird song filled the air, I had come to a decision.

It was a poor decision but it was the only thing I still had control of. It’s the one thing that I’ve been hiding from, the one thing I’ve been scared of destroying my life.

The truth.

But if Eli is hellbent on destroying everything and everyone close to me that I care about, then the only thing I can do to protect them is to come clean. Telling the truth might very well be the only way I can get ahead of him and save my mother before she ends up like Bianca.

Distraught and alone.

Moving to the living room, I located my laptop and began typing out a quick email to Sawyer. I also included Liam and Kane in the message. If I had any luck left in this world, then maybe this would be enough for them to forget about their misplaced hatred of one another and focus on the real enemy.

Me.

My resignation letter was brief and to the point. I thanked Sawyer for everything he had done for me. As I’m no longer part of the company, they will be able to fix things. Then I asked them not to judge me too harshly for what was about to happen and to know that when I tell them the truth, all I ask is for some understanding.

I signed off the email with one final request. I plead with them to help my best friend. What I lack in power and influence, they make up for and while I know it’s a lot to ask given what I’ve done, I pray they can find it in their hearts to help her.

She’s innocent, after all.

Unlike me.