Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

C allie’s gaze shifted from the reformer machine beneath her to the note on the desk. It had been waiting for her at the studio this morning. She hadn’t opened it yet. She’d told herself she’d open it when she finished her classes, but she hadn’t. Then she’d told herself she’d open it when she finished her Pilates session, and, well, she was almost done and still didn’t want to open it.

She paused at the end of her set of triceps extensions to glance out the window.

Even though it was the middle of the day, she’d still locked the doors. Lock had told her to, but she would have done it anyway. Between the notes and Aspen and Dylan, there was so much going on.

She began her stretches. She hadn’t finished the workout, but her mind was anywhere but on what she was doing.

Usually, Pilates and yoga were her escape from the real world. They took her mind off everything she had going on around her and let her turn inward.

Why was it not working today?

At least Antwan and Jesse were here—extra people in town to keep an eye out for anything that could go wrong. They were staying at Lock’s house. With her there too, it was a nearly full home. She’d tried to convince Aspen to stay with them as well—heck, there were enough bedrooms—but her friend had refused. Why, exactly, Callie wasn’t sure.

Fifteen minutes later, she rose and moved to the desk. The note was mocking her. Just sitting there, waiting for her to open it.

Still, she didn’t touch it, not yet. First, she texted Aspen.

Callie: Hey! How’d your writing session go? Get much done?

How her friend could concentrate on anything other than that awful ex of hers, she had no idea. He’d grabbed her last night, forced her outside.

What would he have done if he hadn’t been stopped? Forced her into his car? Dragged her to his house? Then what? And why hadn’t she wanted to involve Eastern?

A shudder skittered down her spine as her phone pinged with a response.

Aspen: I couldn’t concentrate so I decided to drown myself in cake at Sugar and Spice. Then Jesse showed up and we kind of spent the day together.

Callie’s brows rose. She’d spent the day with Jesse?

Aspen: Just as friends. We walked around. Talked. He’s sweet.

A small smile stretched Callie’s lips. Now, Jesse and Aspen were a relationship Callie could get behind. Not that her friend was in the headspace for dating right now.

She was glad Aspen had spent the day with him. He was sweet. He was also big and intimidating, so if Dylan approached Aspen, he wouldn’t be afraid to hit the guy a second time.

A knock on the glass made Callie jump, and the phone dropped from her fingers. The air rushed from her chest when she saw Antwan outside. Good God, she was edgy.

She opened the door.

“Sorry,” he said as he stepped inside. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I was distracted.”

“Everything okay?”

She locked the door after him. “It’s fine. Actually, Aspen was just telling me she spent the day with Jesse.”

“Yeah, he ran out to get us coffees this morning, and after an hour, I started to wonder just where the hell he’d driven for this coffee, but then he texted that he was with Aspen. I assumed he wasn’t coming back.”

Callie cringed. “So, no coffee?”

“I had to fend for myself.”

“What a tragedy.”

“You have no idea.”

She laughed. “Is that why you’re here? Jesse deserted you, Lock’s doing a job, and you eventually got bored?”

“Actually, Lock got caught up on his job and asked me to drive you home. Is that okay?”

“Oh. Of course. Thank you. I’ll just wipe down the machine I was using and pack up my stuff.”

She’d just started cleaning the reformer when Antwan lifted something from the desk. “What’s this?”

“It’s another note.”

He scowled. “Lock mentioned you’ve been receiving them. What do they usually say?”

“Silly stuff about my looks and how Lock’s not good enough for me. I’ve been trying to forget about them.”

Another narrowing of his eyes.

“The person hasn’t actually done anything,” she added. Once the machine was clean, she moved over to Antwan and slipped the letter from his hold. “Let’s see what they have to say this time.”

Because she was no longer alone, opening it felt easier. Or maybe it was because she was trying to prove that she was unaffected when, in reality, that was far from the case.

The same familiar handwriting stared back at her.

He doesn’t keep you safe the way I do. He doesn’t love you like I do.

Keep her safe? How on earth was this person keeping her safe?

Her phone rang, and she jumped again.

Jesus. She needed to get a hold of herself.

Antwan put a warm hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay. It’s just a call.”

She blew out a breath, only to frown when she saw the unknown number on her screen. “Hello?”

“Callie. It’s Eastern. Are you with Lock?”

Eastern? Why was he calling? Something cold and uncomfortable skittered down her spine. “No, I’m with Antwan. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Actually, yes. We need you to come down to the station and tell us about all of your encounters with Lucian Tate.”

She straightened. “Lucian. Why?”

There was a small pause. “He was murdered last night.”

Lock pulled into the parking lot of the sheriff’s station. He was pissed. He was beyond pissed. Eastern had called Callie in for questioning after a damn murder, and he hadn’t told him. It had been Antwan who’d messaged him.

Lock stepped inside.

Antwan rose from a seat. “You got here fast.”

“Where is she?”

“Eastern still has her in a room in the back.”

His hands fisted and he took a step forward, but Antwan gripped his shoulder. “Hey. I don’t think your brother thinks she did anything wrong. I’m sure he just wants to know about their interactions.”

“He should have called me.”

“I’m sure he had his reasons not to.”

The click of a door opening sounded down the hall. He looked up to see Callie step out of a room, closely followed by Eastern and a deputy.

He met her halfway and cupped her cheeks. “Hey. Are you okay?”

She nodded, but her complexion was pale.

Shit, he was even angrier now. He turned to his brother. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Come into my office, Lock.”

He didn’t want to go into a damn office, he wanted to kick his brother’s ass.

Eastern held open the door of his office, and Lock placed a hand on Callie’s back and led her inside.

“I’ll wait out here,” Antwan said before lowering back to his seat.

“I didn’t tell you,” Eastern began, once the door was closed and he was behind his desk, “because I needed to talk to Callie alone and I knew you’d fight me on it.”

“Damn straight I’d fight you on it. I should have been with her.”

Callie touched his arm. “Lock. It’s not your brother’s fault. He’s just doing his job.”

Eastern lowered to his seat. “I don’t think she had anything to do with the murder, of course.” He waved a hand at the two seats opposite his desk.

Lock helped Callie into a seat, then sat beside her. “How was he killed?”

Killed…fuck. Someone had actually killed the guy. Yeah, Lucian was an asshole, but he shouldn’t have died.

“Looks like someone entered his house through an unlocked back door and struck him in the back of the head. They then kicked him until he wasn’t breathing any longer.”

Jesus Christ . “They were angry.”

“My thoughts exactly. He was killed in a rage.”

Lock reached over and wrapped his fingers around Callie’s thigh, suddenly feeling like she was too far even though she was right next to him. “Any idea who did it?”

“They didn’t leave any evidence. No prints or witnesses. His brother got home this morning after being out all night and found his body.”

“Brother?” Callie asked.

“Oscar Tate, the guy who’s always with him.”

She frowned. “I didn’t know they were brothers.”

Eastern nodded. “They are, and they live together.”

“Is Oscar a suspect?” Lock asked.

“He claims to have been at his girlfriend’s house the entire night, and she corroborates the story.”

“So what did you want with Callie?” Lock asked, still angry that she’d been dragged into this.

“We needed the details of her interactions with him.”

“I told them everything I remembered about the bar, and then the two incidents with Hamish,” she said softly, her hand slipping on top of Lock’s as she looked at him.

“Hamish,” Lock said softly. “They were bullying him, right?”

She shook her head. “No…well, yes, they were, but like I told Eastern and his deputy, I don’t think he could have done this.”

“How well do you know Hamish?” Eastern asked.

Her brows rose. “I mean, not super well. But I see him a few times a week and have conversations with him all the time. He’s kind, and the least-violent guy I know.”

“Has he ever shown a romantic interest in you?”

At Callie’s beat of silence, Lock turned to look at her. He obviously had. But then, that wasn’t a huge surprise. Lock had suspected the guy had a thing for her.

“He asked me out,” she finally said.

Lock frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it didn’t seem important. I let him down gently and that was that.” She looked back at Eastern. “Him showing an interest in me doesn’t mean he’d kill someone though. That’s crazy.”

Eastern leaned forward. “Did you know him before you left town?”

“Yes.”

“And you were receiving notes then too, right?”

Callie squirmed in her seat.

Fuck . Could it really be him? Lock had always liked the guy. Sure, he was odd, but Callie was right—he’d never come across as violent.

Eastern rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “He asked you out, and you’ve been receiving notes from someone who’s interested in you. There have been two incidences involving you, Lucian, and Hamish, both of which turned violent, and this morning you receive a note from your stalker, claiming he’s keeping you safe.”

Lock tensed. “You did?”

She swallowed before looking at him, her expression giving her away before her nod.

Shit .

“And now,” his brother continued, “Lucian’s dead.”

“I still don’t think Hamish could have done it,” Callie pushed. “He’s not like that.”

Eastern leaned back in his seat. “We’ll talk to him.”

“Can I take Callie home?” Lock asked, ready to get the hell out of here.

Eastern nodded, and both he and Callie stood. He could feel her energy. She was sad. Maybe a bit scared. He hated both.

He tugged her into his side before stepping back into the waiting area. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered into her ear, needing to do something to help.

She nodded but didn’t look convinced at all.

Antwan stood as the door opened. Immediately, Callie tensed at the sight of Hamish being escorted in by two deputies.

“I don’t understand w-what’s going on! I didn’t—” Hamish stopped when he looked up and his gaze locked with Callie’s. “Callie! I didn’t do this. P-please believe me. I didn’t kill anyone. I w-wouldn’t do that!” He tried to veer toward her, and both Lock and Antwan shifted in front of her as the deputies guided him toward the hall.

“I believe you.” Callie’s words were quiet, but when Hamish’s features eased, Lock knew he’d heard.

Lock frowned. Her words, and her words alone, eased Hamish’s fear…as if all that mattered was that she believed him.

Was it true? Could he have killed someone to protect her?

He tightened his hold on Callie’s waist, suddenly wanting her as close as fucking possible.