Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

C allie took a deep breath as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. It was a new day, and it was going to be a better day.

Yes, she was pregnant, but this time things were different. She wasn’t alone. Lock was with her, and he’d remain with her, no matter what happened. And every time she forgot that, every time she was dragged back into the past, she’d just remind herself again.

She tugged her hair up into a ponytail. Lock had left a few minutes ago. He’d said it was to work, but a part of her didn’t believe that. Would he go to a job the day after she was almost kidnapped and found out she was pregnant?

Doubtful. But then, if not, where was he and why had he lied? Maybe Antwan or Jesse, her assigned babysitters, would tell her.

Her phone vibrated and she looked down at the text.

Aspen: I’m in the kitchen. Come out when you’re ready so I can give you the biggest hug of your life.

Aspen was here. Good. She needed time with her best friend. She stepped out of the bedroom, listening to the voices in the kitchen.

“When are you going home?” Aspen asked.

“Home?” Antwan responded. “I don’t really have one of those right now. I sold just about everything. But eventually, I’ll find somewhere new to live. Jesse will probably leave before me. He misses Amber Ridge. A hell of a lot more than I miss my hometown.”

“Why don’t you like your hometown?”

“There’s just not much there for me anymore.”

Callie stepped into the kitchen, and they both looked up. Aspen was across the room in a second, pulling Callie into her arms.

“Oh my God, it’s so good to hug you.” Aspen pulled back, inspecting her closely. “Are you okay? And I want the truth, even if I’m not going to like it.”

“I’m safe.”

Aspen frowned. Callie hadn’t really answered the question, and they both knew it.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” Aspen pushed back a lock of hair from Callie’s face. “I should have come over like you offered, not gone out. God, I was at the bar when you were almost kidnapped. I’m an awful friend.”

“No, you’re not. I’m glad you weren’t here. You were safe at Meridian, and that’s the most important thing.”

“That’s not the most important thing. Your safety is important too. I’m glad Lock got to you in time to scare the guy away.”

“Me too.”

Antwan cleared his throat. “You’re really okay?”

She looked at him. “Better than I should be.”

“Any idea who it was?” he asked.

“No. Lock didn’t catch the guy, and he was wearing a balaclava, so he couldn’t see his face. He was also driving a stolen car.”

“Argh. That makes me so angry!” Aspen shouted. “I hate men. Hate, hate, hate, hate them!”

“Hey! I’m a man, and you don’t hate me,” Jesse said, coming out from the hall with a grin on his face.

Aspen lifted her brows. “I don’t hate you now … There’s still time.”

He playfully shoved Aspen’s shoulder before turning toward Callie. “It’s good to see you looking better.”

He hugged her, and she returned the hug, grateful he hadn’t asked her if she was okay like everyone else.

When he passed Aspen, he grazed her side, and she smiled as she gave him a big shove. The dynamic between the two of them almost made Callie smile.

“All right, we need you two to clear out so Callie and I can have a one-on-one,” Aspen declared.

Jesse filled a glass with water. “I feel excluded.”

“You can feel whatever you want. You still need to get out.”

Antwan straightened. “Come on, man, let’s go out front and cut that wood Lock’s been bitching about.”

Jesse met her gaze. “We’ll stay close.”

She nodded. She knew they would.

Before they left, Antwan stopped in front of her and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

She pulled back and nodded. “Thank you.”

As the two guys left through the front door, she saw Aspen frowning at them. Was her friend frowning at Antwan or Jesse? Probably Jesse. There was something going on there, even if she refused to admit it.

The door closed, and Callie stepped closer, touching her friend’s hand. “How are you ?”

Aspen’s head whipped around. “Me?”

“Yes, you. Have you seen Dylan lately? And how’s your mom?”

Aspen swallowed, her cheeks losing a bit of their color. “I see him every so often. Then I turn straight around and go the other way.” There was strain in her friend’s voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“I hate living in the same town as him. I hate it so much. And Mom’s…Mom. The same level of crazy as always. One minute she’s gifting me a new bracelet and telling me she loves me, the next she’s accusing me of stealing her rings.”

“None of that sounds fun.” Callie tilted her head. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what happened between you and Dylan?” She’d never told Callie the details. Which still felt really odd.

Aspen swallowed. “I broke up with him. That’s where the story starts and ends.”

“Aspen, I want to be there for you, but I can’t if you won’t let me in.” And there was information she wasn’t sharing. She was starting to feel like she was nagging her friend about this, but she couldn’t help her if she didn’t have all the information.

Aspen frowned, and for a moment, Callie thought she might actually tell her something important. Then she blinked and shook her head. “You were almost kidnapped last night. I came to check on you , not the other way around. You went to the hospital, for Christ’s sake. I’m assuming because they discharged you, you’re okay?”

Callie lowered her gaze to her hands, the little bomb of truth on the tip of her tongue.

“What is it?” Aspen asked, inching closer. “Oh my God, you’re not okay.”

“I’m fine. I’m actually…pregnant.”

Aspen gasped, and for a moment, she didn’t move. Her mouth remained open, her eyes plastered on Callie.

“Pregnant?” she finally said.

“Yep. The doctor showed me the test result and everything.”

Aspen nodded slowly. “Okay. And how do you feel about that?”

How did she feel? She felt a million things, but one word summed them all up. “Scared.”

“Oh, Cal.” Aspen pulled her into another hug. “You are strong and brave and loved. And you will make the best mother.”

Callie bit the inside of her mouth in an attempt to stop the emotion clogging her throat. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” Aspen pulled back and grabbed Callie’s hand. “The past is not going to repeat itself. And before you say I don’t know that, I do. Because the universe would not do that to you twice. I won’t let it.”

“You don’t control the universe, Aspen.”

“I absolutely do, and I’ve put in an order for only good things to come to you in your future.”

God, she loved this woman. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. What would I do without you?”

“Probably the same thing I’d do without you. Drown in a bout of misery.”

Despite everything, Callie laughed, because it was true, she probably would drown in a bout of misery without her best friend.

He shouldn’t be here. He knew he shouldn’t be here. But the second he’d woken up, there’d been no keeping him away.

Lock climbed out of his truck and slammed the door before jogging up the couple steps to Hamish’s front door. He banged on the wood, blood roaring between his ears as he waited for the asshole.

Hamish had barely pulled the door open before Lock grabbed him and pulled him outside. He slammed the guy against the wood, getting so close that he could see every fucking pore on his skin.

“Was it you?” Lock growled.

Hamish’s eyes widened, fear turning them from brown to black. “W-what?”

“Don’t fuck with me. Did you try to kidnap Callie last night?”

Hamish’s mouth opened and closed, shock sweeping over his expression. “Someone tried to k-kidnap her?”

Was Hamish a really good fucking actor, or did he actually have no idea what had happened?

“It wasn’t me,” he gasped, almost sounding breathless. “I would never sc-scare her like that. I…I care about Callie.”

Was he telling the truth? No, he couldn’t be. Because if it wasn’t him, then who the hell was it?

Hamish’s mother stepped outside, phone in hand. “Get off our land. My boy’s done nothing wrong.”

A car pulled into the drive, and Lock turned his head, only to curse under his breath.

“I called the sheriff’s office,” his mother added.

Eastern had gotten here too quickly. He’d probably already been on his way to question Hamish.

“Lock,” Eastern shouted. “Let him go or I’ll be forced to cuff you.”

Ignoring Eastern’s words, Lock turned back to Hamish, looking him dead in the eye. “Tell me one more time you didn’t do it. That you’re not behind the notes she’s been getting. That you’ve done nothing to scare Callie.”

Hamish met his gaze. “I’ve done n-nothing to scare Callie. And I haven’t written her any n-notes.”

He was telling the truth. Lock stumbled back.

There was someone else. A blind goddamn threat. Someone with eyes on his woman. Someone willing to kill for her.

Eastern had tried to warn him, but he hadn’t listened.

He stormed to his truck.

“Lock! Get the hell back here,” Eastern shouted.

Lock wrapped his fingers around the door handle, only to have his brother grab his shoulder and spin him around. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I know that. But what else was I supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for him to strike again?”

“I’m gonna find him.”

“ When ? After his next kidnapping attempt?” It was a low blow. His brother was a former Navy SEAL and an excellent sheriff, but fuck , Lock was angry. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair. “It wasn’t Hamish.”

“How do you know?”

“I asked him. I saw it in his eyes. He had no idea about the attack last night.”

Eastern eased his hold on Lock. “So it’s someone else.” His brother looked as disappointed as he felt, because Hamish would have been an easy suspect. Lock had wanted it to be him…because then the case was solved.

Eastern stepped back. “Come with me to the station and we’ll brainstorm.”

Lock climbed into his truck, his mind moving at a million miles a minute as he drove. This person was watching her, so he had to be close. Was it someone she knew and trusted? Someone she allowed to be close to her?

For a single second, a thought popped into his head. Something he hadn’t allowed himself to consider until now. The man last night had been strong, fast, and well trained…all the attributes the guys on his team possessed…just as Eastern had suggested.

No . It wasn’t Jesse or Antwan. Even if they weren’t like family, they’d been at Meridian last night with Aspen.

Hadn’t they?

Before he could talk himself out of it, he hit the Bluetooth on the wheel and called his brother. Cody answered on the first ring.

“Lock. Everything okay?”

“Not really. I need you to tell me that Jesse and Antwan were at the bar last night.”

His brother didn’t hesitate. “Jesse and Antwan were at the bar last night. Although, we were busy, so I didn’t have eyes on them the entire night. But I saw them arrive. Jesse and Aspen were together most of the night, and Antwan was chatting with a woman. And they all left together around eleven.”

The weight on Lock’s chest lifted. Callie’s attack had occurred at nine thirty. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

He was just turning into the station parking lot when a loud bang sounded, followed by fire under his hood. Heat immediately cracked the windshield.

His truck swerved, and he couldn’t get control.

Shit!

He clicked his seat belt off, threw open his door, and rolled out. His body hit the road hard while his truck crashed into a parked car.

Tires squealed nearby, and the door to Eastern’s car flew open a second before his brother was out and running toward him.

“Lock! Are you okay?”

Lock rose to his feet, ignoring the scrapes on his sides. “Someone did something to my truck.”

Eastern lifted his radio and called for both his deputies and the fire department.

Lock’s blood pumped, the need to contact Callie and check that she was okay all he could think about. But his damn phone had been in his truck—and now the entire fucking thing was in flames.

What had it been? A bomb? Jesus. “I need your phone.”

Eastern handed it over, and he hit Callie’s name.

“Hey, Eastern.”

The air rushed from his chest at the sound of her voice. “Hey, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Lock? I’m fine. Why are you calling from your brother’s phone?” There was a small pause, and when she spoke again, she sounded panicked. “Something’s wrong. Did something happen?”

He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. Not over the phone and not after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. “I’m fine. I’ll see you in an hour. You’re keeping the doors locked, right?”

“Of course. It’s just Antwan and me now, because Jesse took Aspen home.”

“Okay. Make sure you stay close to him. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He hung up and handed the phone back to his brother.

“Come into the station,” Eastern said, already moving forward. “The deputies can look at the truck while I take care of those scrapes.”

They’d just stepped inside the station when Aspen turned to look at them from where she stood by the front desk.

Lock frowned. “Aspen. What are you doing here? Jesse said he was taking you home.”

“He did. Then I came here.” Her gaze shifted from Lock to Eastern and back. “I think I know who’s targeting Callie.”