Chapter 29
Found Him
WES
I’m a big guy, and I’m pretty confident in my abilities to protect Callie tonight at the fight club, but I don’t love that her husband is a fighter. I don’t love the lies he told Callie’s sister. I don’t love the wild look in his eyes as he ducks the first swing from his opponent.
Callie’s eyes are locked on Shane in the ring.
“Well. At least we found him.” I squeeze Callie’s hand, but she doesn’t acknowledge my words.
“He’s hard to miss,” Meadow says over the noise of the excited crowd. “Callie? You okay?” She touches her sister’s arm, but Callie’s still frozen. Her eyes are wide and her breathing quickening.
“Callie.” I face her and put my hands on her biceps, turning her toward me. “Hey, sweetheart, you okay?”
Finally she seems to see me.
“Yeah,” she says in a breathy whisper. “Just feeling a little freaked out at the idea of actually talking to him.”
“I understand that. But you won’t have to right now. And there’s no point in watching this fight.” I turn to Meadow. “Don’t go anywhere. We might need to talk to you. Noah. Watch Callie’s sister.”
“What?” Noah says at the same time as Meadow protests.
“Hey! I don’t need watching!” Meadow scoffs and plants her fists on her waist.
Before I turn to pull Callie away, I see Noah look down at Meadow as she stomps her foot. He reaches for her arm as she steps away.
“Fuck,” Noah swears and follows her into the crowd. If it weren’t for what happened to Callie in Boston, I think Noah would probably tell me to fuck right off. But he’s freaked out about having let Callie get cornered by Jones.
“Come on.” I grab Callie’s hand.
“Where are we going?” She lets me lead her to a quiet corner of the room where there are a few old chairs along the wall. It’s a disgusting spot in a disgusting room, but from here we can’t see the fight, only hear it.
I sink into a chair and pull Callie down onto my lap.
“We’re going to get the papers signed,” I say, sliding a hand up her back, then tugging her jacket off.
It’s too damn hot down here to be wearing a coat.
Callie’s shoulders sag, and she partially relaxes into me.
“And we’re going to get your mother’s ring back.
” I push a chunk of hair off her shoulder and place a kiss on her neck.
She sighs deeply but then pulls away. “Don’t, Wes. What if someone recognizes me?”
“They do.”
“What??” Callie’s eyes fly open, and her head swivels around us.
“There are multiple men in the crowd keeping watch.” I speak softly into her ear, but I observe two beefy men who have their arms crossed and are standing watch on us. “This is what we expected. Jones will have warned them about us. Shane will certainly come find us after the fight.”
“Fuck,” she whispers.
“We’re here to talk to your soon-to-be ex-husband.” I touch the bottom of her chin and turn her gaze to me. “And that’s what’s going to happen. Just take a few deep breaths. I got you, okay?”
Callie nods.
“What are you thinking, sweetheart?”
“I’m thinking that if it weren’t for you, I would never, ever have had the nerve to come find Shane here.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. You are brave. And strong. But I’m so glad you asked me to help.” Something tightens in my chest. I’ll forever be thankful that fate delivered Callie to my doorstep. No matter how this turns out.
“He’s crazy, Wes.” She stares intensely into my eyes, pleading for me to understand. But I do. I understand men like him, and he won’t respond to weakness. He’ll respond to violence and bullying, like the kind he dishes out.
“Some might say I am crazy.” I grin. “You, I think you have said that.”
But Callie doesn’t even crack a grin or acknowledge my teasing.
“Seeing him makes me realize he’s not going to let this go. What if—” she stops speaking, her eyes wide and wild.
“Don’t you believe I can protect you?” I rub my hand up and down her back, and her eyes flutter shut.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Good. Because I will. I swear to it.”
There are cheers as someone hits the ground in the ring. Her eyes fly open, but I cup her jaw, preventing her from looking over. I suspect the match might be wrapping up.
“Come on.” I put my hands on her waist and lift her up. As I stand, the two—maybe three—men watching us perk up. “Let’s go pick a fight with Shane Robertson.”
Besides, I don’t think we have much of a choice at this point.
We find Noah and Meadow standing in silence, him with arms crossed, her with hands on her hips.
“Never leave me with her again,” Noah says when we approach.
“What? Why?” Meadow asks, looking up at him and blinking her eyes dramatically. “Just because you’re no fun and won’t take shots with me doesn’t mean I’m insufferable.”
“That’s exactly what it means.” He stares down at her.
“No, it means you’re not fun.”
“I need to stay sober.” Noah’s got his jaw clenched and rips his eyes from Callie’s half-sister. I kind of love that Meadow is harassing Noah. He’s clearly not used to it.
But there’s no time to think about that, because Shane pushes through the crowd, men slapping him on the back along the way.
He stops at the man who was with Meadow when we first arrived.
Shane accepts a wad of bills from him and slips it into his pocket.
He looks around, nods at the thugs who trailed us back to Noah and Meadow, and then his eyes land on Callie.
A nasty grin settles on his face as he heads our way.
“Callie.” Shane is sweaty, has a black eye getting worse by the second, and is holding a towel to his nose. He’s got old bruises on his face, and his other eye is clearly healing from a punch, the yellow and green seeping into his cheek.
It looks like he’s recovering from a nasty fight. Or a beating.
A flash of an odd look crosses his face. Fear? Panic? Before disappearing and being replaced by a cocky crooked smile mixed with hostility.
He’s not surprised to see her. Or me.
I look down at Callie, waiting for her to say something, but her eyes are wide and she looks terrified. Fuck. This asshole must’ve done a number on her if she’s suddenly meek and scared, not the brave, feisty woman I’ve known. I touch her in the middle of her back subtly, and she comes to life.
She steps forward but doesn’t close the gap between herself and Shane.
“Where have you been?” Callie’s expression is wild, her breathing erratic. “What the fuck, Shane?”
“Hell, stop screaming.” Shane has a nervous expression on his face and looks around, like he’s worried about others overhearing. Spoiler alert: They definitely do.
She takes another step toward him and raises her hand to poke his chest, but he grabs her wrist, and she flinches.
I see red. He’s touching her. He’s got his fucking hand on her body.
“Get off her,” I say, my voice sharp and dangerous.
“You’re hurting me,” Callie says, and my adrenaline spikes even higher than it already was.
“Aw, poor baby.” Shane looks her up and down, ignoring me completely.
“Let. Her. Fucking. Go.” I step forward and grab the wrist of the hand that’s gripping Callie, and wrap my other hand around his neck. Callie’s now tucked against my chest. “Now.”
Shane drops Callie’s hand, and she pushes back into me, but I don’t stop squeezing his neck.
“I should kill you,” I say.
“Wes,” Callie says, a low-level of panic in her voice. “Please don’t do that.”
I growl and let Shane go, but only because his stupid thugs have pushed their way to the edge of the crowd, and if I kill him now, it’ll be messy, and Callie won’t ever see her mother’s ring again.
Those are literally the only reasons I don’t end his life.
“What the fuck?” Shane rubs his neck. He looks me up and down, clearly freaked out and definitely noticing me now.
“This is Wes,” Callie says, then trails off. Maybe she’s not quite sure how to explain me. I cock my head at Shane and glare at him.
“I heard about you.” He narrows his eyes at me.
“Put your hands on her again, and I will rip your throat out.” My voice is low and only for him and Callie to hear.
“Sorry, asshole, I’m talking to my wife.”
Again, a red veil falls over my vision.
“Easy, Wes,” Noah says from behind me. “Maybe let this… man, or whatever he is, talk.”
“You’re such an asshole, Shane,” Meadow says from next to Noah.
“Shut the fuck up, Meadow.” Shane shoots daggers from his eyes at Callie’s sister.
“Hey,” Noah says. I raise my eyebrows but don’t take my eyes off Shane.
“I want a divorce.” Callie’s voice is shaky. I hate the effect Shane has on her. “And my mother’s ring back. Why have you been hiding from me?”
“I’m down here for work, Callie. Jones sent me to set up the New York City fight club. So here I am.”
“Fucking Jones,” Callie says. I clench and unclench my fists.
“Hey, do you happen to know how he got his ass kicked in Boston? There are rumors, of course.” Shane slides a sharp look my way.
“I don’t care about Jones.” Callie reaches for her jacket, which I dropped when Shane had her wrist, and fishes around the inside pockets. “Here. Divorce papers. Sign them.”
Callie waves a packet of paper in the air.