Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
CALLIE
This is all my fault.
Tourists meander down the sidewalk, buzzing with excitement that’s too much for what I’m feeling right now. I duck my head and avoid eye contact. My phone buzzes for the hundredth time. I don’t look at it. I can’t handle another message right now.
“Excuse me?”
A woman approaches, hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, designer clothes that scream not from around here. She has a hungry look on her face that makes my skin crawl.
I keep pacing, pretend I don’t hear her, and avoid eye contact. Maybe she’ll go away if I don’t acknowledge her.
“Are you waiting for someone?” Her voice has that fake friendly tone that sets my teeth on edge.
Nope. Not happening.
I turn away from her, but she steps closer. “Is it true about Theo?”
My breath catches. How does she even know about that? I whip around to ask her that very question, but then I see the phone in her hand, camera lens pointed right at me.
Goddammit. Why can’t these vultures leave me alone?
“You should leave.” My voice comes out rough. I probably sound like a bitch, but I’m past caring.
She takes a step closer, invading my space with a ruthless smirk. “But my followers have a few questions—”
“Go away!”
My shout echoes off the building and she makes a face, pity or annoyance, and glances around. My pulse quickens as people start to notice and slow down to watch the show.
“Callie, tell us why your boyfriends murdered Theo.”
The accusation makes my spine snap straight. Oh hell no. No one is going to smear their name in front of me. “They didn’t,” I say through gritted teeth.
She moves closer, shoving her phone in my face. “Is it true that you came home to plot Theo’s murder?”
What the actual fuck? Is that what people think?
“Get that fucking camera out of my face.” I take a step back, but she follows.
“Tell everyone why stealing Theo’s art wasn’t enough for you.” She’s shouting now, loud enough for every tourist within a three-block radius to hear.
More phones come out. Everyone likes to catch a train wreck on camera.
It’s the grossest part of our society. People watching the conflict and doing nothing to stop it.
My chest tightens as memories I thought I’d come to peace with surface—the video of me and the twins, all the viciously whispered comments, pointing fingers. Not again. I can’t do this again.
“Leave me alone.” I turn to walk away, to get to my car and lock myself inside until this nightmare ends. Her hand slams into my back, sending me stumbling forward, but I catch myself. Instincts kick in before I can stop them. My fingers curl into a ball and I pivot, fist flying at her nose.
The satisfying crunch of impact travels up my arm as she staggers back, phone clattering to the asphalt.
Chaos erupts. People rush toward us. “You fucking psycho!” She wails, blood spilling down her face. Someone grabs my arms to hold me in place. I jerk against them, rage pumping through my veins like steroids.
“Next time don’t fucking push me!”
Two officers burst through the station doors, radios crackling. The people not breaking us up still record, capturing every second of my public meltdown.
Perfect. Just fucking perfect.
“She attacked me!” The bitch’s voice hits a pitch that makes my eye twitch. “I was talking to her, and she punched me!”
Antonio approaches me, shaking his head. “Callie, I need you to come inside.” He indicates for the other officer to take me from whoever is restraining me.
“She pushed me first!” I shout, glaring at everyone who stays silent. They all saw what she did. Why are none of them defending me? “Those people were recording, ask them!” My voice cracks with desperation.
Antonio grimaces. “You need to stay quiet before you get yourself in more trouble.”
Metal cuffs click around my wrists, cold and unforgiving.
My shoulders ache from struggling, but there’s no escaping these restraints so I don’t bother resisting as he guides me toward the station.
All I can think about is how disappointed Mom’s going to be when she finds out her daughter got arrested for assault in front of half the tourist population of Big Ridge.
The guys emerge from the station, squinting against the afternoon sunlight. They all freeze when they spot me in handcuffs being marched toward the building they just left.
“What the fuck happened?” Jax demands, taking a step toward us.
I dig my heels into the concrete, desperate to explain before they disappear again. “That bitch pushed me first! People were recording.” I gesture wildly with my chin toward the crowd still gawking at us.
Antonio nudges me forward. “Keep moving, Callie. You can’t go around punching tourists and expect everything will be okay.”
“For the last time, she started it! I was defending myself,” I growl.
I glance over my shoulder but I can’t see the guys. I don’t know what they’re thinking, what happened during questioning, if they’re in trouble. I’m led down a hallway that smells like disinfectant and urine. The cells are in the back of the building.
“Come on, Antonio! You know I wouldn’t punch her without a good reason.”
He exhales as he undoes my cuffs inside the cell. “Maybe, but there are too many witnesses for me to let you go. Let me figure out what happened and if what you said is true, you’re free to go.
The metal door clangs shut behind me, and I slump onto the narrow bench, putting my head in my hands.
Today fucking sucks.
After what feels like eternity, they let me go.
Multiple witnesses confirmed that the bitch pushed me and I was acting in self-defense.
The opening police station doors feel like the gates of heaven parting.
Freedom has never tasted so sweet. The afternoon sun hits my face as I step outside.
My whole body sags with relief as I take my first deep breath since the guys were taken in this morning.
As if divine timing, I’m standing right by the door as that influencer is led into the building in handcuffs. She glares at me as if it was my fault she pushed me.
I flip her off. Guess who’s pressing charges?
“Enjoy your stay in Big Ridge!” Karma’s a beautiful thing.
I scan the parking lot, searching for the guys, and I spot them immediately.
They’re leaning against my SUV like they’ve been carved from stone.
I start toward them, emotions colliding inside of me.
Knox pushes off the vehicle first, his long strides eating up the distance between us, and I fling myself at him.
“Jesus Christ, Callie. Are you okay?”
Before I can answer, Jax and Brax are there too, surrounding me in a cocoon of solid warmth and worried murmurs. For a moment, I let myself sink into their protection, let their presence chase away the lingering anxiety from being detained.
“I’m fine.” I pull back to look at their faces, noting the lines of tension. “But what about you guys? What happened in there?”
“Not here.” Knox’s focus darts around the parking lot, taking in the tourists walking by, the windows of the station. He jerks his head toward my SUV. “Let’s go.”
We pile into my vehicle, the guys automatically taking their usual spots: Knox in the passenger seat, the twins in the back. I start the engine and pull out of the parking lot, my hands still trembling slightly from the adrenaline.
“Okay,” I say once we’re moving. “Spill. What the fuck is going on?”
Jax sighs from the backseat. “I’m pretty sure they think we’re all suspects.”
The air rushes out of my lungs. I knew that was possible when they were taken in this morning, but hearing it makes it real. “That’s crazy. Did you tell them we were all together last night?” That’s an alibi.
“We did,” Brax says, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced by something harder. “But we have motives written all over us. The confrontation at the diner, our history with Penelope, the way we all reacted when Theo showed up, and you’re not a great alibi. You have motive too.”
My hands grip the steering wheel a little harder. So maybe I had thought about murdering Theo. Is that a crime? “Do they have any evidence?”
“No.” Knox’s voice is flat, emotionless. “That’s the only reason we’re not in cells right now.”
“Something was weird though,” Brax continues, his voice dropping lower. “Trina asked why we stole Theo’s wallet and car.”
I frown, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. “His car was stolen?” Why would someone murder him and then steal his car? It’s not like they’d be able to drive it. Unless maybe they didn’t want to drive it. Maybe they wanted to sell it for parts.
The pieces start clicking together in my mind, fragments of memory surfacing. Theo’s phone buzzing constantly. His paranoia near the end of our relationship. The way he’d jump every time someone knocked on the door.
“Oh my god.” The words slip out before I can stop them, and I slam on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road. My heart pounds, blood roaring in my ears. If I’m right, then the guys can’t be suspects.
“Callie?” Knox’s hand lands on my thigh. “What is it?”
I turn in my seat. “I think I know what happened.” All three guys wait for me to continue, their attention laser-focused on me.
“When Theo and I were dating, he kept getting these weird text messages.” The words tumble out faster as the memory becomes clearer.
“Threatening ones. He told me they were spam, just random scammers, but. . .”
“But?” Brax prompts.
“I’m not so sure they were random. Sometimes he went to play poker with his friends. What if it was more than that, though? Those texts started getting really aggressive right around the time he stole my art and had that big show. Probably because he needed money.”
Knox’s brow furrows. “What kind of threats was he getting?”
“Pay up or else. Stuff about what would happen if he didn’t settle his debts.
” My stomach churns as I replay those conversations.
“His explanation made sense to me at the time. Scammers can come across as really aggressive and demanding, but what if he owed money to some really dangerous people? What if that’s why he stole my art? ”
The silence in the SUV is deafening as they process this.
“Remember those guys the other night?” I ask Jax. “They were looking for him.” I quickly tell the guys about the men and the cash they offered for information on Theo.
Jax grimaces. “They could be loan sharks.”
“It makes sense,” I continue, my voice gaining strength. “He would have made a lot from that show, but with me gone and all my other pieces back here with me, maybe he couldn’t keep paying them off. Maybe they came to collect and things went wrong.”
“And Penelope was a casualty.” Brax rubs his hand over his face. “Fuck, maybe you’re onto something.”
Knox glances out of the windshield. “If you’re right, then we need to tell the police. This could clear us.”
Without hesitation, I check my mirrors and flip a U-turn, tires squealing as I head back toward the station. “Then that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”