Page 17 of Operator
I'm stacking the boxes back the way they were, so I know which ones I've already been through when I hear a sound in the hallway. There's not much crime in Sweet Creek, break in aside, but if there is, it's in this part of town. Damn it, I should've brought my gun. My ears strain but I don't hear anything, and I write it off as me being paranoid.
When the last box is finished, I hear the sound again. It's footsteps. They are light, but it's definitely footsteps. It's just someone else going to their own storage locker. But it makes a chill run up my spine nonetheless.
I shoulder my purse and get my keys ready in my hand. In my other, I take out my phone. Better safe than sorry. I should have thought to bring the gun Ian made me carry 24/7 at the end. Maybe I should talk to someone. I wonder if I should make an appointment with my therapist. Really, I want to talk to William, who knew Ian. Would that be a conflict of interest? It doesn’t matter anyway, since he’s leaving.
I pull the sliding door down behind me with one ear out for more sounds. But none come. Of course they don't. I'm probably just hearing things.All that paranoia is getting to you, girl, as Bunny would say.
I step out of the front door and a large figure blocks my path. I gasp and nearly drop my keys and phone onto the concrete. Looking up, a furious, scowling face fills my vision.
“The hell are you doing?” Callum’s expression is thunderous. He's about as mad as I've ever seen him. And I’ve seen him pretty damn mad.
My responding anger is instant, defensive. “Jesus, Callum. Are you kidding me?Why are you following me?”
Callum’s eyes scan the perimeter of the building. Mine follow. What is he looking for?
“I thought you were going to the doctor.”
“You didn't answer my question,” I hedge.
His scowl deepens. “You didn't answer mine either. I thought we were supposed to be buddy-buddy. You wanted to play nice and be friends. Why are you sneaking out to here, of all places? What the hell are you hiding, Gwen?”
I make to move around him, but I'm not as fast as I used to be, and he is easily able to step in front of me and stop my escape. “I don't have to answer you. What I do is my own business.”
“You’re grown-ass woman, Gwen. I just want you to be safe.”
“I've been by myself for a long time, Callum. I can take care of myself.”
He’s not deterred. Of course he’s not. “What are you doing here?”
I really want to punch him sometimes. My fist bites into the keys as they clench around them. “I said it was none of your business. Don't follow me again, Cal.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
I bite my tongue instead of answering.
He cocks his head to the side. “What aren't you telling me?”
He was always too damn observant. For someone who thinks wasting words is a crime when it comes to conversation, he sure likes everyone else to talk, talk, talk.
“I'm leaving,” I say instead of answering.
I managed to evade his hand as he reaches for me and scurry to my car. He doesn't stop me from getting inside, but he does wedge himself in between the door, hovering over me.
“Does it have something to do with Ian?” he asks.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CALLUM
I should feelguilty for pushing her.
But I don’t.
Gwen has always been as stubborn as hell, and I know if I don’t keep the pressure on, she’ll stay locked up as tight as a vault. There’s something going on with her—something that doesn’t have to do with the baby or what lies between us. Something she’s not telling me.
I’ll be damned if I let her keep secrets from me—keep anything from me—for one second longer.
The moment I say Ian’s name, she flinches, and I know I’ve hit the mark. Her hand moves to her belly. I won’t ever get used to seeing her pregnant, I’ve decided. Pushing those thoughts away, I kneel next to her and take her free hand with mine.
