Page 19 of Stalker Stepbrother

“You! You were at the coffee shop!” I stammer, mentally running through my options. Running outside is out of the question and so is screaming at the top of my lungs. My only hope is Callum’s headed home or he’s watching me right now.

“I was following Mr. Callahan. Imagine my surprise when I found his Achilles’ heel,” he chuckles darkly, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t know me, but you will help me get back everything I’ve lost.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

My eyes dart around, cataloging what I can use to defend myself or at least hurt him enough that I can run outside and dial Callum’s number.

“You know why he’s hard to bring down despite having multiple enemies?”

Shaking my head, I realize my knees are trembling so hard they’re threatening to give out. So I reach for the nearest table and hold onto it for support.

“Because he doesn’t have a single weakness… Well, he DIDN’T. I mean, his father maybe. But I don’t doubt he’d let the old man die instead of giving in to anyone’s demands. That guy is rotten to the core. Absolutely zero remorse for everything he did,” he says. When he raises his eyes to me, I instinctively step back, bells going off in my head. “Now you’re here.”

He laughs maniacally, slapping a hand on his knee. As he’s distracted, I slowly inch my hand into my back pocket.

“Don’t do that. Don’t be stupid. I don’t wanna kill you, but I will if I have to,” he warns, taking out a gun and cocking it.

My throat closes up, and I’m bathing in my own sweat. This house suddenly feels too small, too suffocating, and my breath is coming out in short, frantic gasps. My mind races, but I can’t seem to focus on anything else except the pure fear coursing through my veins.

This can’t possibly be real. Maybe I fell asleep at school and I’m just having a nightmare.

Yes, that’s probably it.

But no matter how hard I dig my nails into my palm, I’m not waking up.

I can’t die like this. Please, god. I can’t.

My vision starts to blur around the edges, and I know I’m seconds from passing out. But something cuts through my mounting panic. A loud thud.

The door slams open, shaking violently as someone kicks it off its hinges. The wood splinters and I see a figure standing in the doorway.

Even all the way from here, I see Callum vibrating with rage. If Callum’s intimidating when he’s his normal self, this angry version of him is frightening. He looks like an entirely different person, eyes narrowing and warping into almost black, eyebrows scrunching together.

But I’m so caught up in him coming to my rescue that I don’t notice the other guy running up to me until I feel the cold, hard barrel on my temple.

“Another step, Mr. Callahan, and I’ll blow her brain to pieces,” the guy calmly says. I don’t know if he sees the same thing I do, but Callum is already going over his next move. He looks at me and very subtly tilts his head to the side, his way of telling me he’ll take care of this.

My life is still in danger, but I no longer feel as scared. Callum’s here. He’s never letting him hurt me. A sense of calm washes over me, and I almost cry from the relief.

If this asshole thinks he can run away from Callum in one piece, then he’s got another thing coming.

7

CALLUM

The only way I’m letting Bernard out of the house is either in a body bag or on a stretcher.

This motherfucker invades my home and tries to hurt my little girl. It’s been a while since I faced an opponent like this, but the adrenaline rush is more than familiar.

Bernard Kingsley is a privileged piece of shit, growing up with rich parents, attending expensive schools, and having everything handed to him on a silver platter. He’s so used to a luxurious lifestyle that when shit goes sideways, he’s unable to cope.

When I fired him, I wasn’t aware his trust funds had dried up and their decades-old family business was taken over by a rival. Ah well. Then, he shouldn’t have stolen from me.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

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