Page 22 of Callum
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Another message.She’d received another damn message.
I’ll be watching you, whore.
A shudder coursed down her spine. Were these texts really for her? Was this person really watching her?
“Hey, you sure you’re okay? You’ve gone pale.”
Her gaze went back to Callum. They were almost at the hotel, and she was trying to pretend she was okay after receiving the message. Looked like her acting skills were as bad as her don’t-let-this-texter-bother-you skills.
The idea of telling Callumhadcrossed her mind…fleetingly. He was a security expert, after all. But for one, it wasn’t his problem. The man was already doing her a ridiculously huge favor while asking for nothing in return. And secondly, they were just texts that hadn’t even mentioned her name. The chance some weirdo was actually watching her was minimal.
“I’m just dreading the rehearsal dinner tonight.” Which wasn’t a lie. “And the wedding tomorrow.” Big, mammoth, get-me-the-hell-out-of-Twin-Falls dread.
When she felt his gaze on her, she turned. He had that same I-don’t-believe-you look on his face. “I read that you can tell when people are lying.”
“Afraid so.”
Great. One giant, muscular lie detector. “How?”
“Little things give people away. Just now, it was your heart rate. It does this little skip and changes rhythm when you tell me something that isn’t true. Your breath also hitches. And if I was looking at you, I may also see your pupils dilate.”
Oh, man. “That’s not fair.”
“If we’re both honest with each other, it doesn’t affect anything.”
“Are you always honest with me?”
“Always.” His answer was immediate, and it came out so firmly that she couldn’tnotbelieve him.
She looked ahead to see they were a street away from the hotel. “Take a right here.”
There it was. The hotel where her sister was marrying the man Fiona had always thoughtshe’dmarry.
“How’s it feel to be back?” Callum asked.
Like a bucket of ice water over her head. “My sister used to go out of her way to make sure my life was miserable. Any time she was with her friends and saw me around town, she’d make it a point to harass me. If we were out with our parents, she’d start arguments over nothing. I always tried to keep the peace for my parents’ benefit, but she’d always get to me, and I’d argue back.”
“Good.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Youshouldargue. Bullies should be held accountable for what they do and say.”
Bully. That was the perfect word for Amanda. “I tried to stay here to be close to my parents, but when they got engaged…”
She’d had to get out. The need had been like a living, breathing thing inside her.
He pulled into a parking space in the hotel lot. “One day, your sister will realize what she lost by not treating you better.”
She snorted. “I doubt it.”
“I don’t.”
She gave him a look. “Stop being so nice to me.”
“Never.” He winked at her before getting out of the car.
