Bella bows her head, breaking eye contact. “Cal,” she begins.
Something isn’t right. I can feel it in my bones. I tip her head up, forcing her to look at me. “What is it? What happened?”
"Peter died over a month ago. Byron all but admitted to killing him.”
“What did you just say?” It doesn’t need repeating. I heard her loud and clear. I’m just having a hard time processing the words that just came out of her mouth.
“Peter is dead, Cal.”
It feels like the world has stopped spinning. My hollow heart cracks beneath the surface, unable to feel it beating. All the blood drains from my face and it’s also in this moment that I realize how human I really am. I’ve never felt loss. Never knew what it was like to feel that sort of pain.
No. It’s not true. It can’t be.
Peter was like a father to me. He was a mentor, a friend, a confidant. Aside from Bella, he is the only person in the entire world I ever gave a damn about.
“He’s gone?” I ask, unable to believe it, even though the words were clear as day.
Bella nods before throwing herself into my arms and holding on to me like our lives depend on it.
Peter is dead, but I push the pain aside as something awakens inside me. I pull myself together and prepare for war.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nothing I say or do will ease his pain. He won’t even admit that he feels any, but I can see it in his eyes. Those wide, dark orbs roaming around the abyss. Lost in his thoughts, while I’m curled against his chest.
I want to ask him if he’s okay, but I know the answer. He’ll lie and say he is. Put on a front because that’s what Cal does. He wears this rock-hard exterior, even though he’s crumbling beneath the surface.
Instead of saying anything at all, I just sit here quietly and savor this moment. We’re finally together. After weeks of sheer torture, while everyone told me he was dead, he’s here.
The boat slows, and I straighten my back on Cal’s lap. My hand rests on his cheek, and I turn his face toward mine. “I’m here for you,” I whisper, before pressing my mouth to his. It’s a soft kiss, with no effort on his part. I can feel his sadness bleeding into my mouth, so I pull away. Looking into his eyes, he looks past me.
My hand drops and I put little thought into the distance he’s putting between us. He’s been through a lot and needs time to process everything. Peter was the closest thing he ever had to family, to a father. He was so much more than just a butler, and I know this because I felt it in my own friendship with Peter.
There is a lot we need to talk about. So many unanswered questions that are gnawing on my insides, tugging at my heart and begging to be asked. And I will, in time.
We come to a stop at the dock, and Cal pats my thigh, telling me to get up. I do, and as I go to reach for his hand, I stop myself. His attention isn’t on me. It’s on the men waiting at the end of the dock.
Right now, Cal has a one-track mind. I’m not upset about it. He saved me, and now he will work tirelessly to ensure my safety, while also avenging Peter’s death. I know Cal will keep me safe, even if it won’t be an easy task. Byron is smart—though a menace to society—and he will not make the hunt for him an easy one. I just hope in the process, we do not become the prey. For whatever reason, Byron is hell-bent on taking over Cal’s empire. He could go out and steal from anyone, but he’s after Cal. There has to be a reason for it.
Cal surprises me by taking my hand in his and leading me off the boat. The sun has dipped behind the clouds, making for a gloomy setting. A group of men await us. Some wearing suits, some looking like they just rolled out of bed. My bet on the most badass are the grunge-looking dudes. They look like they’re ready to take care of business, scowls and all. One in particular catches my eye.
I squeeze Cal’s hand, and he looks down at me. “Hey,” I tip my head toward one of the familiar faces, “that guy with the bruised eyes and swollen nose. Who is he?”
“Ah, you remember?”
I snort. “Yeah. Actually, I think I’m the one who did that to his face.”
Cal laughs, and it's a sound I’ve missed. “Yeah, babe. Yeah, you did. He was hired to watch you, and he failed. In fact, he shouldn’t even be here.” Cal picks up his pace, taking me with him. “Ludwig,” he shouts, “I thought I fired your ass.”
We approach the guy and Cal drops my hand before stepping up to him. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I called him,” Anders chimes in. “Look, we need all the help we can get and regardless of a little mishap, he’s a good one to have on our side.”
Ludwig—I assume is his last name because it’s a ridiculous first name—watches me as I join Cal’s side. “Hey, sorry about your nose,” I say to him, and he completely ignores me. Jerk.
Cal nods to the left, looking at Anders, and he takes me with them as they leave the group. “I’m taking Bella to the Manhattan resort. I want you to work with these guys and find that son of a bitch. Once you’ve got him, call me. But keep him alive. I wanna be the one he’s looking at when he takes his last breath.”
“You got it, Boss.”
Cal wraps an arm around my waist and takes a step to leave, but stops. “Oh, and Anders, find out what happened to Peter’s body. He deserves a proper burial.”
Anders gives a sympathetic nod with his lips pressed together firmly.
We leave the docks, and the army of men Cal has rallied together. A shiny black car awaits us, and Cal opens the back passenger door. I slide in, and he joins my side.
For the first time in days, I feel safe as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. My head nuzzles into the pit of his arm as he says, “Tell me everything you know about Peter’s death.”
So, I do. I tell him how I found him on his bedroom floor. How Byron showed up on the island right after and told me about a body that was pulled from the bay.
“It was a former guard. Anders’s brother. He was a fuck-up, and I won’t deny I had him killed. I’m a monster, Bella. No matter how hard I try to be good, it’s what I am.”
I go on to tell him how Byron escorted me off the island and promised to keep me updated and that I didn’t hear a word from him until two days ago at the performance hall.
Cursing and fuming, he listens to it all.
Cal decided it was best to drive to the hotel we’re staying versus taking the private jet. He thinks Byron has access to the pilot logbook and will be able to find out where we’re going if we use one of his. Fortunately, it’s only a three-hour drive, and we drove past a fast-food restaurant and got greasy burgers, fries, and shakes for the ride.
I swallow down my last fry and place my hands on my bloated stomach. “I’m stuffed.”
“I bet you are. You scarfed that food down like you haven’t eaten in days.” Cal takes a drink of his shake. I watch as his mouth wraps around the straw and then his tongue licks the excess liquid from his lips.
Food isn’t the only thing I’m starving for. I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to be with him intimately. He was my first, and naturally, he was my last. Once I got a taste of what sex was like, I’ve craved it ever since.