Callie’s anger faded as quickly as it came. She moved to Clay and slipped her arms through his, leaning her head on his shoulder. The familiar feel and scent of her brother soothing her pain. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m a grown woman. I should have kept a better eye on it myself. You don’t have to baby me, Clay.”
He turned to her then, a small smile playing at his lips. “You’ll always be my baby sister, Callie.”
She kept quiet, knowing arguing with him was pointless. He was her protector; he always had been. He was like their father, who had called her every day since the news had broken. She’d had to downplay it, so he didn’t fly over. She felt terrible but the thought of two overprotective men watching her every move was more than she could take.
“What will you do about Reid?” Clay asked.
A huge sigh left her body then, and she thought on it for a few moments before she gave him an answer. “He didn’t fight for me, Clay. I need a man who’ll fight for me, not run at the first hurdle.”
“Reid has demons you don’t know about.”
“Oh?” She lifted her head and looked at him in question.
“They’re not mine to share but suffice to say Reid believes he’s not worthy of you, of anyone. He has the misconception that he lets people down like his old man did, when all he ever does is give to those he loves.”
“He’s a good friend.”
“He was.”
Callie hated that a rift had formed between the two men she loved the most in the world. “It will heal,” she said.
“How can it when I took away the only woman he’s ever loved?”
Pain pierced through her chest and into her belly. “You didn’t take me away.”
“No, but I used his insecurities to make him walk away.”
“Reid is a big boy, Clay. If he loves me, truly loves me, he’ll figure it out and fight for me and if not, then….” Her shoulders rose in a shrug, and for the first time in two weeks, she felt better about her future.
“I need to leave in a few days. I’ve been asked to head up a new task force.”
“Really? Tell me more.”
“It’s a serial killer task force out of the Texas offices.”
“Wow, your own task force. That’s amazing, Clay. I’m so proud of you. It sounds kind of dangerous, though.”
His lips quirked in a grin then. “Nah, no more dangerous than wearing those ridiculous heels you wear.”
Callie’s smile was genuine. “Of course not, chasing serial killers definitely compares to walking in stilettos.”
“Exactly.” Clay turned and guided them inside. “Pizza?”
Callie let him change the subject, wanting to spend the next few days enjoying her brother before he left for home. It was with a smile that she took the pizza menu from the draw.
Two days later Clay popped his head around the door of her gym and grinned as she huffed and puffed on the treadmill. “I have to run into town for a few hours, do you need anything?”
Callie shook her head and watched Clay leave, hearing the click of the lock as he did. He’d relaxed his hold over the last few days, and she’d felt easier, more able to breathe and heal. He was leaving tomorrow and this time with him had been lovely, but she was ready to face her new life without Reid in it. It hurt like nothing before, and it still shocked her that he’d made such a significant impact in such a short time. He seemed as essential to her as air now, but he wasn’t there, and she wasn’t the kind of person to lie down and die. She was a fighter.
Finishing her workout, she was about to jump in the shower as her phone went.
She sighed when she saw who it was. “Claude, hey.”
“Hey, gorgeous, have you got time to chat?”
“I’m kind of busy.”
“Please. It will only take five minutes.”
“Fine.”
“Cool, I’m downstairs. Buzz me up.”
Callie shook her head and buzzed him up, hoping she could be rid of him quickly.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Reid was unsure about the reception he’d receive when he got to Callie’s place, but he was determined to have his say. After spending ten days with his mom and his sisters and having several lengthy discussions with his mother regarding his father, he felt he understood his family dynamic more.
His mom had been upset to hear he held so much guilt for leaving them. “Oh, my boy, you didn’t abandon us. You struck out into the world to make your mark and in doing so, showed your sisters that life is for the taking. You’ve been nothing but an exceptional brother and a loving son. If I could give you anything, it would be to tell you that your father isn’t a bad man.” She held her hand up as he went to speak. “He’s not a bad man.”
“How can you say that? He abandoned us.”
“He was sick, my darling boy. He’d suffered from depression his whole life and that lead to an addiction he couldn’t beat for long. He’d have times when he was well, and all was happy in our world. He would be the father I knew he could be, the husband I knew he could be, and then I’d see the clouds form and knew I was losing him again.
“After a while, it became clear that I couldn’t put you through it any longer. You would watch the window for weeks after he left, waiting for him to come back. It broke my heart, and I had to decide. I chose you, and I told your father to stay away. It grieved him, but he knew I was right.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Reid pulled his mother into his arms and rested his chin on her head.
“He made me promise I wouldn’t tell you. He wanted you to think he wasn’t any good and didn’t care, he didn’t want you to know he was weak.”
“But being ill, mentally or otherwise, isn’t a weakness.”
“I know that, but he won’t accept it. He’s proud, and he loves you, all of you. He emails me every week for an update.”
“Is he doing okay now?”
“Yes, but it’s always around the corner for him, the fight is never ending.”
“Do you think he’d speak to me?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll ask.”
Reid shrugged. “All this time I thought I was like him. That I wasn’t good enough, that I flaked on you when you needed me.”
His mom looked up at him. “You are the best man I know, and any woman would be lucky to have you.”
He chuckled. “I think you’re biased.”
“Nonsense, now tell me about the woman who put the pain in your eyes.”
Reid had told his mother everything; then he’d listened as she lamented his idiotic behaviour, and told him to fix it, which was why he’d jumped the first flight home. He’d taken a flight into Heathrow so he was closer to Callie and he wouldn’t leave until he’d had his say and convinced her she was the love of his life.
Pulling into the underground car parking, he rushed from the car, not caring if he got a ticket for not having a parking permit.
As he raced to the front entrance his phone rang. He glanced at it and saw Lopez’s name on the screen. He was about to cancel the call when he noticed he had fifteen missed calls, some from Lopez, some from Jack, and his throat seized, the cold hand of pure terror washing over him.