Callum (Blue Halo Book 7)

“Ineed you to go get plastic cups and drinks for the author reading.” Rick didn’t even look at Fiona as he spoke.

She turned from the front desk computer. “The reading isn’t until next week.”

He blew out an exasperated breath like he was frustrated by her very existence. “We’re going to have a lot of organizing between then and now. I have a checklist, and this is the next thing on the list.”

The first part of that was true, at least. A well-known author was coming in to do a reading next week, and based on the excited questions from their patrons, a lot of the Cradle Mountain community and those of surrounding towns were coming.

Fiona cleared her throat. “Rick, I’m not supposed to leave work without Callum or another of the Blue Halo guys.”

His eyes narrowed. God, if looks could kill. “Fiona. You’re going to the grocery store, not some dark alley with criminals hiding around the corner. I don’t think someone’s going to attempt to kidnap you at the store.”

Well, she hadn’t thought she’d be attacked at work or at Callum’s house either, but both had happened.

She opened her mouth, but Rick spoke first.

“I didn’t want to have to pull this, but your job is on thin ice.”

Really? This again? “You don’t have the power to—”

“I have pull, and your recent string of days off combined with your refusal to do particular tasks isn’t helping the team.”

Her brows rose to her hairline. Her days off had been after her almost-kidnapping, and the only tasks she refused to do was stay after close on her own and take the trash to the dumpster out back.

“Rick—”

“I’ll go,” Jenny interrupted, touching her arm from behind. “It’s a one-person job. I can handle it.”

“It’s not. Not with the number of cups and cases of water we need.” His gaze hit her like he was daring her to refuse. Then he held out the library credit card.

She snatched it from his fingers. “Fine.” She’d tell Callum about her little excursion when he came to tail her home, and maybe he’d go all G.I. Joe on Rick and this would be worth it.

Jenny slipped her hand into Fiona’s and they headed outside. “I’ll drive. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Fiona’s jaw was tight as she crossed the lot and got into Jenny’s car.

Her friend must have sensed it, because she touched her thigh. “Guess you have me for a bodyguard, and I’m the definition of tough.”

Fiona chuckled, taking in her friend’s large frames, cute bob, and colorful polka dot dress. “You are?”

“Oh yeah. People have gone so far as to say they’d fear the day they meet me in a dark alley.”

“Who’s said that?”

“Let’s not get caught up in details.” Jenny’s grin widened before her expression turned serious. “How are you doing with everything?”

That was a good question. How was she doing? She didn’t even know. “I’m scared, but that’s more because I don’t know what Olivia’s plan is. She must look exactly like me to have people so fooled.”

Jenny nodded. “That is scary. It’s like the woman’s been watching and studying you.”

A shudder rippled down Fiona’s spine. “Yeah.”

Seconds later, Jenny frowned at the rearview mirror—then sped up.

“What is it?” Fiona asked, looking over her shoulder. A breath whipped through her lips at the nearness of the car behind them. Then her gaze caught on the man behind the wheel…

Freddie. God, what the hell did he want? And why was he so close? If Jenny stopped suddenly, there was no way he wouldn’t hit them.

“It’s okay,” Jenny said calmly. “We’re almost there, then there’ll be people around and he won’t be able to do anything.”

Freddie beeped at them, a loud, keep-the-hand-on-the-horn-for-as-long-as-possible beep.

She reached for her pocket, then cursed when she realized she’d left her phone at work. “Did you bring your phone? We could call Blue Halo Security.”

“Um…” Jenny touched her pocket, then shook her head.

Crap.

Before she could fully process what he was doing, Freddie pulled into the oncoming lane before swerving and cutting in front of them. Jenny cried out and pulled to the side of the road, narrowly missing his rear bumper.

Oh my God. Fiona was going to kill him. Murder the cheating stalker asshole on the very spot.

She reached for the door handle, but Jenny grabbed her arm. “Don’t. He looks dangerous.”

Jenny hit the locks just as he reached her door. When he tried the handle and realized he wasn’t getting in, his fist hit the glass.

“Open the damn door, Fiona!”

Anger lit her spine. “No. Go away.”

His face reddened, but instead of banging again, he moved around to the other side and hit Jenny’s window. Her face paled, and she flinched back at each punch, like she expected his fist to go through the glass. Then he started pulling at the handle.

“Stop!” Fiona yelled.

“I need to talk to you. Unlock the damn doors!”

When he kicked the car, Fiona had had enough. She unlocked her door and shot out. “Stop it!”

Freddie moved around the car and grabbed her upper arm. “Why are you doing this?”

“Let go of me!”

“You come to my motel room, you have sex with me, then you refuse to answer my messages? My calls don’t even connect. You’re making me fucking crazy. Making me want you, then icing me out like I’m nothing.”

She studied him, noticing for the first time that the normally pristine, put-together Freddie was completely disheveled. Wrinkled, dirty clothes. His hair was a mess. Dark circles under his eyes.

“It wasn’t me,” she said slowly.

His eyes narrowed. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“That person who went to your room? It wasn’t me.”

Jenny’s door opened and closed, and she moved toward them, but Fiona shook her head at her friend. She didn’t want the other woman getting caught in this, possibly hurt.

“It was you.”

She tried to twist out of his hold. When that didn’t work, she attempted to bring a knee up, but he was too close. “No. My parents aren’t my biological parents. I have an identical twin sister I didn’t even know about. She’s been impersonating me. It was her.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

“No!” His shout was so loud, it made her ears ring. “It was you. You told me you love me, and I fucking love you, Fiona!”

“Love me? Freddie, you were having sex with my sister while we were together, then you married her. That’s not love.”

“I told you, it was a mistake. And I only married her because she said she was pregnant, but the bitch fucking lied.”

Her sister lied about being pregnant? It shouldn’t surprise her, but it still did. She lowered her voice. “Freddie, I’m sorry that she lied to you. But that doesn’t change anything. You and I are over. Done. I’m with Callum, and you and I will never be together again. That woman who had sex with you was not me.”

She said the words slowly, needing him to understand.

“You don’t have a twin, Fiona.” But this time, his voice held less certainty.

“I do. Ask Amanda. My parents. They all knew, and they didn’t tell me. I’m sorry that she went to you pretending to be me. I really am.”

Freddie frowned, his gaze still incredulous. “It really wasn’t you?”

She shook her head.

He stumbled back a step, his hands dropping from her. “I thought…she looked and sounded exactly like you. She told me that she forgave me…”

Even though this man didn’t deserve her sympathy, she couldn’t help but feel just a drop. Maybe because of the devastation on his face or the disbelief in his eyes. Either way, a woman had tricked him, had sex with him, and played with his head.

“I don’t know why she did that,” Fiona said quietly. It was all she could offer.

A car pulled up behind Jenny’s, and her lips parted when she saw Callum and Liam climb out. Both looked ready to kill.

“Second first date in two weeks and still no connection?” Callum asked Liam as he took a right turn. They were on their way to grab some stuff from the grocery store for the kitchen at work. Cassie usually went, but she’d taken a few days of leave.

He chuckled. “Nope. I should give up while I’m ahead, shouldn’t I?”

Callum’s lips twitched. “No. You should stay out in the dating pool until you find a woman who makes you want to go on a second date.”

“I don’t know, Cal. I don’t know if that’s in the cards for me like it is with you guys.”

Callum laughed. Women fell all over themselves for Liam. No way was he getting away with not dating. “You just haven’t found her yet.”

“I’m not in a rush.” Liam leaned his head back against the headrest. “You and Fiona are doing pretty well.”

More than well. He loved her, and he was well and truly ready to tell her. “I feel so damn lucky to have met her.”

The chances of meeting a woman who just got you and made you feel as much as Fiona did were slim. For him, anyway. Yet it had happened. Luckiest man on the damn planet.

“I’m happy for you.”

Callum turned the corner…and his eyes narrowed at the scene halfway down the road. A car was parked almost on the sidewalk, and another sat on an angle in front of it.

It took him another second to realize the couple outside one of the cars was Fiona and Freddie.

“What the fuck?”

He slammed his foot on the brake behind what he now realized was Jenny’s car and jumped out. Before he could reach Freddie, Fiona stepped in front of Callum and touched his chest. “It’s okay.”

“What did I tell you about staying away from her?” Callum shouted. He should have broken the fucker’s arm the last time he’d pulled a stunt like this.

When Freddie didn’t respond, didn’t even look at him, Callum tried to sidestep around Fiona, but she mirrored him, keeping her palm on his chest.

“Callum. I’m okay,” she said quietly.

A beat of silence passed before finally his gaze shifted down to her. “You sure?” He scanned her body, checking every inch he could see.

She nodded.

His gaze shifted to Jenny, who stood to the side of the road, arms around her waist in a defensive gesture. “Are you okay?”

She nodded.

Fine. The asshole would live another day.

Fiona turned back to Freddie. “You need to go. Leave Cradle Mountain and return to Twin Falls.”

Freddie held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, and it made Callum’s blood boil. Then the guy stormed back to his car.

“What did he want?” Callum asked, trying and failing to keep his voice calm.

She exhaled loudly as she turned back to him. “Olivia had sex with him. Told him she loved him. He thought it was me, and he didn’t understand why I would forgive him, then ice him out again.”

Callum cursed, ready to find this damn woman and take her down.

“So that’s all he did?” Liam asked from behind Callum. “Talked?”

“Yes.”

Liam looked at Jenny with obvious concern. “You sure you’re okay?”

She gave a sharp nod, her bangs bouncing into her eyes. “It was just all a bit of a shock.”

Liam stepped forward. “I can drive your car back to the library if you want.”

Jenny frowned. “Oh…you don’t have to—”

“I know. I want to.”

Color tinged her cheeks, and she handed her keys to Liam.

“We’ll go get the cups and water,” Fiona said to Jenny, who gave another small nod before getting into her car.

The second Jenny and Liam were gone, Callum stepped forward and cupped her cheeks. “Why did you leave the library?”

She scowled. “Rick told me in no uncertain terms that I had to.”

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“I wouldn’t stop you.”

He swiped some hair from her face. “I hate that Freddie had you alone out here.”

“I know. But now that he knows it wasn’t me in that hotel room, I’m hoping he’ll leave Cradle Mountain.”

He’d better. If not, he’d get a little nudge from Callum and his team.

“I’m putting a man on you at all times,” he said firmly. He’d already offered it to her, but she’d declined. This time, he didn’t care if she didn’t like it. Her safety came first.

She shook her head. “No one will attack inside the library. This was my fault for leaving. I let Rick bully me into it. I won’t do it again.”

“Not taking the chance.”

“It’s a waste of your resources.”

He wanted to growl. “Your safety is not a waste of resources. This is non-negotiable, Fiona.”

She must have heard in his voice that he wasn’t backing down on this. She sighed. “You’re probably right. Thank you.”

His deep chuckle had her looking up. “Probably? I’m definitely right.”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

Callum lowered his head until his lips hovered over hers. “You don’t go anywhere without me or my team on you. I mean it.”

“I know. I screwed up. I’m sorry.”

He tugged her into his arms and held her close. He needed to keep this woman safe. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.