Page 18 of This for That (The Edge of Retaliation 1)
That hits me hard, right in the heart. It’s the worst feeling I could ever imagine.
“You have no idea,” I whisper softly, putting my head down.
“For what it’s worth,” he tells me, crossing his arms, “I believe you.”
I look up at him, shocked.
Mary comes back into the room before I can say anything more. She tells me to lie down on the bed, and I do.
She lifts my shirt and presses around on my stomach and surrounding areas. “I don’t think anything is broken, but you’ve already got a bruise appearing. You’re going to be sore for a few days. I’ll give you some painkillers now and have you returned in a few hours for more.”
I sit up, pulling my shirt down and saying, “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
She tips her head to the side, studying me, too. The same way Officer Corel did. “You’re a sweet kid,” she murmurs. “Be careful out there. Keep your head down. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you, okay?”
I nod.
My eyes flitter over to Officer Corel, and he gives me a small smile.
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it through this after all.
Maybe.
8
NOW – CALLIE
“Wait, you’re friends with a guard from prison?” Jo asks as we walk towards the garage for the party on Saturday night.
“Yes, and he isn’t from prison, he’s from juvie. When I got moved, he wasn’t my guard, but he visited quite a bit as he was always at the prison working.”
“That’s so super sweet. So he like, took care of you?”
“You could say that, yeah.”
She smiles. “How come you’re not throwing yourself at him? Is he hot? Is he married? I don’t get it.”
I roll my eyes, adjusting the dress on my body once again. I’m not used to wearing dresses. Hell, I haven’t worn one since I was probably fifteen years old. Jo picked the tightest, sexiest dress she could, claiming that I needed to get my freak on sooner rather than later. Apparently, I don’t get a choice in the matter.
“It’s not like that with Ethan and I. He . . . I don’t know, he was kind of my protector. He helped me through some of the worst moments in my life. I couldn’t have gotten through it without him. He’s like my best friend. He’s not married, he’s incredibly good-looking, but I don’t know . . . it just isn’t like that.”
“Seriously?” Jo gasps. “He sounds like a damned hero. I’d be climbing him like a tree.”
I giggle. “Of course you would. No, Ethan and I? It just won’t happen.”
I mean, I did have a crush on him for a few years. I can’t deny it. When you’re alone in a prison, and there is a gorgeous man taking care of you, you can’t help but develop some sort of feelings for him. But, I don’t know, I never saw it as anything more than that. Not that Ethan wouldn’t be an incredible partner; he would.
I just don’t think that he’s for me.
“Well, let’s hope this new guy is something to brag about. Here goes. Are you ready?”
I nod, and stare at the massive garage in front of me. It’s huge, like the biggest damn garage I’ve ever seen. It has easily ten bays for cars, as well as another three on the end filled with motorcycles. The office building is bigger than our apartment.
“This place is huge,” I whisper, staring at it.
“It’s amazing. I’ve heard of it; but I’ve never seen it. Wow. Super-cool name, too.”
I glance up at the big sign that’s made out of chrome calligraphy letters. Heels and Wheels. There’s a catch phrase below it. We’ll get your wheels on the road again so the heels will be over your shoulders again.
Ballsy.
I like it.
“That’s pretty funny.” I laugh, shaking my head.
We walk farther in and see the place is really filled with people. There are jumping castles for the kids, and food stalls set up in the large parking lot. Some show cars, including race cars, are out on display, and people are milling around looking at them. The smell of food and beer is wafting out, and my stomach rumbles. I’m still not over being able to eat what I want. At this rate, I’ll end up bigger than this garage, but I’m totally okay with it right about now.
“So, show me this gorgeous man you told me about?” Jo asks.
I glance around, and when I notice him, my throat goes a little dry. He’s standing by the makeshift bar, talking to another man. He grins, and then nods, and oh, my poor heart. It does a stupid little flutter, and I turn to Jo and whisper, “There. By the bar.”
She glances where I point, and her eyes get wide. “Holy fucking shit. The hot one with dark hair?”
