Calvin’s expression could have been chiseled from stone. He gave nothing away.
“Except that wasn’t Frank in my box,” I stated.
“Correct.”
“Who the fuck was it?”
“We’re working on that. If these events happen spaced between two days, we’ve got a lapse between Frank and you.”
“Enough time to kill Jack-in-the-Box.”
“We’re cross-referencing every colleague, employer, friend, and family member of Frank Newell’s we can find.”
“Because you think his disappearance is related to the decapitated head, and therefore related to me?” I concluded.
Calvin took a breath. “I suspect you’re right. There issomethingthat links these events, but it’s not going to be tangible or obvious.”
“When did all of… ofthisoccur to you?”
Calvin put his hands firmly on my shoulders. “About an hour ago. I stepped out to come talk to you. Sweetheart, it wasn’t my intention to scare you, but this is why I don’t want you alone.”
“Because some nutcase is going to kidnap me, chop me up, and put me under someone’s Christmas tree wrapped in a big bow?” I shouted, acting the scene out with my hands for further emphasis.
“That won’t happen,” Calvin said with authority.
“Cal, you can’t—”
“Itwon’t, Sebastian,” he said again. “But in order for me to protect you, I need to know you’re safe. I’m trying to line up police protection for you.”
“What?” I moved around him, walked farther into the living room, and said over my shoulder, “This is insane!”
“No, this is smart.” Calvin followed behind me. He grabbed my hand and turned me around. “Tell me you wouldn’t do the same, if our roles were reversed.”
I wanted to protest—even tried to. But it came out as nothing more than an indignant sputter. Of course if I had even thevaguesthint that Calvin’s life was being threatened in this way, I’d be demanding all sorts of protections be put in place. He was my partner. My soul mate. The love of my life. And… sometimes I had to remind myself that I was those same things for him.
The problem was, I had an ego that tended to overcompensate when I was backed into a corner. Too many years of putting on a brave face and wielding sarcasm like a sword still made it hard to admit my own weaknesses. To show how raw my fear could be.
Even to Calvin.
“How am I supposed to do my job under supervision?” I asked.
“It won’t be hard. Pretend it’s me.”
“Should I take my police protection out on a few dates first, or can we skip the formalities?”
“Seb, knock it off.”
I pulled my hand from Calvin’s and waved both. “Come on! What the fuck kind of reaction did you expect? You went to work this morning, leaving me here to finish a bowl of soggy Lucky Charms without a care in the world. Then less than twelve hours later, I’m being told to go underground because someone referring to themselves asCollectoris looking to accumulate parts of me?” I leaned over to rest my hands on my knees and took a deep, shaky breath.
We were both quiet after my outburst.
I closed my eyes when Calvin’s shoes appeared in my line of vision. His hand came to rest on my back. “Sorry,” I whispered at the floor.
“It’s all right,” he answered. “I’m scared too.”
I reluctantly raised my head. His face was blurry over the rims of my glasses. “I hate that I do this. Every time some clusterfuck occurs in our lives, I fight you tooth and nail when you’re only trying to do your job.”
“I know.”
