Page 16 of The Santas Who Stole Me

Well, alright then. I glance around. This is it. I could run, I don’t think the other two are home. Why am I considering it home? Don’t be stupid, Georgie, that’s what got you in the shit with Chad. Thinking someone would help you. As much as I wanted everything Calum just gave me, I need to focus on myself. I want to believe they can help, but when has that ever worked out for me? No, I need to go. I’ll start over without my shit.

I swipe my face with a gym towel once more and walk out the door. As soon as I round the corner in the hallway my feet stop at Calum’s big frame leaning against the back door. He has his ear pressed against the phone in one hand while his shoulder is resting on the wall. I gawk at his bare chest, memorizing every line. His eyes flash to mine and he rubs his thumb against his bottom lip.

I exhale the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Either in relief I didn’t make it out or worry he might catch on to my attempt to escape; I’m not sure.

“I have to go deal with something. Figure it out,” he tells the person on the phone. Darkness falls over Calum, and my heart rate picks up at the energy surrounding him. He stalks to me, his long legs eating up the space between us, and I gulp.

He can’t know for sure I was going to leave.

“The image of you on your knees for me just now is going to be the death of me, cookie. It was fucking perfect.”

And damn if I don’t light up from his praise.

His hands land on both sides of my head holding me in place while his tongue darts between my lips. His kiss gives me stupid hope again, and I can’t help but grab onto it. Calum’s grasp steals every rational thought in my head. He gives me a feral smirk with one final swipe of his tongue across my lips, and I follow him back in the gym. Grabbing my gloves, I start another round of drills. A little more than happy I didn’t make it to that backdoor.

Chapter Fourteen

KEEPER

“This fucker is good.” I read through miles of paperwork from Lee while Zeke tries to come up with a plan. Problem is he moves around a lot, either on classified jobs or from paranoia. He transfers his money around making it almost impossible to trace. We have been at this for a few days, but with Georgie as a distraction, we’ve all been slacking off on the Chad problem.

“I found a record from the local PD.” Zee’s voice rings out in the otherwise silent room, more grim than normal.

I keep my head down, combing through documents until his next words register.

“It’s a report from Georgia. The officer notes she has depression, and they dismissed any concern about Chad. She told us, but reading this? Fuck all these people, this asshole states she explained the bruises were self-harm and retracted her statement.”

Georgia asked for help, but no one did anything, and she was forced to run.

“Name of the officer?” I ask.

“Lenny Schmitt. He lives alone, been on the force too long, seems he got lazy with it. Lee added a short background. There are pictures.”

Zee slides them over, but I can’t stomach it and shut the file. Seeing my girl hurt is something I can’t fucking stand. “He dies too.”

“He dies too,” Zee agrees.

“You go through the file on Georgie yet?”

His cold stare meets mine, and he shakes his head. “I want to know her without invading her privacy from a file. You know how I can be when I know too much.”

Zee thinks he’s a psychopath. Despite everything we have told him over the years the words from his parents never left him. He isn’t. He cares about me and Calum, and he’s as loyal as they come. We consider him family. He is my brother, the same as Calum, even if we don’t share any DNA. We all have a common lust for blood and violence; if that doesn’t make us family nothing else would. Calum wants to kill to be the best at it, and I love the thrill of getting away with it. I’ve never known Zee’s true motives, only that he has the same thirst for it as the rest of us. What more could brothers need than a true bond like ours?

“It’s bad, Zee. She doesn’t have anyone. He must have picked her out, a poor orphan girl to save. At least that’s the story he presented when he explained her reports of his abuse. He shoved everything under the rug, gaslighting her. Making her seem unstable,” I tell him, my voice laced with anger.

“This isn’t how we do jobs. We need information on him from the client. We always vet them.” Zee doesn’t elaborate, but I get what he is saying, we need more background from Georgie.

“We are going to need her insight. Fuck, Zee, you saw her face in that shower, I don’t want to repeat that, even if we feed her bullshit that we need her help, and that’s why she should stay.”

“She’s strong enough to have made it this far on her own. Now, she isn’t.” He counters my argument, always so logical.

“What are you doing with her tomorrow?”

“Fuck off, Keep, you already had your time. We said we were rotating.”

We decided to rotate days with her, but we haven’t been as strict on time lately. I scowl when he glances at his watch. I’m sure to count down his hours until he gets to her. Damn, I wish I was back in bed with Georgie under me. That morning with her has played on a loop in my head. I can’t wait to get her tiny hands scratching down my back. She’s been sleeping in my bed, but that’s all, just sleeping. When she wakes up at night screaming, I’ve been the one to calm and comfort her. I haven’t wanted to push her, and even though she is in my arms at night, I can’t help but see she’s getting closer to Calum and Zeke.

“We’re going to talk with her soon about Chad. She is going to need to give us more than Lee did. He hasn’t been seen anywhere since the rooftop. Not on any cams, no jobs according to the bureau records, the office, nowhere. Where the fuck did he go?” Zee questions and continues, “That’s why she’s going to have to give us some more information. Guess she was right, and we do actually need her help to find this prick.”