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As if coming back to reality after three days in paradise wasn’t bad enough, the minute we walk into my living room, I can feel the tension once again rolling off Callisto’s shoulders.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I ask, gripping the hand I’ve been holding just a little bit tighter.
“Wait outside,” he replies, and I can tell by his tone it isn’t to be questioned.
I lean against the passenger door of his Rover for what seems like an eternity. Finally, I give up on patience and go inside. It’s dark, and the chill in the winter breeze has me pulling my arms further into the sleeves of my sweatshirt.
The living room and kitchen are both empty and still dark when I walk in. I make my way down the hall and into my bedroom. He’s not there either. Then I hear something in my bathroom. A spray bottle maybe? Is he… cleaning?
“Cal—” I start to say but quickly stop the moment I see what he’s doing. My blood runs cold. “What is that?”
“Jesus, Makenna, I asked you to wait outside,” he says, his frustration apparent in the creases in his forehead.
“And I asked you what the hell that is? What does it mean? How did it get there?”
He takes the sudden tremble in my voice as his cue to set the bottle of Windex on the counter and pull me into his arms. He brings my head close to his chest and begins calming me with gentle strokes in my hair.
I try to make sense of the message on my bathroom mirror, even though he’s turned my head to face the opposite direction. But the moment I walked in I saw it there, written in bright red—I don’t even want to know what—lipstick maybe, blood probably… were the words One down. One to go, Callisto.
He knew. The minute we walked in he knew something wasn’t right. How did he know?
I have so many questions, so many emotions. But right now, I just want him to keep on holding me. Just like this. Tucked away in the safety of his arms.
He kisses the top of my head. They used his name—his full name. They know him. Whoever wrote this knew he’d be here. They got in. What’s going to stop them from getting in again?
“I need to go check on my father,” he says, and the sound of his voice in the silence is almost ominous.
I nod against his chest then slowly ease myself out of his grasp.
He cups my chin in his strong hand and looks at me definitively. “Grab what you need for work tomorrow. I want you to stay with me tonight,” he says and there’s no way in a million years I would argue with him right now.
We pull up to a massive iron gate, and Callisto punches some numbers into a keypad prompting it to open. Just on the other side, to the left of the long concrete driveway is a small booth with an armed guard inside.
Callisto gives him a nod as we drive past but doesn’t say anything about who he is or why he’s there.
At the end of the nearly mile long driveway is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. It’s a Mediterranean style with a rich, cream stucco exterior, a deep red terracotta tiled roof and immaculate landscaping.
Callisto parks in the center of the circular driveway, right in front of two large, arched wooden doors. Before we even reach the door, it is being opened.
“Hello, Myra,” Callisto tells the small older woman who greets us.
“Cal,” she replies in a thick Italian accent while placing a quick kiss on each of his cheeks. The sincerity in her voice tells me she is pleased to see him.
“I’d like you to meet Makenna.” He’s beaming like a teenager introducing a girlfriend to his parents.
The woman’s genuine smile sparkles in her eyes, and she places a hand on each one of my cheeks, cupping my face. She studies me for a moment longer than I’m comfortable with then shakes her head in disbelief. “Take good care of my boy, beautiful girl,” she says finally.
Doesn’t she know? He’s the one who takes care of me. Callisto watches the exchange with the fascination of a child then places a hand at the small of my back and smiles at Myra.
“We can’t stay long. I just came to see my father.”
The woman takes her cue and lets go of my face.
“Ah, well he’s in his study. You know your way around,” she says with a wink before she goes on about her business.
This is Carlos’s home? This is where Callisto grew up.
We’re so very different and still so much the same.
