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“Come with me,” he says, opening his door to get out.
Oh God. He wants me to get out. My legs won’t move. I force myself to find the strength to do this. Callisto is not a spiteful man. There has to be a damn good reason he would bring me here knowing what I went through.
He takes my hand and leads me to the back of the store. To the dumpster.
I don’t understand.
He stands next to the large green, metal container, looking at me, no, through me, into the distance. As if he’s replaying scenes from a movie in his mind. His hand trembles in mine, and it’s the first ounce of anything other than confidence I’ve ever felt come from him. All the color has drained from his face and his eyes are… His eyes…
His eyes.
I can’t breathe. My entire universe is spinning out of control. My legs feel like Jell-O. I tighten my grip on his hand to keep from losing my balance. Tears fill my eyes, and I am incapable of stopping them from falling.
Oh my God.
“It was you,” I whisper.
It all comes rushing back. The pain. The anger. All the emotions I felt in him that night once again scream at me to round them up, reign them in. Help him.
“My mother died in this store. It happened the night I saw you. I was home visiting from college, and my father needed help because the night clerk called in sick, so I figured why not. I needed the extra money.”
The pain in his words is heartbreaking. By the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes, I’d say this is the first time he’s ever spoken these words out loud. I know how that feels. I can’t imagine carrying around a burden like this for seven years. The memory alone would have killed me. A new admiration and fascination of this man begins to blossom within me. I knew he was strong. Fierce. Reserved. Now I know why.
This is Carlos’s liquor store. I’ve always known he owned one. I just didn’t know it was this one. All those times he reached out after Reid’s death. Him telling me he understands. It all makes sense. He felt guilty. Because it happened at his store. His wife died at this store. His store. The men. That body. The SUV. It was all real. That was Callisto’s mother. Oh God. My heart breaks for him. I’m starting to regret asking for answers. And I have a feeling this is just the beginning.
The grip on my hand tightens, and Callisto begins walking away from the dumpster and back in the direction of his Rover.
“The night you saw me was the worst night of my life. I wanted to die right there with my mother. I watched them kill her in cold blood, and I was powerless to stop it. I had nothing to live for. And yet, there you were, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. An angel. And you offered to stay and help me. A man you’d never met. A man you knew nothing about. You saw something in me that night. You felt something. I know you did because I felt it too.”
I did feel it. All this time I thought I had imagined that night, those eyes, him. That was the first night I ever stayed with Reid. That was the night that started it all. What if I had chosen to stay and help Callisto? Would we have ended up exactly where we are now? Would Reid still be alive? I have so many things I want to say. Then I remember the night in his office—the night of our first kiss—when he just sat in his chair and listened and let me speak. Callisto needs me to be that for him right now. I need to be that for him.
We’ve reached the corner of the building. He leans his back against the brick wall and tugs me closer, so I can hear his quiet words. “Then you walked into my father’s restaurant looking for a job, and I just knew my mother had sent you. She sent you to save me.”
“Save you? From what?” I ask.
“From myself. But you had someone. And he was your world. And there was no way I was coming between that. So, I stood back and waited my turn. But I never wanted it to happen the way it did. I never wanted to see you in any pain. You have to believe that. Shit, I’ve spent seven years making sure pain was the last thing to fucking happen for you.”
What is that supposed to mean?
“When you told me that you love me, I didn’t know what to say. I love you too just didn’t seem to cut it. Do you see now? It’s always been you. Everything I’ve ever done has been for you. To protect you. I fell in love with you that night then spent the next six years loving you from a distance. And over the past year, being with you, knowing you, touching you, feeling you… Fuck, baby. Love doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel.”
He lets go of my hand as if he’s allowing me to make the next move. To decide if I’m going to accept his explanation and move forward or reject it. Reject him.
There’s no way in hell I would ever do that. Especially not now. The man I love, loves me back. My heart has never felt so completely full yet so entirely broken at the same time.
“If it’s always been me, why did you push me away? Even after Reid died. You acted like you couldn’t stand to be around me.”
He takes my cheek in his hand, and I lean into his touch.
“I live in a world of darkness. Everything about you is beautiful. Light. I don’t deserve you. You don’t deserve to be here, in the darkness. My mother was a beautiful woman, just like you, and I watched two men murder her because of who my father is. She died because my father let his enemies know his weakness. I can’t let that happen to you. I won’t let that happen to you.”
God, this poor man. This explains so much. I didn’t think it was possible, but I love him even more. He reaches out to cup my other cheek and cradles my face in his hands. The pain in his eyes has been replaced with regret. “But I can’t seem to let you go.”
“I don’t want to be your weakness. I want to be your strength. Just like you are mine. I need you, Callisto. And you need me.”
“There’s still so much you don’t know.”
I watched two men murder her because of who my father is…
