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Bloody Christ. Hiding booze, rushing to a woman I’ve only known for a little less than two weeks. Something is making me go crazy. No, not something. Someone. Haley’s sad eyes gaze at me as she closes the oven door. Why can’t she just tell me what’s wrong so that I can help her?
″Why are you here, Callum?” She leans against the kitchen island. “We barely know each other. Why do you keep your security on me?”
″Because if I hadn’t, you’d have been hurt today.”
Her mouth drops as she stands upright. “You don’t know me. Why do you care?”
″Because someone broke you, and I don’t fucking like it.”
Her brows rise as she forces a small laugh from her body. The sparkle in her eyes is dimmed. She seems hopeless as if nothing I do can fix it. Nothing I do can help pull her out of it.
Whatever we were doing for the past couple weeks worked, and that stupid, fucking prick went and pushed her back into this headspace. An ache fills my chest with the realization I might not be able to save her.
She combs her hair with her fingers, then glares at me while she finally speaks. “You’re wrong, Callum. He didn’t fucking break me. That implies there are pieces left to put back together. He stole the light from me. I’m in an endless tunnel of darkness. You should get out before I suck you in, too.”
″Do you think I’m some kind of saint?”
″Compared to him? Yes.”
″Well, I’m not. I’ve got a black fucking heart. It’s stained with dark shit. Nobody is perfect, Haley. We all have to face our shit. Hiding from our problems behind booze and pushing people away that want to help? Well, that’s not going to save you.”
″You. Can’t. Fix me.” Her words are slow, laced with irritation.
″Maybe I don’t want to fix you. I’m just trying to throw you a life vest so you don’t drown. If you want to stay in the water, fine.”
The storm in her eyes calms, and slowly she nods. She scrunches her nose as she contemplates something. Then she says, “Cops always get away with things they shouldn’t. If he was just a regular visitor in the hospital, Security would have had his ass. Instead, he gets to walk around there with his gun on his hip, and his badge on his chest. And they don’t say a fucking word. Why would they? He’s an officer. He could touch me – Hell, he could fucking kill me – he wouldn’t serve a day in prison.”
″Is that what you’re worried about, love? Did he touch you? Harm you?” I ask. She shakes her head. “The night I found you with a black eye. Was it him?”
″No. That truly was a patient. No, Drake’s never hurt me. He’s just… intense. And he scared me today.”
″I’m more powerful than he is. He doesn’t get away with anything. Do you understand me?”
″That’s a bit far-fetched, isn’t it?”
″No.”
She rolls her eyes, waving a dismissive hand. “I don’t believe that at all.”
″You don’t have to believe it.”
″Good. Because I don’t.”
I shoot Scotty a look, and he nods, stepping outside. He already knows what I want of him, without having to utter the words. He’ll look into Drake’s past to see if they have some sort of connection that he missed before.
″Where are you going?” Haley asks Scotty with wide eyes as he heads for the door. She’d been calm during our chat, and now she’s carrying tension in her shoulders and sniveling. She’s created a bond with him already and trusts him more than she trusts me.
Though, I know it makes sense. They’ve been together twenty-four-seven, and I’ve spent no time with her aside for a few moments throughout a few days, and then left her for a week.
I want to be angry with him, but I can’t. He’s kept her off the alcohol up until now, and he’s just doing his job. He wouldn’t dare touch her, for fear of losing his life. I’ve made it pretty clear that she is mine. Not to be touched by anyone but me.
″I’ll be back, Doc,” Scotty says reassuringly and leaves.
She relaxes, turning to me. “I—” Drawing back, she shakes out her hand and turns away.
″If you told me what was wrong, I could fix it.”
″Could you though? What can you do about the monsters from my past?”
