Unbelievable (Heroes of Calvano Security Book 1)

by Nikki Rome

  What’s important was he was in her bed, well, not in it but on it. She felt her pulse starting to race and a cold sweat coming on; it had been months since she’d had a panic attack, but she knew the signs. It was getting hard to take in deep breaths. Looking at him was making her vision blurry, and she needed to make a move quick. She started counting to ten to herself and closed her eyes.

  “Christy, are you okay?” he asked in alarm, putting his coffee down and pushing up from the bed to go to her.

  All Christy could think was how she had to get out of that room; she needed distance from him. So, she grabbed her lip gloss, her purse, and said, “No need to wait, I’m ready.” Then she hauled ass out of her bedroom and towards the front door. Confused yet again, Jason followed her. Her behavior was so erratic he didn’t know what to make of it. As he reached the hallway, he looked at her and couldn’t help but to laugh.

  “Christy, sweetie, as much as I love the look of your bare feet, go put some shoes on, it’s chilly outside.”

  Mortified, she looked down. She was standing at her front door, about to walk out, and she had no shoes on. So much for looking pulled together. If things couldn’t get any worse her phone rang. Looking down at the caller ID, she saw it was her office. She never received calls on the weekend, so she excused herself and headed into her bedroom to get some shoes and figure out who needed her from work.

  “Hello, this is Christy?”

  “Hey, it’s Ryan. Listen, I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I was doing some research on Calvano Security. I know they declined the initial meeting, but from what I could find they could be a lucrative client. I was wondering if you could get them to take a joint meeting with the both of us? Maybe then they will agree to hearing our proposal.”

  This really wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have while hiding from the owner of Calvano Security in her bedroom.

  “Uh, ya, I guess we could try that.”

  “Great, they seem to be some kind of top secret security company that works for the military. I can’t seem to get too much on them, but the major corporation is worth millions. Their charitable donations range in the multi millions every year. I could only imagine what the real estate holdings look like.”

  “Millions?”

  “Lot’s of millions Christy; see what you can do. We’ll talk about it on Monday.”

  “Sure, of course. Have a good weekend, Ryan,” she said before ending the call.

  Christy sat on the side of her bed to gather her thoughts. Jason’s company was worth millions. It seemed insane. She knew he was successful just from the bits and pieces she knew about him, but it was still hard to reconcile the person she knew now, with the man who consumed so much of her heart many years ago.

  There was a soft knock on the door frame, which made her look up.

  “Hey, are you doing okay in here?”

  Christy dropped her phone on the bed, “Ya, I’m fine. Sorry it was just a call from the office.”

  “Do you normally work on the weekend?”

  “No. I sent a referral to a coworker, and he wanted to follow up.”

  “I see.” he said as the corner of his lips raised in a small smile.

  “And what did this coworker have to say about the client?”

  “Well, it appears he declined the initial meetings.”

  “But you already knew that.” He crossed her room, and she watched as he bent down to pick up her sneakers that were sitting in the corner.

  “I knew that.”

  He stood and crossed the room towards her. Kneeling in front of her, he unlaced one of her shoes and held it out for her to slip her foot in.

  “So what is your next move, Ms. Price?”

  “Well, I’m going to take him to get the shit kicked out of him by a bunch of angry ladies. I’ll see how he feels about the firm again after that.”

  She smiled as he laced up her second shoe just a little too tightly while giving a quick laugh.

  His hand grazed the back of her calf and she felt tingles run through her whole body. It seemed Jason’s touch didn’t scare her in the same way other men did. She had only seen him one other time, but she already felt safer around him than others. There was a risk to how comfortable he made her feel and a desire she didn’t understand. So instead of giving in to the desire that was coursing through her, she stood abruptly, causing him to fall back onto his behind.

  Stepping around him, she gave a quick look over her shoulder. “So, are you coming or what?”

  Chapter Five

  Jason opened the door for her as they approached the studio. Christy could see through the glass and could tell by the look on her friend’s face that she was about to get an earful.

  “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Wonderful!” Frances hollered over the noise of fighters’ grunts, and loud music.

  “Frankie Belisle? I swear you look just the same,” Jason said while going around the counter and wrapping her in a bear hug.

  As soon as he put her down, Frances took a swing at him. He blocked it with shocking speed. “What did I tell you about calling me that???” she yelled at him.

  “Oh, come on, don’t tell me it still bothers you.”

  “I told you, no-one calls me Frankie but my brother, and I hate it when he does it too.”

  “Alright, alright. When Christy mentioned yesterday her friend Frances, I didn’t even put two and two together. Weren’t you in law school? How did you end up with owning a boxing studio?”

  “Long story. Besides, I’m not answering any questions until I figure out why you are here.”

  “I’m here for class, of course.”

  “Ha ha, funny man. You know what I mean. You’ve been gone for years and you just swoop in out of nowhere? I smell a rat.”

  “Frances, cut it out,” Christy said, stepping forward. They were drawing attention from some women in the lobby, and a few of the guys on the bags had turned to see what the commotion was. Christy was getting nervous with so many eyes on her, so she took matters into her own hands. Stepping around the counter, she reached for Jason’s arm and pulled him into one of the lobby chairs to wait for class.

  *****

  Class was quite an experience. First, most of the women couldn’t stop fawning over Jason and claimed they didn’t want to hurt him. Frances showed a few moves, proving the pads would protect his manhood, and shortly after everyone got to the task at hand. Hot and sweaty from class, Christy regretted not packing a change of clothes. Normally she and Frances would grab breakfast at a nearby diner, but today she said her goodbyes and she and Jason headed towards a local park.

  Walking on the streets of New York always made her nervous. When she was alone, she could quickly cross the street and keep her eyes down, but walking with Jason she was trying her hardest to appear normal. The problem was, she had that creepy feeling again someone was watching her. She felt his touch a little too late. Jason’s hand came up to the small of her back and he leaned in as if he were to say something but it startled her and she jumped away from him. Pulling back immediately, he held his hands up. “Christy, sweetie, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, why?”

  “Your breathing is erratic and you keep looking behind us like you expect to see someone.”

  “It’s nothing, really.” She took a second to gather herself, then headed straight toward an area of the park that looked less crowded.

  He turned to her. “Let’s grab some sandwiches from that food truck and sit to eat.”

  Without even thinking, she nodded her head. Following him, they ordered their food, and he led her under a tree to sit.

  “Why don’t we just sit at one of those tables?” she asked.

  “The crowded tables are noisy and there is a shady spot under that tree. I’d like to hear you when we talk.”

  He was right, so she didn’t bother arguing. She just needed to concentrate on eating and then she could head home. After a few minutes, she realized that was easier sa
id than done. Not having a table between them was making her uneasy. Looking around, the people sitting in the grass under the trees were all couples. Couples that were feeding each other, making out or snuggling close. They seemed to be the only two people sitting there who weren’t on a romantic morning date.

  Jason could tell Christy was uncomfortable around him, but it seemed to him like she was unsettled about everything lately. He wanted to get his hands on her so badly it was hurting. Every muscle in his body was tense from trying not to touch her. When they were in class, she had no problem wailing on him while practicing her moves. However, the second he reached for her in the street, she jumped and pulled away from him again. She let him touch her at the house when he helped her with her shoes and even reached for him at the studio, but it seemed as if most times he reached for her she would jump or pull away. Whatever was going on between them, he needed to put an end to it and quick the tension was getting uncomfortable.

  “Are you still mad at me?” he blurted out in between bites.

  Cursing himself, he thought how that didn’t come out right, but now he couldn’t take it back. She stared at him for a minute before responding.

  “Still mad? No, I guess not. It’s been a long time, and it’s clear to me after this morning that you’re not the same person you were years ago. Besides, I am the one who ruined everything back then.”

  “What? How?”

  “Jason, I’m not an idiot. I should have never told you I loved you. I know that wasn’t what you were looking for with me. It’s just that after so long I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t even actual love anyway, and I ended up throwing away our friendship over it.”

  Confused, Jason asked, “What do you mean it wasn’t actual love?”

  She wasn’t the first woman to tell him she loved him and hadn’t been the last. The look in her eyes that day… that look he would never forget. He would never forget it because it was the look of love. Real love, but he didn’t know what to do about it at the time. It made him panic, but the truth was he had never seen that look in anyone else’s eyes. He knew at that moment he would ruin her; she was just a kid, and he was one fuck up away from jail.

  “We were kids. How could I have known what love was back then?”

  “Christy, you didn’t ruin everything. Besides, the years that followed were not good for me and I would have brought you down into my mess. It was better for you that things turned out the way they did. Trust me.”

  “Well, at least we had today to clear the air. Now you can move on and stop wondering, right?” She gave him a reassuring smile.

  “Let’s try to at least be friends, see each other once in a while. We can make kick boxing a regular thing,” he said with a weird-looking grin on his face.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Kick boxing and self-defense classes are my thing. Besides, you seem busy, even though you keep trying to hide it.”

  She had noticed throughout the day his phone was always ringing or he was getting text messages. About mid-morning he turned the ringer off, but someone needed to get in touch with him and he was ignoring them. It made her feel guilty, yet she took joy in the fact that he was dedicating the morning to her.

  Jason turned to face her, “What I have going on isn’t anything that would keep me from spending Saturday mornings with you.”

  He saw it again; her retreat. Head down, staring at her lap and silence. He couldn’t figure out what was happening to this woman next to him. Or maybe he should ask what happened to her? After spending all morning with her, he noticed there were glimpses of a girl he once knew, but she hid behind the rough outer shell of a woman he knew nothing about. They had been together for hours and he hadn’t been able to get anything more than surface questions answered by her. She dodged most personal questions, didn’t want to share much about herself, but she seemed interested in his company. He took that as an excellent sign, but now as he thought about how the day had gone; he had learned nothing new about her.

  “Christy, you know you can talk to me, right? I mean, it seems weird because it’s been so long, but you know I will always help you in any way that I can. We can be friends again.”

  “I’m about ready to go,” she said as she stood.

  He reached for her hand and as soon as he went to touch her; she pulled away and looked terrified again. The movement shocked him. How had he not seen it sooner? Yesterday she wouldn’t get close to him. Today he had a couple of lucky moments, but the way she kept freaking out every time he went to touch her had him concerned. The paranoid look in her eyes, avoiding making eye contact with men and only speaking to other women. Even her weird reaction to having him in her room should have told him something was wrong. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach something terrible happened to her. Whatever it was had left behind the telltale signs of a woman who was struggling daily in the aftermath of trauma.

  Chapter Six

  There were many benefits to owning your own security firm. Some of which were simple, like the ability to dig up information others couldn’t find. In a normal situation, Jason would not use business resources for personal reasons, but he was desperate. There was something special about having Christy back in his life, and he wasn’t ready to let go yet. After spending Saturday with her, he realized he didn’t know what happened to the carefree girl he once knew. He did, however, have a sneaky suspicion something bad had happened and she wouldn’t budge on the details. Heck, she wouldn’t even give him the cliff notes version. Instead, she shut him down as soon as he asked.

  On Sunday he tried reaching her but she wouldn’t answer. Then again on Monday, and by Wednesday he was losing patience. He was acting like a lovesick teenager given the amount of times he called, but he didn’t care. He needed to hear her voice. The phone rang for the fourth time and he was planning to leave another message when she answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, there you are. I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “I know, I’ve been busy.”

  “Too busy to even text me back?” He was trying hard to keep the frustration out of his tone of voice, but was failing miserably.

  “I’m sorry, like I said, I’ve been busy this week.”

  “I’d like to see you.”

  “I told you Saturdays are my days for myself.”

  “Okay, but I’m not asking about Saturday. I’d like to see you tonight.”

  “Jason… I can’t do this again.”

  “Christy, please. I just want to talk.”

  “What’s with all the talking lately? You never wanted to talk when we were younger, and now it seems like all you ever want to do.”

  “Let me take you to dinner. Please.”

  “No, I have a big meeting in the morning for a commercial property. I can’t tonight.”

  “I was serious when I said I wanted you back in my life, Christy. I understand it’s going to take time to get you to trust me again, but I’m willing to put the effort in if you are.”

  “Listen to yourself, you’re not making any sense. I have to go, I really don’t have time for all this. My life… my life is complicated. I just can’t do this.” And with that, she hung up the phone.

  The aggravation he was holding back was taking over. He threw his phone against the wall at the same time Mike walked in the door.

  “Dude, what’s up?” he said as he scooped to pick up the phone that was now sporting a broken screen.

  Jason stood quickly and ran his hand over his shaved head. He began pacing back and forth, trying to calm his nerves.

  “THAT’S WHATS WRONG.” He yelled, pointing at the folder on his desk.

  Mike crossed the room and slowly opened the folder, letting out a low whistle. “Is this who I think it is?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s barely recognizable in these photos. How the fuck did this happen to her?”

  “I’d tell you to keep reading, but there’s no point. It reads like
a horror story, the pictures are enough to make you sick. I spent the entire night digging all this shit up and probably broke a million laws doing it. I just couldn’t stop myself.”

  Mike plopped down into the chair at Jason’s desk and closed the folder. “I get it, I do. What are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  “Hey man, you need to take a deep breath. Why don’t you start with telling me why you just threw your phone at the wall?”

  “She’s shutting me out.”

  “Well, considering this is what she has been through, can you blame her?”

  “I would never hurt her. She knows that.”

  “Who did this?”

  “Her ex.”

  “Wait, that dude Devon, you had us check out a couple years ago? He was clean.”

  “Maybe he was clean then, maybe not. I need to know everything about him, Mike. Where he lives, where he works, who he talks to, everything.”

  “Sure thing. What did Christy have to say?”

  “Nothing. She doesn’t even know I know.”

  With a slow shake of his head Mike said, “I’m no expert on relationships, but if you are serious about getting her back, then you need to stop snooping into her past and let her tell you when she’s ready.”

  “Who said I wanted a relationship?”

  Mike tilted his head to the side and gave Jason a look of disbelief. “Stop kidding yourself.” He stood and crossed the office toward Jason. Giving him a rough slap on the back, he said, “You need to talk to her.” Then he turned and headed out to get some research done on Christy’s ex.

  Staring at the folder on his desk, Jason was furious beyond all belief. The reports were a detailed description of everything that bastard had done to her. It broke his heart to know what she went through. He was angry at what her ex did; he was furious because he wasn’t there for her when it happened, and it annoyed him she didn’t trust him enough to tell him.

  He wanted to help Christy, and he knew the first step was telling her he knew what happened. She was going to hate him for digging into her life, but she needed to know that he wasn’t a person to be afraid of. In fact, he was going to do everything in his power to protect her so nothing like this could ever happen to her again. He decided on a few things; he needed to limit touching her, especially her wrists. That was a tough spot for her because of the restraints he saw in the photos. Her ex tied her to a bed with twine and it cut into her wrists for days while he had her held there. He could see it all in the photos and he imagined if he looked closely at her wrists, she likely still had scars. At least now that he knew one way he could avoid making her upset, or at least he could try.