Educating Callie

by Emma Jayne Mills

  “I won’t stop until I do.” I told him and he nodded.

  “You love her.” He stated. What the fuck? How did he think it was any of his business, hell, I hadn’t even told her that yet. Although I was almost certain she knew. My eyes continued to scan the woods for anything, anything at all that might lead me to her so that I could finally say those words to her.

  “So do you.” I admitted.

  “I never stopped.” He said.

  “Then why the other women?” I didn’t know why I was entertaining him like this, but I continued the conversation.

  “Because I was an idiot. Thought she didn’t want me anymore. She refused to marry me, wouldn’t even move in with me. All she really wanted was for me to accept her independence. Let her live her life. But I convinced myself she’d leave me if I didn’t get a ring on her finger. All I succeeded in doing was push her away. Biggest mistake I ever made was losing her.” We were silent again for a while and then he said, “I want her back. If...when we find her. I’ve loved her all my life and I want her back.”

  “You can’t have her!” I let him know in no uncertain terms. If he thought I was walking away from her he would have a hell of a fight on his hands.

  “I didn’t say she would come back to me, I know she won’t. I don’t deserve her. She loves you now, I can see that, even if she can’t see it herself yet.” He spoke with a sadness and regret that stopped me in my tracks.

  “Maybe I don’t deserve her either. Like you said, he got to her on my watch.” I was as miserable as he was. What was the point in arguing anymore? We had both fucked up and lost her in our own way. I just hoped I would be able to right my mistakes.

  “No. He would have got her anyway. He was always going to come back for her. We all knew it. But we carried on as normal because it was what she needed us to do. It hung over her all the time and she never let it show, she never let us see how scared and miserable she was. She showed you though, didn’t she?” He asked.

  “She did.” Was all I could say. I started walking again and he followed.

  “Just...take care of her Adam. I think you might be the one who can finally fix her, so don’t fuck it up okay?” He requested. I didn’t tell him she would fix herself, that I would stand beside her and fight with her, but ultimately she would do the fixing. I just nodded my affirmation and continued my search.

  *****

  “Adam ,you need to rest. Go home. Shower. Eat. You are no good to her like this!” Greg’s voice was tired, worn and stressed. He wasn’t just worried about Callie I realised, but about me too. We were in my office at the station. I hadn’t been home for three days. When I hadn’t been searching I had been in the station, constantly on the phone, organising more search parties or in the pub reporting back to Mick and anyone else who was around. It had become a sort of meeting point for all of us when coming and going from the searches.

  “Not until I find her!” I snarled at him. I immediately regretted my tone and ran a hand over my face and groaned, “Shit! Sorry cous.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just please, go home and at least sleep a couple of hours and have a shower. I managed to get Cam to crash an hour ago, he’s out of it on Mick’s sofa, refuses to go home without her. But you need to rest too cous, you’re going to drop at this rate and then what good are you? There are several parties out there until we lose the light, you’re covered.” Greg wasn’t one for lectures so I knew he was concerned.

  “You’re right.” I looked at my watch; 2.45 pm. “Come and get me at six so I can get back out there again before the sun sets.” Not that the lack of light would stop me. It hadn’t stopped any of her friends.

  “Count on it.” He vowed and I left the station.

  Once alone in my flat I slumped on the sofa and the faint smell of coconut hit me. I looked around, searching frantically for the source. My jacket, the one I had given to her when were in the garden, was draped over the back of the sofa. I grabbed it and covered my face with it, inhaling deeply. She was all over it and the smell of her made me ache with the need to have her back in my arms. To feel her body against mine as she slept on my chest.

  A red mist descended and I lost my mind. I stood, flinging the jacket away and walking towards the bathroom; I rammed my fist into the door and kept punching over and over again until the wood split. My knuckles were cut open and bleeding but I didn’t stop. I moved to the table and swiped an arm across the candles and place settings that had remained set up since the day she disappeared. I hadn’t been home to put them away and I’m not sure I would have anyway.

  Plates and the single wine glass, meant for us to share because that’s what we did, crashed to the floor. I had set it all up for her. I was going to wine and dine her. I had bought all the ingredients to make her favourite “Caveman food” as she called it. Then I was going to dance with her to her favourite music and finally, finally make love to her. I was going to take my time and worship her body, making sure she knew I belonged to her and only her. Now she was gone and the thought of that maniac hurting my Angel drove me insane. As I flipped the table and turned to punch the wall I was envisioning him, that figure in black, on the other end of my fist.

  “Adam!” Dana’s stricken voice interrupted my rage and she threw her arms around me as I stopped and sank to the floor.

  “I’m sorry Dee. I’m so sorry. I promised you I’d protect her.” The floodgates opened and I allowed her to hold me while I sobbed like a baby for a love I might never be able to have.

  *****

  “Butler, Wilson you will hold back. You will not enter that property until we have him under control. Understood?” The detective barked at Cam and me. I nodded once without looking in his direction.

  Cameron had found her. The fucking bastard had been right under our noses the whole time and as much as I wanted Angel back in my arms I wanted to beat the living shit out of Malcolm even more than that. That fucker had even joined some of the search parties.

  The words “He’s down!” came over the radio and nobody was holding me back any longer. Cam and Greg obviously had the same thoughts as the three of us charged towards the house, knowing we would be reprimanded for it afterwards. Once inside we split up to search. Cam followed the hallway to the back of the house, Greg went upstairs and I made for the kitchen, knowing he had kept her in a cellar last time, that was where I was going.

  The door wasn’t locked but I kicked it open anyway. I ran down the stairs and halted at the sight that met me. We were too late, a hunched over body lay in a pool of blood on the concrete floor. There was too much of it for anyone to have lost that much blood and survived. I almost sunk to my knees in despair and then the shape moved and made a groaning sound.

  “Angel?” I gasped. Please be alive. Please. Please don’t leave me. I moved towards her and although she made the most horrendous sound it was music to my ears as I bent to pick her up, I knew I ought to leave her to the paramedics but I needed her away from the blood. She turned her face into my chest and inhaled shakily, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. She knew me, even without looking she knew it was me and I pressed my lips to her forehead.

  “Callie?” Cam’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

  “I have her Cam. She’s alive.” I told him through tears of joy. As I lifted her I realised the blood couldn’t be hers and I selfishly breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed another body lay in the corner. I couldn’t think about that now though. She was alive, I had my Angel back in my arms where she belonged and I wanted her out of that house.

  *****

  “You’re beautiful.” I whispered, stroking her cheek with the back of my knuckles. She was curled up on my knee in her living room while the others milled around the room, talking and drinking. The police interviews had taken their toll on her and she needed to relax and let off steam so we had gathered for our own personal farewell to Jase and Amy. I had listened and got a glimpse into their tightly knit group while they remember
ed their friends and laughed and cried together at the fond memories they shared.

  “I’m bruised and battered.” She rolled her eyes. Did she really not know how I saw her?

  “You’re always beautiful to me. I thought it the second I saw your face, all covered in snow.” I leaned in to kiss her and my stomach danced when she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and kissed me back. I felt as though I’d waited a lifetime to be this way with her and I wasn’t going to waste a second.

  “Careful Angel, I’ll be throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you off to bed if you keep that up.” I pulled away grinning and remembering just how well our bodies fit together.

  “Promise?” She asked with a cheeky smile. True to my word, I had come up with many imaginative ways to turn her into a morning person during the last few days, that morning being no exception. Turned out my Angel was quite the little devil in the bedroom and her saintly nickname had taken on a whole new private meaning between us since that discovery.

  “Woman, I can’t wait to get inside you again.” I whispered huskily in her ear and I watched as a flush spread over her body like wildfire.

  “Hmmm, I love your dirty mouth Adam. I knew there was a bad boy in there somewhere.” She liked my dirty talk and I knew it turned her on, but I was keeping it tame in front of our audience.

  “Oh he’s there, he only wants to come out and play with you though. But I have to share a while longer yet.” I indicated the others in the room.

  A feeling of calm washed over me as I looked around the room. I had moved here looking for a way to forget and found so much more. I had the best friends of my life, each one of them important in their own way. I realised as I watched them that I had been brought into that tightly knit group, they had made me a part of them. I had a job I loved again and a woman I hadn’t even known I was looking for. We may have gotten off to a rocky start, that was putting it mildly, but I knew my Angel and I were forever. She had helped me begin to mend the cracks in my life, admittedly new ones had formed since her abduction, but just like before we would fight the darkness together and come out winners. As long as we had each other we would be just fine.

  “But I don’t want to share you. Look at them, they’re fine, they don’t need us.” She pouted and I laughed at her antics. There was a new carefree air about her that I’d seen hints of previously, but she had never been relaxed enough to let it out and I couldn’t wait to get to know my Angel even better. The real Angel. The one I knew had always been there, under the surface. She had shown more of herself to me since we’d met than she had to almost anyone in recent times and I felt honoured to have been that person. Only now there was no dark cloud hanging over her to keep her in hiding. She was completely open to me and she was all mine, as I was hers.

  “You never have to share me. I’m yours Angel, always.” I said, only just managing to resist the urge to drag her into the bedroom and ravage her again.

  “Can’t we sneak off when they’re not looking? We can be quick.” She pushed, undoing the top button of my shirt. Fuck, how was I supposed to say no to her?

  “There is nothing quick about what I plan on doing to you.” I growled in her ear, causing her to squirm on my lap, making my trousers suddenly feel much tighter at the thought of all things I could do to her body. She giggled, actually giggled, my Angel giggled and I fucking loved the sound of it. Then she widened her eyes at me when she felt the bulge in my jeans, so I grabbed her hips and pushed my hardness against her even more. She groaned quietly in my ear in response, not helping matters in any way. This woman was going to be the death of me, but I was going to die a happy man.

  “Hey love birds, join the party!” Nick called. Angel stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned that infectious grin of his back. That man never failed to make my Angel smile and I was so grateful to him for that I almost forgave him the Caveman nickname he had given me. Maybe I deserved it... a little bit. He had approached me a few days earlier about a tattoo design he had come up with for Angel and me. I knew she had matching ink with Nick and her brother so the thought of something for the two of us on our bodies was definitely something I was on board with. It was going to be a surprise for her once her body was healed and her skin cleared of the bruising.

  “Is this what I’m going to have to live with?” Cam grumbled, winking at her.

  “Got a bottle of tequila with your name all over it love.” Mick waved the bottle temptingly at her. She nodded enthusiastically at him. Their new business plans with Jared had gone on hold for a while, but they were so full of ideas between the three of them I was certain they’d be back at it before long. Angel had a bright and happy future ahead of her and I was lucky to be a part of it.

  “Shots witches!” yelled Vinnie.

  “Adam?” Angel whispered, hooking her arms around my neck.

  “Hmmm?” I replied, burying my face in her hair. I would never get tired of that smell.

  “You can fall in love with me now.” She said in my ear. I had news for her.

  I kissed her lips, long and slow before I replied, “Way ahead of you Snow Angel.”

  *****

  About the Author

  Emma had a dream. It took a long time to realise that dream and when it finally happened it came via a career as a preschool teacher, becoming a Mum of three and 15 years as an army wife following her husband from posting to posting across the UK and Europe as he served his country.

  Emma and her family have now left the army bubble and settled in their forever home of Spain, where she has at last, sat down and listened to the voices in her head.

  Check out my website and social media for news on upcoming releases and sneaky peaks of works in progress.

  Paranormal fans, keep your eyes open, The Raven Queen is coming...

  Thank you for reading Educating Callie. If you enjoyed it and want more from these characters (they’re a noisy bunch who never stay out of my head for long) stay tuned, because Frost Ford has more secrets to share...

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