by Sienna Grant
“Cals, I’m trying. I swear. I’m looking into this, but you look more and more guilty every day.”
His words did nothing to improve my mood, so I stood up and walked away from him.
“Please believe me. I want to believe you’re innocent.”
My hand froze on the door, and I turned back to glare at him. “You either believe me or you don’t. There’s no try about it.”
“There is when there’s a mountain of evidence stacked up against you.”
His words caused my temper to flare, and I stomped towards him, slapping him hard across the face.
“You should go back and check those fucking pictures. There’s one there from August eleventh. Remember who I was fucking that night? It wasn’t Finley Brown.”
His mouth dropped open because that was a night we’d spent together. Lou was out when he’d come over, and I was just out of the bath after a few glasses of wine.
We’d gone back to my room and he’d fucked me against the door and then we’d had sex on the bed.
“What are you talking about?” His voice was cold, and I shook at the memory of knowing that all my sexual encounters had been recorded and distorted.
“Check the dates. October 31st, you. November 11th, Beth’s hen, you, and Boxing night, you. They were all in that pile and I wasn’t with him any of those nights either. I was with you.”
My eyes filled with tears and I stared at him.
“Someone’s been recording my room and using my past against me, and no one believes me. Look, I can’t do this right now. Can you check my room and see if you can find the camera that took the pictures?”
“Of course, Cals. I’ll go there right now and look. I promise I’ll figure this out.”
He reached out to touch me, but I couldn’t bear it, so I spun around, darting away from him and locking myself in Beth’s room. I didn’t come out again until I was sure he was gone, but when I did, I saw a message on my cell from him.
Look Cals, I’m sorry. I need to follow the evidence. It’s my job. I want to believe you. Fuck. I want to prove you’re innocent, but unless the evidence points me there then I can’t. I’m at your flat now. I’ve gone through your room with a fine-tooth comb, but I can’t find anything out of place. I know you might hate me right now, but I need you to know I’m trying. I’m sorry I can’t do more than that right now, but it’s all I have. C xx
The next few weeks passed, and I barely spoke to anyone. Chris came by to check on me, but he didn’t really say much, and I didn’t know how to ask if he was still searching for the hidden cameras. He tried to speak to me after two weeks, when he tried to hand me over a bear.
“Why did you bring this?”
His eyes widened, and he gave me a sharp look that froze me.
“It’s from your room. I got you it on our first date, but look at the back of it.”
I rolled my eyes because I knew when he’d given me it, but I didn’t understand why he’d brought it with him. He handed it over and I stared at it, not seeing anything different, but then I remembered the patch that was supposed to be on the back of it. I made it and it was a little heart that said Callie loves Chris.
My heart started to race, and I glanced up to meet his eyes, but he was staring at his feet.
“Chris, where’s the heart?”
“I don’t know, Cals. I searched your whole room, but it wasn’t there. Did you take it off? Is that why it’s missing?”
His hands clenched into fists, and I thrust the bear back at him. I refused to look at him again and he sighed, stepping back and going out into the hallway.
After that, I couldn’t deal with his judging eyes on me. I didn’t speak to him again and I didn’t answer when he tried to engage me in conversation, at all. I just stared blankly at him and then shut down if he tried to engage with me.
I was a mess. I didn’t shower, didn’t sleep, didn’t care, until the day of my trial came when Chris came by. He barely said two words to me as he forced me into the shower.
He ironed an outfit for me and drove me to the courthouse looking presentable, but it was more of the same. The evidence against me was the same, and although there was evidence I’d been drugged, it wasn’t strong enough to combat the full docket of evidence they had against me.
I could see Chris sitting with hard eyes, but it wasn’t a jury trial yet.
The judge was convinced they had enough to prosecute and set my trial date for May 8th, which was a little over two months away.
I had two more months to live like a criminal, and it was killing me inside.
The drive back was quiet until Chris turned into a McDonald’s. He pulled into a parking spot and turned to face me.
“I checked the dates of the pictures and I know something isn’t right, but I can’t figure out how he made those pictures look so real. I’ve had two different forensics guys going over them and I’ve given them two of your bears, but I don’t know how he managed to hide cameras because they came up clean for bugs.”
He took a breath and ran his fingers through his hair before scrubbing at his face in frustration as he started speaking again.
“I’ve barely slept because I’ve spent my nights working to prove your innocence. I’ve swept your apartment over and over for anything, but there’s nothing there. I need to fix this, but I don’t know how. I even went to Summers and told him that I was with you on some of the dates, but he just thinks I’m trying to cover for you. He wouldn’t take my statement seriously, and he accused me of being so blinded with love that I can’t see how you could do this. Fuck, Cals…”
I didn’t look at him. I just stared at my hands.
“Callie, please. I just… it’s hard for me. I’m so sorry, but I need you to know I don’t think you did this. You don’t have it in you, but I’m having a hard time proving it.”
My eyes lifted to his, and I saw his gaze burning into mine. His lips lowered to mine, but he held himself back.
“Chris, I can’t do this. I could lose my freedom and I can cope with that, but I can’t cope with you believing that I hurt Lou. That’s what kills me the most. You didn’t believe me.”
His forehead pressed against mine, and I could taste his breath, feel his desperation in his gentle fingers, but it was the soft kiss on my nose that almost undid me.
“I want to find that fucker. It’s killing me that we can’t find him and prove your innocence, but it’s as though he didn’t exist before a year ago. He’s toying with us, leading us this way and that, but he’s nowhere to be found.”
His lips brushed mine and I almost gave in, but I knew it would hurt more in the long run, so I broke the kiss after a few seconds.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
I closed my eyes at the unexpected pain that washed over me at hearing his dismissive words.
“I’ll go get us a burger then take you home.”
He was gone before I could say a word, and when he was back, he was quiet and contemplative.
He started the car and was driving me back to his when he stopped and gave himself a shake.
“Fuck, I was taking you back to mine. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll take you back to Beth’s.”
My small nod made his eyes dart to me and away, but he didn’t hold my gaze, and I played with my fingers as I asked the question I needed to. I needed time and space from him, and the only way I could get it was to ask him to leave me alone.
“Chris, can you get someone else to start checking in on me? Can you please take me to Beth’s and then leave me alone for a while?”
His first tear fell, and I stared at him until he nodded. He was quiet for the rest of the drive, but he still walked me to the door and then went inside, checking every room to make sure no one was there.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered when he was finished. His slow, measured steps towards me had my heart racing, but I stepped back with my hands up, and he stopped. “Okay, phone me if you
need me. I’ll make sure the door downstairs is locked and that you’re safe.”
He sucked in a breath and turned to walk out. For a moment, I wanted to call him back, to stop being so stubborn, but before I could find the words, he’d gone, and the door was closed behind him. I rushed over, locking it, and leaning my head against it for a few moments, before standing up straight.
I walked back into Beth’s bedroom and slumped down in the chair with my head in my hands, ignoring the pounding of my heart as fear overwhelmed me.
Was I going to get locked up? Was Finley still after me? What the fuck was I thinking? Why did I let Chris leave?
I grabbed my phone from my bag and opened it to text him when I saw a few messages from an unknown number.
The first was just a message.
Did you like your surprise?
My eyes darted around the room and my breath caught when I saw a dozen red roses on the bed, but they all had their heads chopped off and their petals were everywhere.
My fingers shook as I lifted my phone to see the second text, and I knew something had changed today.
The second was a close-up image of my face as I sat in the car leaving the courtroom earlier, and the third was a video of me going around in Beth’s room earlier that day when I was dressing for court.
The final message said:
You can’t hide from me. I’ll find you and if he’s there, I’ll have to hurt him. You shouldn’t have kissed him. You should have stayed away. I told you before that you’re mine, not his. Now I have to prove it.
I tried to call Chris, but my hands were shaking so badly that I dropped my phone. When I finally grabbed it to call Chris again, it was already ringing, and I accidentally clicked answer instead of reject. My hands shook as I tried to end the call, but before I could, I heard a voice that chilled me to my core.
“Calindra, I’m coming to get you. You’re mine, not his.”
That was all he said before he hung up, and I dialled Chris, but his phone went straight to the answerphone. I considered calling 999, but I didn’t think they’d even believe me. They hadn’t so far, and I knew Chris would, so I started to text him furiously, begging him to come back, to answer me, but there was nothing. I sat hidden in the corner of Beth’s room until Chris finally called me back.
“Cals, what is it? What’s happened?”
“He’s coming to get me. Please come back. I’m sorry.”
“I’m on my way. Block yourself in Beth’s room. I’ll get the key from her neighbour. Don’t answer the door and stay in the room, no matter what.”
I glanced around and stared at Beth’s heavy bookcase, running over and throwing all her books to the floor as I jammed it between the door and the wall. When I finished, I went back to sit in the corner.
What felt like an eternity later, I heard thundering footsteps and Chris pounding loudly on the door.
“Cals, it’s me. Let me in.”
My legs were shaking as I dragged the bookcase from the spot by the door and opened it, but my heart dropped into my throat when I saw Finley behind him.
Chris was so focused on me that he didn’t see the hit coming, but I did, and my breathless warning died in my throat as Finley hit him on the head with a sickening crunch. His eyes went unfocused as he fell headfirst into the room, effectively blocking me from closing the door.
My squeal of surprise was silenced when Finley grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him.
“Come quietly and I won’t kill him.”
I knew I didn't have a choice, but my eyes didn't leave Chris as Finley dragged me out of the room.
He stopped us by the door and pushed something against my ankle monitor, and it disconnected before beeping again. He grasped my arm firmly and tugged me downstairs. My whole body was shaking as he threw me into the back of a dark blue transit van.
I quickly sent a text to Chris saying blue transit and sent him turns that we took, but part of the way to where we were going, Finley must have realised something was off, because he pulled over and snatched my mobile, smashing it on the ground outside and slapping me so hard across the face that I bounced across the back of the van.
“You stupid, stupid girl,” he hissed as he tied my hands down so tight I couldn’t move them. My eyes watered as he stroked my cheek, and bile rose in my gut as he put a gag over my mouth. His rancid breath washed over my face as he grinned down at me before he hit my head hard against the back of the van, making stars pop into my vision.
His smile widened as he ran his fingers down my chest and then pushed my legs apart.
His rough fingers pushed into my trousers and into my pants, but he just cupped my bits while his dark eyes stared down at me.
“I’m going to fuck this later, and then I’m going to take every hole. You’d better behave, otherwise I’ll be forced to hurt you.”
He roughly shoved a finger inside me. I squirmed against the restraints, trying to get away from him, when his free hand grabbed my throat, squeezing hard enough to make me freeze, but not so hard that I couldn’t breathe.
“Stop fighting or I’ll start squeezing harder.”
His fingers tightened more, and I saw spots as he continued to tighten his hold while he roughly pushed his fingers inside me, but a loud noise outside stopped him. He dragged his fingers out, sucking them into his mouth.
“Mmmm, you taste as delicious as I remember. I can’t wait to get a taste from the source, and I can’t wait to see what your blood tastes like.”
My eyes widened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, running it down my top, cutting it in two.
My skin burned and tears leaked from my eyes as he leaned down, lapping at the cut, but a beep made him jerk away from me and I sighed in relief, wishing I’d never let Chris leave me.
His eyes darted around, and he finally left me alone, going back to the driver's seat, singing along to the radio as he started the engine. I squirmed hard against the restraints and managed to grab a metal pole with my legs, but then he turned sharply and it rolled away from me.
When he stopped again, he came into the back and injected something into my arm, making me instantly sleepy, and although I tried to fight it, I slipped into a sleep so deep that I didn't wake up for a while.
My head was groggy when I woke up, but when my eyes focused, I found I was in a strange room, with a bed, a bucket, and some water. I was naked apart from a silk negligee that I bought for a night with Chris before Christmas.
My eyes watered and my body ached as I tried to move, but I was cuffed to the wall with one hand free and one leg loose. I cried out as I tried to get out of the cuffs.
Part of me wanted to give up, but it wasn’t in my nature. I had to fight. I had to, but as I struggled, there was an odd sound and then the room filled with a sweet, overpowering smell, and I ended up sluggish, sleepy as I collapsed against the wall, sliding down before my head rolled to the side and I dropped off with fuzzy thoughts of Chris in my mind.
As I came to, my hand went to my head as the splitting pain tore through me. I pulled myself up to sitting from a slumped heap on the floor.
“Callie,” I called out weakly. “Fuck.” With a hand on the wall, I used it as a lever to help me up, but as I stood, my legs went to jelly and I fell against it. I cradled my head in my hand as the pain worsened. I had to look for her. I moved the short way along the wall and peered around the door frame to look for Callie. There were books everywhere, all over the floor, and the bookcase was on its side, meaning she must have barricaded herself in. I took my hand from my head and dropped it to eye view. All I could see was blood.
“Fucking great,” I hissed as I stumbled across to the bathroom and grabbed the towel from the rail and placing it at the back of my skull. As I moved it away, I saw the blood was pissing out. I needed the hospital. I should never have fucking left her. I should have ignored her request and stayed here.
Leaning my back against the wall, I put pressure on the cut
on my head with one hand while I plucked my phone from my pocket to call Reynolds to come and get me. Then I could call it in. As I unlocked my screen, I saw a message from Callie, telling me what vehicle she was in. “Clever girl.”
Hitting Reynolds’ name, I held my phone to my ear and listened to it ring.
“Chris? Is everything ok?”
“No. I was fucking blindsided. Finley Brown has Callie. She called me and told me he’d threatened her. I came back, got into the flat and he whacked me from behind. I need the hospital and I need to find that sick fucker!”
“Shit. Okay, sit tight. I’m on my way.”
Ending the call, I held my phone in my hand and waited. I couldn’t do fuck all else. It wasn’t like I could drive myself to the hospital when I could barely stand up. My knees buckled, and I slid down the wall and sat on the floor. I rested my head against the bunched up towel that was stopping the bleeding and waited patiently, but every minute I was stuck there, that little fucker was getting farther away, and I had no idea where to start looking for him.
I should have listened to her in the first place when she said she was innocent. It was only when she reminded me of the dates that we were together that it began to click into place. By then it was too late. I’d driven that wedge between us so far that she didn’t want me near her. I should have worked harder at proving her innocence. I should’ve fought Summers. But that’s the problem with hindsight. What-ifs are a bitch, and I’d learnt that lesson the hard way.
I heard a knock from the front door and tried to get back up. I slid up the wall and leaned against it. My legs were still like jelly and I was beginning to feel tired.
“In here.”
Reynolds turned the corner and rushed over to me. “Let me see.” I removed the towel, and she went around me. “Jesus Chris! That’s deep. Come on, we need to get you to the hospital. That’s gonna need stitches or something.”
With her arm around my back, she walked me from the flat and pulled the door closed after her. “You need to get onto Summers, get forensics to search for fingerprints. I want that bastard,” I told her through gritted teeth.
