Missy is scheduled to go home tomorrow and now she's thinking of staying an extra week. I don't know how to tell her to go. I don't want her messed up in my bullshit. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her. Some people might forsake me as a strong person for thinking this way, but it’s born out of guilt. Nothing more. Doing what I need to do for myself is not an option, I’m a grown woman and I need to find a way to do life on my own.

Even if I feel like I can’t.

The prospect of life outside of what I’ve learned to live with is terrifying at best. On the flip side, it is an exciting chance at starting over. To recreate myself; who I am and what I want out of life. I’ve scheduled a doctor’s appointment for after Missy leaves, I need some local options to help with what I’m dealing with. On the outside, I’m putting up a fight and doing life, but internally I’m a mess. I can’t bring myself to feel enough to put into words the wreck that I am.

After Malakai left, and my tears dried up, we headed to the city to meet with my lawyer. Everything was ready to be submitted and in a couple of weeks I will officially be Ms Callie Harper. I will be thirty then too, and my lawyer will release my inheritance to me as soon as I have my new bank accounts set up in my new identity.

At least something productive came of the day. I should have felt one step closer to freedom, yet the idea of Randall having someone track me down already is mind numbing. The knowledge that he would go to such lengths terrifies me, especially knowing that even his own investigator wasn't willing to give up my location. More than anything it drove me toward my goal of freedom. I know I can't continue to give him power over me, I only wish I hadn’t for so many years.

Now, the world feels like an alien and I’m a new creature to inhabit this earth. I feel lost and completely out of my element. My only saviour is my desire to fight; to win back every part of myself and my life that I lost with Randall. That will get me through.

It has to. There are no other options.

Now all I have to do is work out how to deal with Malakai. The last thing I want is my past getting mixed up with my present.

“At some point you have to tell him, Callie.” Missy interrupts my thoughts as she turns down the stereo.

“Were you reading my mind right now?” I ask her, throwing a quick glance her way as I take the exit off the motorway toward home. My home.

“Must have been,” she laughs. In a more serious tone, she adds, “I have a good feeling about Kai, I believe he'll look after you. And I don't want to return home with your safety at risk.”

“I don't want to be looked after, Missy. I want my life to be my own.” I can't deny there's chemistry between myself and Kai, but he’s the first person I met when I arrived. Walking into another relationship couldn't be further from what I want. Honestly, I’m not even sure I’m ready to deal with this new friendship, but I can’t deny how I feel about him, or how he makes me feel. Hope surrounds me when I’m with Malakai and I am a stronger person for it. “I need time to find myself,” I add as we turn into our street.

“Of course, honey, and you will. And I don't expect you to fall into a relationship for protection. All I'm saying is, as a friend, Kai will look out for you. Telling him the truth can't hurt.” I nod, feeling much less certain about that than my friend is.

“Oh fuck,” I sigh, noticing Malakai's ride parked on the street out front of my place.

“He's probably just here to apologise for storming out of here this morning, relax, girl.” Missy pets my knee as I pull into the drive. Kai is wearing holes in my patio, pacing back and forth, determination etched into his face, hands in his jeans pockets. “Or perhaps not?” Missy winces.

I turn off the engine before I contemplate reversing back out the drive to avoid any confrontation.

It isn't that Kai scares me, he doesn't. But the way he looked at me this morning, like he wanted to eat me alive, is a far cry from the stare down I am getting right now. I pull my gaze from his and try to swallow; my mouth drier than a crack whore in a desert.

In one swift movement, Kai throws himself over the railing of the balcony and is at my car door in seconds. Brooding silence hangs in the air between us once he yanks open my door. I search his face for a clue that he knows something but I can't decipher anything, I’m lost in his presence.

Why does he consume me this way?

My last relationship with a man was meted out in punches and degradation, leaving me at a loss for this man. Missy bails, entering the house and leaving me and Kai to continue our silent staring contest.

His presence is weighted, his silence deafening. My pulse races as my eyes leave his, tracing the contour of his neck, appreciating the expanse of his thick shoulders covered in a black muscle tee which is pulled tight across his chest. His biceps bulge from beneath the cuffs of his shirt.

“Likin’ what you see, Callie?” Malakai drawls in a husky voice, a sound that thrills my senses and wets my panties a little too much, especially at a time like this.  The fact that my body reacts in this way completely baffles me. My failure to understand is irritating but what can I do about it? I can’t explain it, so I can’t change it.

Embarrassed I’ve been caught ogling, my gaze snaps back to his and the reason he is here comes rushing back. “Umm, shit...” I shake my head in an effort to clear my mind. One foot after another I try to drag my arse out of the car. Malakai hooks his arm around my waist and steadies me to my feet in front of him, pushing a ginger curl off my face.

“Callie, we need to talk,” he says, shirking his hands back into his pockets.

He knows something.

My stomach flips and I nearly choke on my heart as it launches into my throat, threatening to fall at Kai’s feet.

“About?” I ask meekly, wishing Missy hadn’t fled into the house.

“Inside. Now.” There was no question in his words. He takes my hand, pulls me inside and secures the deadlock on the front door.

The click of the door closing and the lock being bolted in place chills my bones. My body stiffens and my legs seize beneath me, making it difficult to walk in the direction Kai is leading me.

I’m taken back to the dark closet, stinking of mould from the leaky pipes Randall caused when he removed all the shelves. He made that cupboard especially for me—for my punishmentsometimes he would gag me, push me inside and leave me for hours at a time until he believed I had learned a lesson.

Malakai pauses for a brief moment and looks down at me. His gaze softening as he identifies the fear that must be present in my eyes. “You’re safe, Callie, I promise,” he whispers softly, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand he is still holding.

Silently yet purposefully, he manoeuvres me to sit on one of the bar stools in the kitchen which I purchased from him. “Missy,” he calls out as he busies himself closing all the doors, windows and pulling the blinds.

I sit rigid, not only with fear but also with concern for what is to come. Missy walks hesitantly into the kitchen area and sits beside me after throwing me a questioning glance. A calming hand caresses my tense muscles in my shoulder and I concentrate on taking a breath, exhaling all my worries while watching Kai, hard faced and on a mission closing up my home. Locking me up.

A prisoner in my own home.

Again.

Despite the pending situation and heated discussion that was no doubt coming, I couldn't help but feel a little scared. I know in my heart Kai won’t hurt me but I’ve been fooled before, what if I’m wrong? What if he has a monster lurking beneath waiting to come out?

I jump from Missy’s touch. “What?” I whisper over my shoulder at Missy.

She looks at me sadly. “He’s not Randall, let him in,” she says quietly.

I feel a blush sweep across my skin from my chest to my cheeks, the embarrassment of all the degrading things Randall did to me come flooding back.

Malakai storms back into the dining area and stands, all alpha like, at the breakfast bench across from both of us. His gaze falls heavily on me but I can’t bring myself to look at him.

“Callie.”

My name drops from his lips in an authoritative tone. Enough that it has me looking at him immediately. He places both hands on the counter, shoulder width apart and says, “Start talking.”

“About?” I ask stupidly, looking to Missy for backup.

“I know exactly why that PI was looking for you, Callie. Or should I call you Cindy?” His brows rise with the question he already knows the answer to.

My blood runs cold, slithers of ice slicing my veins from the inside out. Dread and trepidation fill my bones and bile rises in my throat as I stare at Malakai, waiting for his next words—his accusations and assumptions—the room begins to blur as unshed tears build behind my eyelids.

I bow my head in defeat and shame. My past has caught up with me so quickly; now it threatens to ruin my new beginning and cast me back to the wolves.

“Don't hide from me, Callie, I don't expect anything from you, but I would appreciate the truth.”

I nod silently. He deserves to know, and for my own piece of mind I know I should share the burden of my past with him, but how do I tell him I'm broken? Damaged goods. He never should have given me a minute of his time. Tears spill from my eyes as I consider what I may have brought to his door with our friendship in only a few days.

“I’m so sorry, Kai. I never should have...” I start, my lips quivering, my eyes on the verge of full blown tears.

“Don't you fucking dare apologise to me, woman,” he chastises, but doesn’t make any attempt to reach out to me. Missy squeezes my leg beneath the breakfast bench, a show of support I so desperately need. Kai’s unexpected aggression grates on my flailing nerves. Frustration and anger threaten to take over the multitude of emotions striking my nervous system, each emotion like a lightning bolt against my flesh. “Unless that PI prick bullshitted his way through his final breaths, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he cringes ever so slightly, a slip of the tongue I didn't miss, even as wrapped up in my own story as I was. “Last breaths? Kai, what—”

“I misspoke, Callie, and not the point of this conversation. Either you start talking or I'm taking what that arsehole said as gospel and I'm packing your shit up right now and you're moving in with me.”

Like fuck I am. How dare he walk in here and make demands, spewing his aggression all over my house. Nobody will ever hold me captive again. Ever! “Now hold on a fucking second. I might be a damsel in distress who you think needs saving, but fuck you, Kai. I've lived that life and I won't do it for another minute. How dare you walk in here and order me around?” My mind is scrambling and the words are falling from my lips uncensored. A hint of my old self is breaking free, fighting its way to the surface, like a furnace bubbling beneath my skin; an explosive urge to take control of my life once again. I draw in a deep breath in an effort to accept this foreign feeling before I continue. “You know nothing about me, and I'm sorry you've ended up all wrapped up in this, but—”

Kai rounds the bench and swivels me in my chair until I’m facing him. Even through my flood of tears I can see compassion in his eyes. A flicker of sympathy I don't appreciate. Two strong arms embrace me and he pulls me into him until my head rests against his chest. My eyes cry a river of salty tears until his shirt is soaked through. When my sobbing starts to subside; Kai’s sweeping circles of comfort on my back become softer and slower. He lowers his head to place a kiss on my head, and in that very moment, I allow myself to believe I will be safe in his arms.

“It's going to be okay, baby, I promise. I do want to hear your story but I understand if it's all too hard right now. But until we know exactly what we’re dealing with, and what Randall is planning, I won't be leaving your side.”

Fresh tears threaten to fall but I manage to hold them back as I pull away from Malakai and shake my head.

“No, I don’t need you to take care of me.” Kai starts to protest and I put my fingers over his mouth. “No.” I repeat more forcefully. “Randall is a monster, but he’s my monster. I need to face him; he’s not going to come at me head on with his brother being the town Sergeant. I think I’ll be okay.”

Okay. Couldn’t be further from the truth, but I’ll fake it until I make it. God, those self-help books give me all the good words but where the fuck is the belief when I need it?

I honestly don’t know if I will ever be okay again. Physically perhaps, but mentally and emotionally, those scars will take much longer to heal. I know I need to seek professional help, not drugs, but definitely a psychologist or someone I can talk to without judgment or prejudice.

“He sent a PI to find you, Callie. The PI told us things. It sounds like he’s unstable. Let me help. If you don’t I’ll just sleep out in my truck.”

Kai and I are locked in a staring battle when Missy averts my attention, she jumps from her stool. “I'll make up the sofa then, shall I?”

Resigned that these two are working against me, I nod.

“No, Missy, it's fine, really. I'll make it up when I'm ready to crash, after you ladies are settled and sleeping,” Kai responds.

Malakai guides my chin up with his thumb, softly caressing my cheek, until I can’t look anywhere but at him. His eyes dance playfully and his lip curls the tiniest bit. “I just need to know you’re safe, Callie, no strings, tonight I’ll be staying on your sofa for your safety only,” he states.

Silently, I process his words.

“But I won’t lie and tell you that one day, when you’re ready, I’m not hoping you’ll accept more than that from me.”

Oh my God. This guy!

I nod and Missy smiles at me, knowing exactly what his words have done to my insides.

“Okay then, let's order some takeout and a bottle of wine and try to relax a little.” I marvel at my friend. So in control of every situation, or so she tries to make out.

Wine, food and sleep sounds perfect. I hope the wine will keep my nightmares at bay.