Chapter 45: Truth forever 17

Truth

I was a mess. I had been a mess since the moment I had found out. Sure I kept my agony locked deep down inside of me. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Buried within.

I had pulled a gun on her. On Cali. I had pressed it against her skin, and she had been so scared she had wet herself. It wasn’t the first time I had made someone piss themselves, but it had been the first time I had done it to a woman. And not just any woman.

A woman I loved.

I hadn’t let her explain. I hadn’t given her a damn chance to say anything. And I should have.

I should have done a lot of things differently. Maybe I would have done them differently if I had allowed myself to actually listen to her. I had been so obsessed with hearing the truth that I had been blind to the truth right in front of my face.

Cali.

Everywhere I had turned, there were memories of her. Her clothes in my closet, her damn pink, purple wig on my nightstand. I couldn’t get away from her. My sheets smelt like her perfume. And I couldn’t bring myself to wash them.

It had been my brother in the end that had pulled me aside. Him and Gent had me see that what I really needed to do was go to her and hear her out. Neither of them believed it was Cali that had been feeding the police information.

Something that was cemented in my mind the moment I had been picked up by the old bill. She couldn’t have anything to do with it because she wouldn’t have known that I was in her town. She had no way of knowing that I had been watching her.

I had watched her live her life for three days, watched her go to work and out with friends. And every time she laughed, my heart shattered a little more. She looked happy. A different Cali to the one I knew. Who drank beer and rode my cock whilst wearing my Harley Davidson T-shirt. This woman was perfectly put together. Professional and confident.

And damn, she looked hot.

I got picked up whilst staring at her, and she didn’t even turn. She couldn’t feel my eyes on her. She had no idea that I was even in town. Maybe that was for the best. I was being charged with murder. Averys ex’s murder. Even if she had given me a second chance, I would never tie her to me. The chances were that I was going away for a long time.

It was probably what I deserved.

“You can make this all go away, son.”

My eyes drifted upwards. I hadn’t even been listening to anything they were saying. I had been too busy daydreaming about my woman. I hadn’t answered any of their questions, and I wasn’t about to start now just because they had started playing good cop, bad cop.

Leaning back, I let the full weight of my eyes fall on the older man. Crossing my legs at the ankle as I studied him. “Make what go away, officer?” I raised my handcuffed hands. “I don’t even know why  I am here.”

“I think you do ..” grey eyes glanced down to the folder open on the table in front of him. “Truth? Why do they call you that.”

“Because I always tell it.” I gave him my winning smile. If they thought they could intimate me, they had another thing coming.

“Well, Truth.” His voice dripped sarcasm. “You realise we can’t help you if you don’t help us.”

I sighed heavily, my eyes darting towards the interrogation room door. Something was happening out there. Raised voices.

“I think I have asked for my lawyer.” I was getting bored of this now. I had been here hours, and they just kept going over the same shit.

It was tempting to admit to everything just to get them to shut up.

“Son, we can help you.”

My temper snapped. “I am not your son.”

The door banged open. But I didn’t look up.

“I think my client asked for legal representation.”

Cali.

For a second, I thought I was imagining her standing there.

“And you are?” The scraping of the officer’s chair was loud as he stood up, and that’s what made it real.

“I am Calista Drummond. I will be….”

“Cali.” Her name left my mouth, sounding strangled, and her eyes turned to me. For a second softness overtook her professional look, but just like that, it was gone.

“Why is my client cuffed?” She didn’t miss a beat. “Is he that much of a threat?” She didn’t let him finish. “I would like him uncuffed, and then I would like some time alone with my client.”

“Cali.”

She didn’t look at me until she had settled herself into a chair. Her hands clasped in her lap. Finally, her face lifted, and there was no sign of the professional woman who had commanded the room just minutes before.

Her eyes glistened. “Hello, Truth.” Her voice was small. It came out croaky, and she cleared her throat. “How are you?”

How was I? Was she really going to sit there, just inches from me and try and make small talk like we barely knew each other? I could hardly stop myself from touching her, and she was acting like she didn’t even know me.

“Cali.” My hand reached out. The tip of my fingers sliding across the back of her hand. She jumped like I had scalded her, a small squeak escaping her lips, and I dropped my hand guiltily.

She was frightened of me.

Not that I could blame her for that. The last time she had been this close to me. I had threatened to end her life.

“You look well. I mean amazing.” I let my eyes drift down her body. Just like I had the first time I had seen her. I wanted her just as much as I had then. Maybe more so.

“Thank you.” She shifted uncomfortably. “But…”

“We need to talk, Cali.” I reached for her again, and this time she didn’t shy away when my hand brushed hers. “I need to….”

She cut me off. “Yes we need to talk Truth but about this. About getting you out of here,” she raised her eyes to my face.

“You reckon you can do that?”

The look she gave me wasn’t a friendly one. Her lip curled. “I am very good at my job.”

She wasn’t just good at her job. She was really good at her job. Every time she opened her mouth just made me realise how I had never really known her. She had hidden so much of herself from me.

But had I really bothered to ask?

“Truth?” My brother was there, standing in the reception when I was finally released on bail the next morning. Cali stood quietly by his side. They had been talking softly but had lapsed into silence when I appeared. “You doing ok brother?”

I nodded, but I couldn’t take my eyes from her. “Cali?”

There was so much I wanted to say to her. Things I should have said weeks ago. But the words died on my tongue when she turned to my brother.

“If you have your usual legal team, email me.” She passed over a glossy white card. And Wicked took it, slipping it into his back pocket without a word. His face was pensive as he looked between us. A worry line appearing between his thick eyebrows.

“I will pass over any notes I have.” She didn’t even look at me as she thrust out her hand. He didn’t hesitate in taking it. “Thank you, Cali.”

She nodded once. “Was my pleasure.” Her eyes skirted to my face and then away as if it hurt her to look at me. “Take care of yourself.”

I didn’t know whether she was talking to him or me, and it didn’t really matter. She was already walking out the door before I could open my mouth.

“How did she know…” my eyes followed her, but my question was to my brother.

He laughed. “I called her Truth. I called her, and she dropped everything to come and make sure your ass didn’t get thrown in jail.” His heavy arm thrust forward, and I took my cut from him with a sigh of relief. “You forgot hers.”

Unseeing, I stared at the leather in his hand. The patch on the back catching my attention.

Property of Truth.

“I….”

“You fucked up, little brother, there’s no denying that, but it isn’t too late. She came when I called, and it wasn’t because of my winning personality. It was because it was you.”

I swallowed hard. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me. She wouldn’t even look at me, let alone listen to me.”

Wicked grinned. Dropping the cut into my waiting hands. “Then you will just have to make her listen little brother.”