Everything about tonight had been perfect thus far.The moon was out, and the breeze was gentle against Callie’s face. They walked from the hotel to the restaurant not bothering to get changed.Vin had convinced Callie that they were only grabbing dinner at a simple restaurant. Nothing too fancy that she needed to dress up more.She pouted for a while telling Vin how she wanted to look nice for him. And though he adored her for wanting that for him, he didn’t want Callie to tire herself out needlessly just to go out to eat dinner.Her mood was much improved the moment they stepped out of the hotel and had their stroll.“Oh, it’s really beautiful, Vin.” She breathed in deeply, the fresh air giving life into her lungs. “I hope the food is good though, I’m starving.”Vin chuckled as he reached for Callie’s hand. “I hope so too.”They walked at an even, relaxed pace. And Callie could do nothing to slow down her rapidly beating heart. This wasn’t the first time Vin held her hand, but maybe
Vin’s hand immediately went to his holster, cursing when he felt nothing. He’d left his gun at the hotel, not expecting anything like this to happen.He stalked toward the car, Callie’s assailants too busy with her to notice him, and just in time for her to kick one of them to the ground.“Good girl,” he said under his breath. “Keep struggling.”Callie fell to the ground hard, surprised, but she kept yelling for Vin, begging him to come save her.“I’ve got you songbird. I’m coming.”Vin swooped in with a finesse that only he could muster, knocking out the man who held onto Callie’s arms, with one strike to the neck.The crime lord yanked the man’s gun from him, thankful that it was equipped with a silencer.He didn’t think twice, just shot the man Callie had downed. One bullet shot clean through each leg.“Fuck!” the man yelled, screaming in pain, bleeding all over the dirty concrete. “Who the fuck are you? The fuck? Leave us alone!”Vin stooped to his level, grabbing the man by his h
It was tricky to drive with one hand clasped in another’s but Vin made it work. Callie showed no signs of letting his hand go and who was he to deny her the comfort this little gesture brought her?Callie stared at the hand she held in hers.There was no doubt about it. The warmth she felt as she held it, it was the same hand that comforted her, soothed her, pleasured her, and yet it was also the hand that murdered people for her.Wrong, a voice in her spoke. It was a hand that protected you.Protect.Callie noted the dried splotches of blood that stained Vin’s hands and arms. It reminded her of how brutal Vin could be when he needed to.She was glad that Liam was asleep through all this. What a nightmare it would be to explain this situation to a child.A nightmare, that was what it was like, but the warmth she felt in her hands proved that this was very much real.“Vin?” she called out softly, the shake in her voice further proving how afraid she was. “Are you alright?”She couldn’t
Vin took Callie’s word as gospel, seating himself to the hilt with one sharp thrust.“Holy shit, Songbird,” he groaned into her hair, inhaling deeply. If he could stay this close to Callie for the rest of his life, he would. “You feel perfect.”Callie would say the same but she was preoccupied, both mind and body with how Vin was ravishing her with enthusiasm. “Yes, God— ah, Vin, keep going.’Vin pulled away just enough to growl in her ear.“The only name I want out of your mouth is mine, Songbird. Who do you belong to?”“You!” she screamed, belatedly realizing that they had a child sleeping just next door. “Oh, please. More.”Vin slapped a hand over Callie’s mouth muffling her cries.It was too much. Everything was too much.Callie tried to match Vin’s rhythm wanting to get closer to her climax as fast as possible, but Vin held her hips down, the cool tile of the bathroom counter heating with her body’s warmth.“Let yourself go, Songbird,” Vin whispered, his hips slowing down, stro
I love you.I love you.I love you.Those three words kept replaying in Vin’s head since Callie uttered them.Those three words kept Vin awake.Did she not realize what she said?Did she mean it?It was too soon.It’s not safe yet.So, Vin lay there with his eyes closed, but never really found the chance to sleep. A million similar questions floated in Vin’s mind as he searched Callie’s face. For turmoil, for any hint of a mistake, maybe regret, but Callie’s sleeping face was at peace.The soft rays of the morning sun started to filter in, shining through the curtains.Shit. It’s already morning. Liam would be up any minute now, surely confused about their new arrangement. Vin could only imagine his confusion, sleeping in one hotel and waking up in another.He heard a door click open followed by Liam’s unmistakable voice softly calling out Callie’s name.Perfect.Vin needed a distraction.He got up slowly, careful not to wake Callie, and put on some clothes. Just a shirt and sweatpan
“Where are we going?” asked Liam as he sucked on his chocolate drink. Vin helped him get strapped into his seat in the back. “Home. We’ve been gone for too long.” Callie looked at Vin nervously, but she managed to plaster a smile on for Liam. “You hear that Liam? We’re going home!” she said excitedly, buckling her own seatbelt. She turned to Vin then. “You okay?” Vin glanced over at Callie as he eased the car out onto the highway. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” But Callie could tell something was wrong. Something had been wrong since the night of her attempted kidnapping. Had she said something to piss Vin off? But if she had, then he would have called her out on it already. Vin wasn’t the type of person to hold back on her punishments if she needed it. So, what was wrong now? “We’re driving straight home,” said Vin after a couple of minutes on the road. “If you need something, just let me know. We can pull over for food or bathroom breaks.” Callie’s eyebrows scrunched together
Soren stared at Vin, worried about his friend. He had suspected that the letter would contain some kind of message from Jimmy, but he didn’t want to break the news to Vin. There was no way to make this easy for him.Vin could lie to himself all he wanted, but anyone with eyes could see that he was in love with Callie. And his reaction to the letter he held in his hands was proof of that.“Callie’s free,” Vin whispered a second before crumpling the piece of paper in his hand.The world seemed to spin around Vin. Callie had been a constant in his life for only a few months, but he knew he couldn’t live without her.Everything in him screamed not to let her go. To find an alternative. To buy her back. But another part of him, the moral side of him, knew that Callie deserved to be free.That deal was to play with her, right? Never did he think he’d be this devastated when this day finally came.Callie wasn’t a bird trapped in his cage anymore, and she deserved to see the world, as the wor
To survive in a world full of chaos, one must learn to embrace it. It was hard— Callie knew that awfully well. She lived in a city where guns were easier to acquire than medicine, and where violence was the answer to everything. A place that the government has forgotten about and where the police worked for infamous crime lords. To survive amid chaos was hard, and Callie was only barely able to hold her head above water. And with each passing day, she feels herself sinking further and further, deeper into the filth. “Ugh, can you believe this?” Sienna asked with a sigh. She and Callie have been friends since they were teens. Now, they go to the same community college where the bulletin boards are riddled with dozens of warnings, curfew notices, and missing person posters. “You would think living so far away from the Ashen City would protect us from the scum that live there—” Sienna shook her head in disbelief. “But no, we still live in a nightmare.” Callie looked away from her beau