Callie balled her hands into fists. “Stop it! You’re not my Dom anymore—if you ever truly were. I took off my collar. And before either of you tells me again it doesn’t work that way, you both know that BDSM is safe, sane, and consensual. I’m not consenting. And you.” She turned to glare at Thorpe. “Yes, you’re the big bad Dom or whatever. But damn it, that doesn’t give you any right to keep me against my will. You have to let me go!”
They both tensed, then Sean shook his head. Instead of persuading them to release her, she’d hurt him. Pain was carved into his expression. By all appearances, he’d sacrificed everything to help her, and she’d thrown it in his face. Thorpe, too. A glance at her boss didn’t show him any less ruffled. He mostly looked pissed off, except his burning eyes . . . Anguish lay there.
Callie dragged in a tight breath, everything inside her feeling as if she’d screwed up again.
“That’s not going to happen,” Sean vowed softly. “If you still want to leave once you’re safe, I’ll take you wherever you want to go and leave you with my well wishes.”
If he wanted to arrest her, would he really make that offer? He’d have to be the worst kind of con artist . . . and foolish or not, Callie just couldn’t believe that about him.
Thorpe stared, his face closed up tight. “Until then, you’re staying here with us. We intend to keep you safe and solve this mystery. You can count on that, pet.”
Their selflessness—along with a hefty dose of guilt—flogged her all over again.
“Guys, please.” Tears prickled her eyes. “I don’t want you to do something that will destroy your future.”
“We don’t want you running for the rest of your life. And I don’t want to have this conversation again. Our decision won’t change. If we have to keep you against your will . . .” Thorpe shrugged.
“You can’t do that forever. You both have lives.” She sighed tiredly. “Mine is screwed, but yours don’t have to be. I can’t prove that I didn’t kill my father and sister. The crime is way cold, and no amount of investigating now is going to—”
“The FBI doesn’t want to arrest you,” Sean cut in.
“What?” She couldn’t have heard that right.
“If the bureau took an interest in this case and wanted you behind bars, you’d already be locked up. I was just sent to watch you, look for any clues, nothing more. They wouldn’t give me that directive if they believed you’d committed a terrible crime.”
The news impacted her like a two-ton bomb, both blowing her away and creating one hell of a crater in her thoughts. “The Chicago police still have an APB out on me.”
“They want to question you, but that’s not my jurisdiction. I only care about my orders. Uncle Sam hasn’t given me any indication that you’re regarded as a criminal.”
Callie blinked. She wasn’t actually wanted for murder? After nine years, she didn’t even know how to process that possibility. “Then why the huge bounty on my head? Because of that, I almost bit an assassin’s bullet in Birmingham. I literally ran out of Arkansas with a pair of bounty-hunting goons chasing me. I’ve crossed paths with both sorts over the years and—”
“Both are definitely after you, pet,” Thorpe cut in.
“And I think someone powerful is behind the bounty or I wouldn’t have been assigned to keep tabs on you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I wasn’t at liberty to blow my cover, lovely. I’m still not . . . but I won’t lose you.”
“We’ll have a nice long chat about everything later,” Thorpe cut in. “In fact, we’re going to talk about many things. For now, believe that you’re not going to jail and that you can trust us with your life. Other than that, we’re not saying another word until you’ve showered and eaten.”
“Well put,” Sean agreed, slapping Thorpe on the back.
When had they become the Domination Duo, able to command shivering subs with a single glance? Weirdly, they not only seemed able to tolerate one another, they functioned like a team.
“Understood?” Thorpe asked.
Callie gaped at them. She didn’t have any illusions that she’d find the conversation pleasant. She knew it would be pointless. After all, she was accustomed to living alone, running and hiding for her life. The guys were tough, but not cut out for that life.
“If you want to help, then let me have a car and fifty bucks. You go home and try to figure out who wants me dead. Once that threat is stopped, then . . .” What? She’d just look them up? In another ten years, they’d probably both be married with kids and wives who wouldn’t appreciate a Callie blast from the past. “Then I’ll be safe.”
Sean and Thorpe exchanged a glance. “I appreciate your independence, lovely—to a point. But not when it comes to danger. Until now, you’ve done well keeping yourself safe, but you won’t be doing it alone anymore.”
“That’s final. Don’t ever run from us again,” Thorpe added.
Like she could keep that promise. “A-all right.”
“All right, Sir? Isn’t that what you meant?” Thorpe raised a demanding brow. “Not only did your response lack conviction, it was also short on respect. Unacceptable, pet.”
Callie cast her gaze down. A thousand thoughts thundered through her head. They’d spent time and money, encountered violence and put themselves on the line to help her. Yes, it was for nothing. They were being stubborn, bossy, foolish, and pig-headed. And she wanted to throttle them. But she also hadn’t thanked them for all they’d tried to do for her, much less shown respect.
Both flustered and humbled, she looked from Thorpe’s forbidding countenance to Sean’s questioning stare. Easier to start where she could see a little softness. Then she’d figure out how to proceed from there.
She rose to her knees on the mattress and scooted closer, lifting her arms to Sean. “Thank you. I’ve put you through a lot. I know what you’ve risked. I wish you hadn’t.”
He crushed her against him. “I told you why, Callie. I love you.”
So easy-breezy for him to just put it out there. She’d never had the luxury of saying those words openly to anyone. They implied the promise of tomorrows she’d never had.
Callie could only hope that somehow her life wasn’t doomed to end badly. Even if it was, she had his affection and devotion right now. How many years had she spent utterly alone and aching for someone to give a shit about her? Too many to count.
Was she really going to throw it away? Couldn’t she have them for a day or two? Couldn’t she give Sean the love filling her heart in return? Thorpe the obedience and devotion he deserved?
“I fell for you at Dominion.” She cupped Sean’s cheek and met the sincerity of his blue stare, so open. His dashing little smile creased the corners of his eyes and lifted her heart. “I love you, too.”
Sean caressed a broad hand down her tangled hair, deepening the connection of their stares. Inside, she could feel him, his caring, his understanding. She’d been lucky when the FBI assigned him to watch over her and had a feeling that he always would if she let him.
Now for the hard part. Callie only hoped that Sean would understand that her feelings for Thorpe didn’t mean that she cared for him less.
She drew in a shaky breath and turned to Thorpe, already searching for the words to tell him how grateful she was for all he’d done and somehow confess everything he meant to her. Before she could unscramble her thoughts, Thorpe zipped around and strode out the door, shutting it with careful quiet behind him.
Chapter Thirteen
CALLIE’S heart dropped in a sickening fall. Guilt flayed her again. Damn it, she hadn’t meant to hurt Thorpe’s feelings.