Shayla Black - Theirs to Cherish

I know this is awkward and that your pregnant wife is probably pissed youre here, so Ill make this quick. Will you help me disappear?

Callie Ward stood with her arms crossed against the blustery November wind, just out of the beams of the mini-marts lights flooding the parking lot. She stared at Logan Edgington, nervously tapping her toe. The former Navy SEAL had no reason to help her, given how bratty shed once been to him, but he was the only person she knew who could make her vanish, this time for good.

He crossed his beefy arms over his wide chest and looked at her as if shed lost her mind. Shed lost everything else, so why not?

Disappear? He glanced at his watch. Its midnight, Callie, so yeah, Tara wasnt thrilled when you called. I left my warm house for this life or death shit, and youre telling me now that you just want to get out of town? Didnt I hear that youre collared now?

Automatically, Callie pressed her fingers to the bare hollow of her throat, missing the familiar wire of white gold with its delicate lock. Yes, but

You know how this works. Talk to your Dom.

Hes the one Im running from. Her voice trembled.

The moment Callie had realized the extent of her Sirs betrayal, shed run like hell. Shed gotten too comfortable. Complacent. Almost dangerously happy.

She sniffled, then sucked it back, refusing to cry. She would not think about the fact that shed fallen in love with Sean Kirkpatrickif that was even his name.

Logans pissed-off-Dom glower gentled as he leaned in, now all protective male. Did he threaten you? Hurt you?

Not the way Logan meant. But what the hell could she tell him without giving everything away?

Crap. The cover story shed planned on the three-hour drive from Dallas to Shreveport wasnt going to fly. Logan was too smart not to see the holes in her tale. Then again, sheer utter terror had a way of rattling a girls train of thought.

She was going to have to trust Logan or hed walk away. It wasnt as if hed ever pursued her, so she couldnt accuse him of prying the story out of her because he had ulterior motives. Hed only ever had eyes for pretty redheaded Tara. And he didnt worship the almighty buck. Logan was one of the good guys, a straight shooter all the way. He couldnt be bought, nor would he ever willingly put her in danger. It made sense to choose the devil she knew over the one she apparently didnt at all.

If Logan was going to help her, he deserved the truthbut not here.

Can we sit in your car? Its freezing. And she didnt trust that hers wasnt bugged.

Logan looked as if he didnt much like the question, but after a brief hesitation, he shrugged and led her to a big black truck. He unlocked it with his key fob and opened her door. A minute later, he settled himself in the drivers seat. If this asshole hurt you, Thorpe wont stand for it, especially under his roof.

Mitchell Thorpe. She closed her eyes, picturing his familiar, stern face. So often, she could swear that his penetrating gray eyes saw right through her. Hed given her a job, a home, a circle of friends, a lifestyle she craved. He was the first man shed truly loved. Hed always have a chunk of her heart.

It killed her to know that shed never see him again.

I cant drag Thorpe into this. Its too risky. Anyone who knows me would assume Id go to him first. She wrung her hands. I hate to put you in this position, but no one would suspect that Id ask you for help. Everyone at Dominion knows Im not your favorite person.

He frowned. I like you a lot, Callie. I just think that, as a sub, youre bratty as hell. You dont bend much more than an inch and you dont trust worth a damn.

Callie drew in a breath and gave him a shaky nod. I know. I have reasons.

Every stubborn sub does. Look, youre not my problem anymore. Im just laying it out there.

I really cant afford to trust anyone, but youre my last hope. I feel terrible for involving you, but more than anyone I know, you can handle it. I have nowhere else to turn. I cant go back to Dominion. Ever. She rubbed her hands together and closed her eyes, praying like hell that she wasnt making the biggest mistake of her life. If she was, she could be dead by sunrise.

What the hell have you gotten into?

My name isnt Callie Ward. Nothing that youor anyone elsethinks you know about me is true.

He sat back in the shadows, looking somewhere between skeptical and tense. Okay, then who are you?

My mother called me Callie when I was little. But Im sure you know me by my full name. She swallowed. Please, God, let this be the right choice . . . Im Callindra Howe.

Logans eyes nearly popped out. The Callindra Howe, the missing heiress from Chicago?

Of course hed heard of her. Her name had been splashed all over the news for the last nine years. There were almost as many reported sightings of her as there were of Elvis or aliens. Poor little greedy orphan whod killed her family for a buck, according to the press. Callie wrapped her arms around her middle. If they only knew the truth . . .

She nodded. That one.

Bullshit. You were a pain in my ass sometimes, but youre not the kind of woman to slaughter her loved ones.

Thank you! I was framed. I dont even know by whom or why.

Logans expression turned flat. Why should I believe youre her?

Good question. The only thing she had of her former life was her mothers Faberg egg, but Logan had no clue it had been Cecilia Howes pride and joy before ovarian cancer had quickly snuffed out the bright light of her smile. With no way to corroborate the eggs authenticity at the moment, Callie had left it in her backpack, shoved in the trunk of her car.

Ive got nothing but the truth. Ill tell you what really happened and hope that youll believe me so that when I beg you to make me disappear for good, you will.

Im listening. He tossed his forearm over the steering wheel and stared, looking like an immovable mountain.

Callie swallowed nervously. What you know is that nine years ago, my father and sister were shot in our house and that the gun was found in my room, wiped clean.

Your boyfriend told everyone that you killed them for the money the night you ran off together.

Holden had been gorgeous, defiant, wild, and full of grand ideas. In retrospect, planning to run off with him had been stupid, but her sixteen-year-old heart had believed in the concept of soul mates. Shed talked herself into believing that he was hers. If shed had any idea that he would end up betraying her for money, she would have never accepted that first ride in his car or given him her virginity.

He was willing to say anything for the big bounty on my head. She snorted. I was young and nave not to realize that.

Wed been planning to run away together for a few weeks. His family had no money, and he had a crappy home life. When he said that he wanted me to be his new family, my young heart fluttered. Besides, I didnt want to be Callindra Howe anymore. I felt like a freak. Most girls my age took dance classes and worked a summer job to buy a beat-up car. I had riding lessons. I spoke fluent French. By the time I was ten, Id visited every continent except Antarctica. I had a trust fund and got a Porsche the day I got my drivers license.

It doesnt sound that bad, Logan drawled.

In retrospect, it wasnt. At the time, I felt isolated. I worshipped my dad, but hed been remote since my mothers death. And my younger sister, Charlotte, had turned rebellious.

So when your boyfriend paid attention to you in order to get laid and get closer to your money, you thought he was the answer to your problems?