Steel Rush (In the Shadows#5) (27 page)

Calder shakes his head. “Not until I know who’s coming down here.”

Sighing, I gesture to the passageway once more. “Hide in here until you know who it is, then you can go on upstairs.”

Calder sets his jaw, and as he ducks into the darkness, the elevator doors open.

“Celeste?” Beth calls out. “Are you down here?”

I shoo Calder on and start to close the door, but he cups the back of my neck and pulls me forward, his low baritone a husky rumble against my temple. “Be glad you slept the day away. You won’t be getting any sleep tonight, angel. I’m nowhere near done with you.”

My heart speeding up once more, I huff a breath of anticipation, then smile and shove him behind the door, calling out, “I’m in the tasting room, Beth.”

High heels click lightly on the stone floor before she appears in the doorway. “What are you still doing down here? I saw Sylvia and Richard come up a while ago.”

I pull open one of the wine drawers and turn a couple bottles around, facing the labels outward. “I was just putting the room back the way we found it. Richard is nice, but after inspecting the wines, he set the bottles back on the racks without making sure the labels faced outward. He touched so many, I was checking every drawer.”

Beth waves toward the drawers, her tone dismissive. “If you’re doing this in an attempt to avoid Jake, don’t worry. He felt too sick to stick around, but you do need to come upstairs with me right away.”

“What’s so important?” I start to shut off the light, then pause, tensing. “Is Ben here?”

When Beth shakes her head, my shoulder muscles relax. Flipping the switch, I follow her to the elevator and step inside. “So what’s up?”

While the elevator moves upward, Beth turns to me, her gaze anxious. “The police arrived five minutes ago and asked to speak with you.”

M
y phone vibrates in my pocket as I exit a closet in the hallway upstairs. I pull it out and notice I have a text from Bash, but when I see Gil’s name in the ID, my chest tightens. Gil never calls. Is he having a relapse? Pausing, I quickly answer.

“Hey, Gil. Is everything all right?”

“I’m calling for a reason, Calder, and I want you to listen this time.”

Gil’s tone is harsh, reminding me of that night he sprayed me with the fire hose. My fingers flex on the phone. I don’t like leaving Cass this long. “Can this wait until later?”

“No, it can’t. I ran into Alana earlier and she told me about the gift she helped you with.”

“That was supposed to be private,” I say, my jaw clenching.

“Yeah well, she only told me because I asked why you two didn’t work out.”

I snort, annoyed with Gil’s meddling. “This isn’t important, Gil. I’m hanging up now.”

I start to push End, but his harsh tone has my finger pausing over the button. “Calder Jackson Blake.
Listen to me
, damn your stubborn hide.”

I put the phone to my ear once more. “What?”

“This is about the young woman you had the necklace made for. She’s the one I asked about, right? The one you said you’re guarding. If you truly care about her—”

“Gil…”

“Just shut it, kid. This is about your mom.”

I stiffen and grit out, “
What?
”

“You wouldn’t let me tell you in the past. Now you’re going to listen, damn it. The incident your mother referred to in her letter wasn’t an affair. Becca was drugged and rap—”

“Stop,” I cut him off, my whole body shaking with fury. I stride forward, my steps fast and determined as I head down the hall and turn for the stairs.

Gil sighs. “That bastard runs in those circles, Calder. Keep your woman safe. I don’t want history to repeat itself.”

“I won’t fucking let that happen,” I say, hitting the End button.

Guilt and anger crush my chest. I’m furious that I let my own pain keep me from hearing the truth, and in doing so put Cass at risk. Vengeance builds with each step I take, but right now getting to Cass is my first priority.

As I start down the stairs, Bash is halfway up, a determined look on his face.

My gaze shifts to the people standing downstairs. Everyone is quiet, all staring at the foyer. I follow their line of sight and freeze.

Two police officers flank Cass on either side. Their hands clasping her arms as they walk her toward the door, while Phillip, Gregory, and Beth stand there watching.
Is Beth crying?

“No!” I bark out and rush forward.

Bash hooks his arm across my chest, forcing me to a halt, his words low but harsh in my ear, “Stop, Cald!”

I turn my fury on him, my tone deadly. “
Let
go.”

“I won’t let you fuck this up!” He grabs my arm in a tight grip and hauls me upstairs into the hall.

As soon as we’re on even ground, I yank my arm free and start to go around him.

Bash grabs my hand and twists it behind my back, his words sharp but calm. “I’ve already called my lawyer to meet them at the station, Cald. You need to calm the hell down and think. I won’t let you tip off any of those pricks down there that we’re building evidence against them.”

“Why the hell are they taking her?” I twist free of his hold and dig my fingers into my hair. Pacing, I inhale and exhale several times, trying to get a grip.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll find out. Are you calm now?” he asks, his arms crossed. “I normally don’t have to explain strategic moves to you.”

I turn to him, my whole body vibrating. “You don’t understand.”

Bash frowns. “Explain.”

I shake my head and walk away. I know he’s right and we need to stay on course, but Cass should never have had to go with the police in the first place. She’s being railroaded. “They’d better not fucking charge her or I’m going to go ballistic.”

“Calder…what the hell is going on with you?”

I blow out a shaky breath and turn to face him. “I just found out that my mother didn’t have an affair. The guy drugged and took advantage of her. Gil has been trying to tell me, but I didn’t want to hear anything about the past. He called and demanded that I hear the truth.”

The brackets around Bash’s mouth deepen. “I’m sorry, Calder. I know that’s a harsh blow, but why did Gil choose now to make you listen?”

I clench my hand into a fist, wanting to punch something. “He knows I care about the person I’m guarding, so he called to warn me. He doesn’t want anything to happen to her.”

Shaking his head in confusion, Bash moves closer. “Why would he think something might happen to her?”

“Because my
father
is Phillip Hemming, that’s fucking why!”

“What the
hell
, Calder,” Bash’s low, angry tone hangs between us. Walking away from me, he paces twice, then steps right in my face. “You’re too fucking close to work this case with any kind of objectivity. How could you not tell me?”

I cross my arms and stare him down. “I didn’t tell you, because it was no one’s fucking business who my mother cheated on my father with.”

“Except she
didn’t
,” Bash counters, his expression stony.

“And now that you know, I’d appreciate you keeping my sick-as-fuck family tree to yourself,” I shoot back. “This is
my
case. I will see it through.”

“No, you won’t. You’re going to go train for that fight. Cass is out of danger now. I’ll take over the case.”

“Out of danger?” I slice my hand toward the bottom floor. “She’s going to the goddamn police station.”

“Where she’s no longer having to pretend to be Celeste
and
she’s out of Phillip’s reach.”

We stand there staring each other down, a battle of wills silently raging.

Talia enters the hall and approaches. “Everyone is leaving. It’s time to go.”

When neither Bash nor I blink, she steps between us, her voice stronger. “My best friend is at the police station. I would like to go be with her. Point me to Celeste’s room so I can get her phone. I don’t believe she brought anything else with her.”

I gesture to the room at the end of the hall. “I’ll see you two at the station.” When I start to walk away, she grabs my arm.

“I’m sorry, Calder, but until you’re done with the EUC, it’s too dangerous for you to be seen with Cass on a personal level.”

I shake my head. “I won’t let her think I abandoned her.”

“Don’t worry,” Talia says, releasing me. “I’ll tell her I wouldn’t let you come. Go home. We’ll keep you updated.”

My gaze snaps to Bash, whose tense expression clearly says,
That was a perfect example of you
not
thinking clearly.
Pulling Talia to his side, he addresses me. “Go collect your stuff, and no matter how much you want to, do
not
engage with Phillip on your way out. As far as you’re concerned, your trial guard role is over.” When I curl my lip in a frustrated snarl, the tension in Bash’s tone amps. “I promise you we’ll make the bastard pay for every despicable thing he’s done, Calder.”

T
his is a freaking nightmare.
I rub my temples and try to ignore the two detectives hovering over me in the police interrogation room like a couple of vultures waiting for me to finally keel over.

“Why don’t you run it down for us again?” the potbellied, middle-aged cop in a brown wrinkled suit jacket pulls up a chair and sits at the table across from me.