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Chapter 56: Amiss
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2023-03-12 00:00:47Mei’s words danced around Callie’s mind even as she was occupied, chatting with some women at the shelter. She indeed wanted all of Vin’s attention but the implications of her involvement with him were starting to come to light.
Beside her, Sienna was casually distributing the pastries they brought with them.
“Oh, excuse me,” Sienna began, pointing to their nearly empty basket of popsicles. “I’m sure we bought enough for each of the children, but it seems two aren’t here…”
Purposely letting the sentence hang in the air, Sienna carefully observed everyone’s reactions. Two of the caretakers looked at each other before smiling brightly.
“Oh, they&
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“You look nice,” said Vin as soon as he saw Callie, announcing his entrance.Veronica had done a marvelous job altering the dress he had picked out for the night. The corset bodice of the baby pink dress hugged her torso perfectly, and the lace-up straps, highlighted her curves in all the right places.Specks of glitter decorated the long flowing fabric of the skirt that reached her ankles, sparkling in the warm light of the studio.Callie’s lips automatically tugged up into a smile upon hearing the crime lord’s voice. She wasn’t expecting him to pick her up from the atelier.Without turning, she spotted Vin in the mirror, dressed in a matching black button-down shirt and pants.
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The inside of the mansion was unlike what Callie had imagined. The moment she and Vin walked in, Schubert filtered into her ears played by a skilled string quartet. Their coats were taken by what Callie could only assume was a butler, before greeting them with a warm smile. “Welcome back, Master Vincent,” the man said, to which Vin smiled and nodded. Callie tried to control her reaction to Vin being called Master Vincent, but the crime lord caught the subtle lift of her lips. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “What? Surprised you’re not the only one who calls me Master?” Blushing up to the tips of her ears, Callie hid a smile behind her hand. “Master, if you will.” The butler then approached Vin again, this time with a silver tray. Vin smirked, before unstrapping a harness for his Glock and placing it on top of the tray that the servant had taken away graciously. “Everyone is to lay down all weapons before entering,” the crime lord explained. Callie laughed, she could
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The appetizer was served and cleared without a hitch. Save for a few sneers and fake smiles, Callie had managed to keep it together. Nobody seemed to be too interested in talking to her, as most of the conversation was led by Vin and his Aunt Lucille, who kept peering at her like a farm animal.Callie kept to herself, quietly observing. She noticed how each person seated at the table had another member, perhaps a bodyguard or an attendant standing right behind them. Every person except Vin and herself. They all looked tough, including the women.“Callie,” she heard her name be called. Looking up from her plate, Callie turned toward the male who spoke. “Don’t you work at that club in the outskirts? What was it called again?” The man tapped a finger to his templ
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“Sir, please get your hand off me.” Callie didn’t bother to hide the poison from her tone, glaring at the stranger. “Vin! I’m in here!”With one hard shove, the man pushed Callie back, away from the exit, cutting off her chance of escaping.“Vin!” she tried again, louder and much more desperate. She didn’t want to show this man her fear, but goosebumps littered her skin, terror of what may come overwhelming her senses. She looked behind her, eyeing the open bathroom stall, wondering if she would be safe inside it.“What a rude girl you are,” he remarked. “Don’t you remember me?”Callie’s head tilted to one side, alert and aware
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It has been three days, and still nothing.Vin stared at Callie’s sleeping form, unable to rid himself of the image of her, crying and bloody on the bathroom floor. He reached forward to take Callie’s hand, to feel her, to reassure himself that she was alive.He should have done more to protect her.Vin’s hands trembled as Callie took a shaky breath, her eyelashes fluttering in her sleep as if she were dreaming.“Songbird, can you hear me?”But there was no response, except for the constant beeping of the monitor at Callie’s bedside, Vin’s consistent reminder that Callie was still breathing.
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Vin didn’t let her leave the house until he was sure she was fully rested. Callie grew anxious with each day, she only wanted to visit the shelter. She had been away for nearly a month! She promised them she would return soon.However, both Sienna and the crime lord assured her that being hospitalized was more than a valid reason for not coming sooner.“I’ll come and pick you up before sundown,” said Vin as Callie unbuckled her seatbelt.“You’re not coming?” He was kind enough to drive her all the way to the shelter, but Callie thought that he would at least step inside with her.“There’s something I need to take care of,” he replied. “Stay alert and don’t let your guard down easily, alright?”The singer giggled, “They’re children, Vin. They won’t hurt me.”“Ah, but you’d be surprised, Songbird. It’s the children who should look out for.”With a disbelieving shake of her head, Callie stepped out of the luxury vehicle and waved goodbye to the mafia boss.“Callie, there you are! Come on
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Fresh out of the bath, Callie softly called out that she was done.The woman who had prepared the bath for her entered with a white fluffy towel draped on one arm, and a salve resting in her other hand.“Thank you…” Callie started when the woman handed her the towel.“Nabi,” the woman answered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.“Thank you, Nabi. I’m Callie.”Nabi offered a small smile as Callie slipped into a fresh white robe, then she led the singer to sit in front of the vanity.“I’ve heard your name before,” said Nabi as she pulled one drawer open to grab a brush. Slowly, she took a section of Callie’s hair and started to brush it.Callie didn’t ask her to elaborate. Somehow, people knew her name by her association with Vin, and every time, nothing good came out of it.They stayed silent even as Nabi pulled the hair dryer out of another drawer and started to dry Callie’s hair. The blonde brushed and pulled sections of Callie’s hair and pinned them away from her face in
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“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
