Gentleman Sinner

‘I don’t believe I saved your life,’ Callum mutters as Jess collects her bag and retreats, coming back to me for support.

‘Cold,’ she mutters under her breath, slighted.

Callum stoops to pick up my bag before claiming Jess’s from her grasp. She doesn’t give it up easily. ‘I can manage,’ she snaps, snatching it back.

‘Suit yourself.’ Callum brushes her stroppiness off without a shred of annoyance and wanders off towards the Mercedes parked a few metres away. I follow, glancing back at Jess lugging her case along behind her.

‘What?’ she asks, scowling.

‘Want some help?’

‘No.’

I laugh and carry on my way, smiling my thanks when Callum opens the door for me. ‘I’m interested,’ I start, as I hold the top of the door, one foot in the car. ‘How does one get a gun through customs?’ Callum smirks at me, but he doesn’t answer. He just shrugs. So I go on and ask another question that’s been playing on my mind. ‘What does Theo do for a living?’

His smirk now is gone, falling away fast. The cold, expression-less man is back. ‘He wants to tell you that himself.’

I can’t help my recoil, and I try to rub away the sick feeling in my stomach. He wants to tell me himself? That doesn’t sound reassuring at all. ‘Why?’

Once again, Callum shrugs, not answering, choosing instead to march up to Jess and seize her case. My mind races, reminding me that there is so much I don’t know about Theo Kane. And I’m quite sure I won’t like it, just like Theo said himself.

‘Hey, I was doing just fine,’ Jess fumes indignantly as she wrestles with Callum’s hold of her case.

‘Put a lid on it, woman.’

I hang on the door, my eyes going back and forth between the pair of them, watching them fight over the luggage. Of course, Callum wins easily, leaving Jess scowling at him indignantly as he literally throws her case in the boot and slams it shut.

‘Hey,’ she cries. ‘Be careful, you big oaf.’

Callum tenses, his patience obviously wearing thin, his warm brown eyes flashing with frustration, his hand raking through his blond waves. He gives me an exasperated look, and I give him an apologetic one. ‘She’s tired.’ I make Jess’s excuse for her. ‘Grumpy.’

‘Should have left that scumbag to slap the insolence out of her,’ he gripes, turning towards Jess. ‘Get in.’

‘Don’t tell me what to do.’

I sigh, growing as exasperated as Theo’s friend. She’s being difficult just for the sake of it, not wanting to lose face. Callum strides over to her, taking her arm and leading her to the car, and she splutters and protests the whole way, kicking up a stink to the point people start looking. I slink into the car and shut the door, embarrassed, as she falls into the seat beside me.

‘Arsehole,’ she spits, throwing herself back in the seat, huffing and puffing all over the car.

‘You’re such a princess.’

She scoffs and arranges her bag on her lap. ‘He can be a gentleman when it suits him.’

‘You call holding a gun at someone’s head gentlemanly?’ Why isn’t she shocked? I had a mini meltdown when I first encountered Theo’s weapon.

Jess grins, nibbling her bottom lip. ‘I want him to hold a gun to my head.’ Her stare roots to the back of Callum, and I snigger on the inside, just catching Callum’s eye in the rearview mirror. He looks a little bewildered, probably cursing Theo to hell and back for setting him up for this.*The drive from the airport is uneventful, though I sense tension past my own state of contemplation. Us happens. I smile to myself as we pull up outside our apartment, and Callum carries our cases into the hallway.

‘Here.’ He hands me a black box, secured with a pretty red ribbon.

‘What’s this?’ I ask, staring down at the embossed card as I toy with one of the lengths of ribbon. After a few moments, Callum hasn’t answered, and I look up and see him getting in the car. Jess is quickly on my back, trying to get a peek of what’s in my hand.

‘Is it from him?’ she asks, her eyes dancing with excitement. I’m not excited, more . . . apprehensive.

I move through to the kitchen, Jess hot on my heels, and take a seat at the table, placing the box before me. And I stare at it.

‘Open it, then,’ Jess drops down into a chair, pushing the box towards me. ‘What are you waiting for?’

I start chewing my lip, sitting back. There’s a tag on the corner, facing down so I can’t see what’s written there. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s just a gift. But what could it be? I reach forward tentatively, like the box could bite me, and flick over the tag. I have to tilt my head to read the text: