My Salvation (19 page)

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah, some people shouldn’t be parents,” he
said and remembered, “Did you see the way Erik looked at her?”

“Caught that too, did you? I think it was one of
the few times someone has caught him off guard. Maybe he’ll loosen
up a little in front of her.”

He looked toward the bar and saw Erik sitting on
the stool, but his back was straight. He also made sure to keep
Cali in sight. Owen shook his head and laughed, “Not today he
won’t.”

Looking out of the window next to the table,
they had a view of the beach. The waves gently lapped the shore,
chasing away the kids who decided to test the water. He laughed
watching them run to the very edge of the water. Once their feet
touched the cool ocean, they quickly turned and ran back to their
parents.

Cali was laughing too. “The view is
amazing.”

He nodded in agreement. “It’s one of the reasons
I love coming here. The view and the food is fantastic.”

She let him order for her, since he knew what
was good. An appetizer of crab stuffed mushrooms and two Caesar
salads with grilled shrimp on top were ordered. He made a mental
note to bring her back one night for the steak.

Conversation flowed easily between them during
lunch. He could hear Steven and Emily laughing every so often, but
never heard Erik join in. He did catch him looking at her, but
would quickly turn like he didn’t want to get caught.

Halfway through the meal two men came in and sat
at the bar. He thought they looked familiar, but couldn’t place
them. By the time they were leaving, the men started to get loud
and obnoxious, being rude to Emily. She seemed to be holding her
own, but Steven and Erik were there and would help if needed.

As Owen and Cali made their way to the door, she
put her hand on his arm, stopping him. In a hushed voice she said,
“Those are the same two men who were with Mia at the diner.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I remember them.”

He walked over to Steven and told him what she
had said. Just then one of men yelled, “Hey, bartender, can we get
another shot?”

Emily was taking care of Owen’s bill and
responded, “One minute please. I’m taking care of this customer.
I’ll be right with you.”

“You can give us our drinks then take care of
him. We’ll make it worth your while,” the man with the shaved head
said.

Emily being, well Emily, must have decided she
wasn’t going to take their shit. “Listen, I’ll be happy to serve
you, but these customers were here first and I need to take care of
them. You are going to have to wait a minute.”

The men looked at Em, then over to Owen and his
company. “Hey, I know you,” the man with the dark hair slurred.
“You’re the big shot guy that makes boats, right? You’re also the
asshole who thinks he’s too good for our girl, Mia. I’m right,
aren’t I?”

Emily went to say something, but Owen spoke
before she could. “Gentlemen, what I do with my time is my own
business. Now if you’ll excuse us.”

He turned to leave, making sure Cali was in
front of him, but the sound of a barstool hitting the floor made
him stop.

Pivoting on his heel, he turned to see the man
with the shaved head approaching them. Steven started to come up
alongside him, but Owen waved him off. “I asked you a fucking
question,” the man said.

“And I answered your fucking question.” He was
trying to keep his anger contained. He didn’t want to cause a scene
nor get into a fight in front of Cali, but the guy was pushing
him.

The man looked past Owen and took notice of
Cali. “And who is this?” he asked, licking his lips.

Owen stepped into the guy’s line of sight.
Through clenched teeth he said, “You will not speak to her. You
will not look at her. Don’t even think about her or mention her in
any way. Now go sit your ass back down.”

The man with the shaved head leaned back and
spit in his face. Owen didn’t move a muscle except for the balled
fists by his sides. The guy put two hands on his chest and pushed
him. Owen didn’t even sway.

Seeming to be frustrated by the lack of
reaction, the guy pulled his fist back to hit Owen. When Owen went
to do the same, another fist went flying and hit the guy right in
the nose. Owen turned and saw it was Erik who threw the punch.

The man with the shaved head fell to the floor,
blood spurting from his face. “You fucking prick!” His drunk friend
stood to come to his defense, but Steven was on him in a flash. The
other man had his ass knocked down too.

Steven, pointing his finger at the two men on
the floor, said, “Neither of you better fucking move. The cops are
on their way.”

“Fuck you!” said the man with the shaved head.
Looking Owen right in the eyes, he said, “And you, we aren’t
finished. You better watch your ass and your bitch’s, too.”

Owen lifted his foot and kicked the man in the
groin, causing him to scream and curl over into a ball on the
floor. He kneeled on the floor, real close to the man’s ear and
said, “One, don’t you ever fucking threaten me. Two, I told you not
to fucking say one word about her. You so much as breathe in our
direction ever again and I will be on you so fast you won’t know
what hit you.”

Owen went to Cali, who was standing next to Erik
with her arms around her waist, hugging herself. He placed his
hands on her upper arms and asked, “Are you okay?”

Her voice was shaking. “I’m fine. Owen, do you
think those are the men that have been coming after me? Why else
would they say we had to watch ourselves?”

“I don’t know, but we are going to find out. I’m
going to tell the police everything that has already happened and
what took place today. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of
it.”

He pulled her into his chest and she wrapped her
arms around his waist. He could feel her trembling against him.
“Everything is going to be fine.” She nodded and held him
tight.

Owen heard the police sirens in the distance.
“Caliana, you are not alone and never will be. I will always be by
your side. We are going to figure this out one way or another.”

“I hope so, because I can’t keep doing this. It
won’t stop. We’ll have a good day or two, then bam, something
happens and drags us back down.”

His hand was caressing her back. He could only
say so many words to comfort her. What he needed to do was find out
and take down whoever was behind the destruction and assault of her
neighbor. That’s the only way it will end. Maybe they could have a
normal relationship afterward.

When they finished talking with the officers and
watching the men being put in the back of the police cruiser for
questioning, Owen decided he was taking her home. She said she
didn’t want to go back to the office. She was too shaken.

* * * * * * * *

She sat curled into Owen’s side while Steven
drove them home. Both he and Erik were upset by everything and
would be doing their own research into the two men when they
reached the house. The men, whose names were Rob Marshall and Ian
Fielding, were in some way connected to what has been going on with
her, Cali knew it. Now they had a lead she was hoping they could
finally find and arrest the person responsible.

Poor Mrs. Emerson was still in the hospital,
although she did wake up. The doctors were keeping her a little
longer due to her age and the trauma the older woman endured. Cali
felt awful that the poor woman, who was only trying to help, got
mixed up in what was going on.

She visited her every other day and each time
brought a small gift. Whether the gift was flowers, a crossword or
a magazine, she wanted to do something nice. Mrs. Emerson didn’t
remember a thing about what she walked in on that day.

Back at the house, Steven and Erik went into the
security room to start the search, while Owen walked with her to
the bedroom. She wanted to get changed and curl into bed. The
situation was becoming too much for her to handle.

She was so thankful to have Owen by her side
throughout everything. Without him she didn’t know what she would
do.

Even though it was early, she decided to take a
hot shower, put on a pair of comfortable cotton shorts and t-shirt.
She was relieved not to have to go into the office tomorrow.
Staying in bed and resting was what she planned to do the next day.
Fuck it
, she thought.

Cali walked from the bathroom into the bedroom
and noticed Owen wasn’t there. She didn’t want to be alone right
now. Descending the stairs, she went to look for him and found
Adeline in the kitchen making dinner. The thought of eating made
her stomach knot.

“You don’t look good, dear,” Adeline said.

“I don’t feel good.”

“Sit and I’ll make you some hot tea with
honey.”

“No, that’s okay. You’re busy making
dinner.”

“Stop. It’s only tea. I think I can handle it.”
A small smile started to form on Cali’s lips.

Lost in thought, she stared out of the window
into the back yard when a steaming cup was placed on the table.
Adeline gently placed her hand on Cali’s shoulder and went back to
cooking. Cali sighed and blew over the top of the mug. Taking a
sip, she had to admit the warmth spreading through her felt
good.

Adeline hummed while cooking. Cali appreciated
what the woman did for Owen and Steven. She couldn’t do that. She
didn’t mind cooking, but couldn’t do it for a living. And cleaning,
she wanted no part of that.

She was staring at the mug and didn’t notice
anyone walk up next to her. Looking up, she jumped. “Holy shit! You
are always sneaking up on me. Why do you do that?”

Owen chuckled. “I’ve never set out to sneak up
on you. You’re deep in thought and not paying attention to your
surroundings.”

Cali rolled her eyes. “Have you guys found out
anything?”

“Yeah, some. Turns out Rob Marshall lives near
Dalia Lake. Not on the lake itself, but in one of the neighboring
towns. And Ian Fielding, the man with the shaved head, is his
stepbrother who lives with him. We already knew they are connected
to Mia since we saw them together. What we don’t know is how they
know one another. She could be sleeping with one or both of them.
We don’t know. Neither one has a record, so there is no police
reports of anything in the system. Steven and Erik will continue
digging to see what else they can find.”

“Do you think they have something to do with
what happened to my cabin and house?”

Owen shook his head. “We don’t know. They could,
but without any evidence we can’t be sure one way or the
other.”

Cali leaned to rest her head on the back of the
chair. “I’m tired of this entire ordeal.”

He brought his hand up to caress her cheek. “I
know you are. Come on, let’s go upstairs and lay down for a
bit.”

She nodded. She felt like she was going through
stages with the ordeal. First she was angry, then hurt that someone
would want to harm her. She felt regret because of what happened to
Mrs. Emerson. Grateful for Owen, Steven, Erik and Adeline. Now she
felt numb.

Maybe it’s for the best
, she thought.
She hoped tomorrow would be a better day, but had a feeling that
until the person doing this to her was caught, she would have only
good moments not days.

Cali climbed in bed as soon as she got upstairs.
She sunk into the comfortable mattress and pulled the bedding to
her chin. He climbed in behind her and pulled her close. His bare
chest was warm against her back.

Having him close, soothed her. Somehow he always
knew what to do to comfort her. Owen brought his face over her
shoulder so their cheeks touched. He spoke to her in a soft voice,
“Rest, I’m here. Always.”

She sighed and slowly relaxed. Before long, her
mind relaxed allowing her to succumb to sleep.

When she opened her eyes she noticed the room
was dark. A strong arm covered her stomach, holding her close. She
could tell by his even breathing that Owen was asleep. Turning in
his arms she took in his handsome face.

His hair was messed from sleep and his face was
peaceful. He didn’t wake, but pulled her in closer. She let her
fingers explore the features of his face. Smooth skin with stubble
on his cheeks and chin, kissable lips.

She loved him so deeply her chest actually
ached. Cali never thought she would find the kind of love she had
with Owen. The all-encompassing, can’t get enough, would move
heaven and earth kind of love. The kind, that if anyone threatened
to destroy it, she would fight with her life to save.

When her finger moved across his lower lip his
mouth opened slightly and he moved to capture her finger within it.
She groaned internally at the feeling of his tongue moving along
her finger. Desire started to flare in her and she was squirming
against him.

He moved his hand to her backside, slowly
caressing her. She could feel how hard he was and shifted so he
pressed against her mound. Releasing her finger from his mouth, he
quickly moved to take her lips. He kissed her with passion and
urgency.

He didn’t waste any time removing her clothes
then took off his own. As soon as he moved over her body, she
grabbed his cock and brought him right to her entrance. She lifted
her hips to give him better access, unable to wait.

A moan came from her when he fully sheathed
himself. Her body moved to meet his every thrust. This time sex
wasn’t about savoring one another. It was a raw pull she couldn’t
deny.

He grabbed her legs and positioned them onto his
shoulders. His hand went under her waist to tilt her higher. Each
movement, at that angle, was the perfect combination to quickly
build her toward orgasm. Her nails dug into his biceps which were
braced on either side of her.

She looked into his eyes and he appeared to be
barely hanging on. Cali knew he was waiting for her to come, he
always did. She closed her eyes, letting her senses take control.
Her body started to tremble with the beginning of climax. “Owen,”
she moaned. Her orgasm was so strong it kept rocketing through her.
His body moved faster, until he found his own release.