My Salvation (21 page)

“Home. I like the way that sounds coming from
your lips.” He stood and pulled her into him, kissing her briefly.
“Let’s go home.”

~ 20 ~

The work week was almost over. It was Friday and
they were walking out to have lunch with Ethan. Owen decided they
would go on the yacht. They could have an extended lunch out on the
ocean with no one to bother them. Adeline arrived as Steven started
the engine.

She had a large cooler she was wheeling behind
her. Ethan moved quickly to lift it and help her climb aboard.
Lunch on the yacht was the first meal Owen had eaten with his
brother in years. He asked Adeline to prepare something and invited
her along. Steven didn’t know she was going to be accompanying them
and lit up when he saw her. She gave her husband a quick kiss and
sat next to him.

Once the yacht was out to sea, Steven slowed it
down and Adeline went to work getting lunch situated. She prepared
homemade macaroni salad, deviled eggs, a garden salad and a variety
of sandwiches. For dessert she brought her famous tiramisu. Owen
said she made it better than any restaurant he had ever eaten
at.

Ethan didn’t say much during lunch. No one
seemed to notice except Owen and he didn’t want to force the
conversation. Once Cali caught on, however, all bets were off. She
was asking him whatever came to mind.

“So, Ethan, do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I’m not dating anyone right now. I mean, I
go on dates, but nothing serious.”

“No girl has caught your eye yet? I’m surprised.
Between Owen and you, you could both be models. Great genes run in
your family,” she said. Owen could see Ethan starting to blush.

“Most women aren’t interested in having a
relationship with me. I don’t come off as the marriage type. I
don’t know how much Owen has told you, but I used to drink a lot
and wasn’t always the nicest drunk. I hate to say this, but I used
a lot of women. It was sex and nothing else. And now, I need to
focus on staying sober and a relationship could complicate things.
It’s a constant battle to maintain focus and not give in to my old
ways.”

“I can’t even imagine. And I’m sure the female
population thanks you for no longer behaving like you used to,” she
said, laughing. “I know Owen loves having you at work. He tells me
how good you are at what you do.”

Ethan smiled at her comment. It was the truth.
He was happy to have him there. His brother had always been a big
part of his life and to have him back in it meant a lot to him.

“I’m very happy to be back,” Ethan said. Owen
knew he had a lot to work on, but having a steady job and staying
sober would keep him on the right track.

Ethan’s next question was directed toward Owen.
“So, what’s with all of the security? You and Cali are followed
around like someone’s going to jump out and attack you.”

“Cali’s cabin was vandalized when we were away
for the weekend. And not just a little destruction. Everything was
destroyed. The furniture, bedding, curtains, hell, even the
appliances were beat to shit. And her Jeep had the tires
slashed.”

“Get the fuck out,” Ethan said, shock evident in
his voice. “Do you know who did it or why?”

“No, none, and that’s not all. Her townhouse was
next. Same thing, but that time one of the neighbors walked in on
the person doing it and was assaulted. She wasn’t able to give a
description of the person due to the trauma she suffered. She
couldn’t remember any details.”

“Do you think they are connected?”

“Yeah they are. Both doors had a large red X
spray painted on them. We have no idea what it means, but it does
connect them. Since then, Steven has been spending more time with
me and Erik has been brought on for Cali.”

“That’s terrible. I wonder who’s responsible.
Damn, I’m sorry you had to go through that, Cali. I hope whatever
asshole is doing this is caught soon. At least you’re well-guarded.
You must feel uneasy at night, knowing someone was in your house
and was capable of doing those things.”

“I haven’t stayed at my place in weeks. I’ve
been staying with Owen, so I’ve felt completely safe. I’m still
worried though and feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder,
waiting for something to happen. It’s not a fun way to live,” Cali
said, sadness in her eyes.

“So you two are serious?”

Owen spoke first. “Yes, very. Cali’s moving in
with me this weekend.”

“That’s great! I always thought you two had
something going on when we were younger, but Cali went off to
college and you were working full time.” Ethan turned in his chair
to face her, leaning forward. With his voice low, he said, “My
brother had the biggest crush on you. I would tease him all of the
time. I’m glad he finally grew a set and made a move.” He winked
and sat back.

Owen moved quickly and punched Ethan in the arm,
not hard, but enough to sting a little. “Ow, what the fuck?”

“Shut up,” was his only response. Cali meanwhile
was biting her lip trying to hold in her laughter. “Something
funny?”

“I love watching you two together. Oh and Ethan,
Owen does indeed have a set. A big one at that.” It was Cali’s turn
to wink at him. Owen started laughing out loud.

Ethan scrunched up his nose, making a face. “Way
too much information, Cali.”

She shrugged and grabbed a deviled egg to take a
bite out of. Her personality was one of the many things Owen
loved.

They were laughing and having a good time. Ethan
finally looked relaxed and was talking with Cali like they had been
friends for years. Owen was joking with both of them when he felt
his phone vibrate in his pocket. The number displayed made his
breath catch.

“Matthews.”

On the other end of the line, a woman’s voice
came through. “Mr. Matthews, this is Jessica from Adelman Security.
Can you please verify your code word for me?”

“Caliana.”

“Thank you. Sir, I’m showing an alarm sounding
due to a glass break at your house on Dalia Road. Are you at the
house? We want to verify it wasn’t accidentally tripped. If not,
we’ll send police to investigate.” His pulse quickened at her
words.

“I’m not in the area. Yes, please send someone.
I’ll get there as soon as possible. Please tell the police that and
also give them my cell number.”

“Will do, sir.”

He ended the call and yelled for Steven. “Turn
it around, now! We have to get back to shore.” Steven didn’t even
hesitate in maneuvering the yacht and speeding off.

Adeline was gathering lunch as quickly as
possible, with the help of Ethan and Cali, before it went flying.
“What’s going on?” Cali asked while grabbing drinks to ensure
nothing would spill.

“Someone broke into my cabin. That was the
security company on the phone. The glass break sensor had gone off
and they are sending police to check it out. Glass doesn’t just
break. Even a bird hitting it wouldn’t cause it to shatter. Someone
is in my cabin.”

His mind was moving a hundred miles a minute.
“Erik, when we get to shore, I want Cali in the car and back to the
house. Do not stop for anything. I want her inside and safe and
don’t leave the house unless you have my permission. I don’t know
what’s going on and don’t want to take any chances.” Erik nodded.
His body was tense and his mouth set into a firm line.

Owen went to sit next to her. He could see worry
on her face and could feel her shaking. “Everything is going to be
okay. You have to go home with Erik. I’ll call as soon as I can. I
need to know you’re safe.”

“But what if
you
aren’t? You don’t know
what you’re going to find, Owen.”

“No, I don’t, but the police will arrive long
before me. They will clear out any threat before I even get there.
I need to talk to the cops though and find out what happened.”

She nodded and leaned into his chest. Her arms
went around his waist, holding him tight. He glanced over to Ethan
to see he looked worried too. Owen was pissed, the closer they were
to shore, the angrier he became. He needed to put an end to the
shit going on. The sooner, the better.

Arriving back at the dock, Steven pulled the
yacht in and cut the engine. Owen had called the office and had one
of his employees met them to anchor it. He needed to move quick,
but knew he needed to get Cali into a car first. Luckily they had a
couple company vehicles not being used.

Steven handed Erik the keys to the Benz and he
got in to start the engine. Owen gave her a quick kiss and helped
her inside. Closing the door, Erik left wasting no time. Steven
pulled up behind him in a dark blue Chevy Tahoe.

The police hadn’t been in touch and he didn’t
know whether to take that as a good sign or not. He was anxious to
see the cabin. His leg bounced up and down the entire way. He
couldn’t contain the energy coursing through him. Steven didn’t say
a word. He’d known the older man long enough to know what he was
feeling without asking.

Rounding the last bend in the road, before the
pull-off for the cabin, Owen could see smoke above the trees. “What
the fuck?”

Steven couldn’t park in the drive due to the
police cars and fire trucks. He had to drive past the cabin and
park alongside the road. Owen jumped out as soon as the SUV
stopped. A police officer was standing guard at the scene as he
approached. “Officer, that’s my cabin. What’s going on?”

“You’re Owen Matthews?” the policeman asked.

“Yes, here is my identification. Now tell me
what the fuck is going on.”

The officer looked at his driver’s license and
said, “We arrived to a call of an alarm. We went to investigate the
scene. Sure enough, the front window off of the porch was broken.
We opened the door, did a sweep and found the bedroom in the rear
of the home on fire. The door was shut. The smoke was seeping out
from underneath. We checked all of the rooms to ensure no one was
inside and called in to get the fire department on scene.”

“The bedroom in the back is mine. Was anything
broken, destroyed? Did you find anything upon entering?” He wanted
to know if the break-in and fire were connected to what happened to
Cali, although he had a feeling they were.

The officer nodded. “We found a shattered
picture frame. There was a photo of a young woman and someone spray
painted a red X over it. We grabbed it before leaving and will be
examining the frame for fingerprints.”

Owen’s stomach sank. He knew exactly what
picture the officer was referring to. It was one he had of Cali
when she was eighteen. Her last summer at the cabin before college.
But what he didn’t understand is how someone found it. He had the
frame tucked into one of the dresser drawers under some clothing.
The red X told him it was the same person.
What the hell is
going on?
he thought.

He gave the officer a quick run-down of what
happened to Cali’s cabin and townhouse. The officer said he was
vaguely familiar with the situation. While he didn’t respond to
that call, he did remember his colleagues discussing what
happened.

They were still looking for whoever was
responsible. Owen also told him that he had video surveillance on
the house and will be reviewing the footage when he gets home. He
would also give a copy to the police.

Owen rubbed his hand over his face. If he ever
got his hands on the person behind everything he was going to rip
them to shreds. The police would be the least of their
problems.

* * * * * * * *

Cali couldn’t take the waiting. Steven did call,
making sure she was all right. That was the last they heard from
them. Now, she was left to pace from room to room. And poor Erik
followed her, ever vigilant, waiting for something to happen or to
be of some help.

Her nerves were already shot, then add more
stress on, she was one raw bundle of nerves. She swore she would be
bald by the time all of it was over. A thought came to her,
liquor!
She needed to find something to help calm her. She
knew somewhere in his huge house had to be a well-stocked bar, she
just had to find it.

She wasn’t much of a drinker. Only drinking for
special occasions. Walking into the kitchen she found Adeline who
had rode back to the house with her and Erik. She was sitting at
the table sipping tea, looking out of the window.

“Adeline, where does Owen keep the liquor?”

“In his office, dear. In a cabinet across the
room from his desk.”

“Great! Would you care to join me?”

“No, but thank you for asking.”

Cali quickly found what she was in search of and
chose a nice tequila. None of the other hard liquors looked
appealing. She poured herself a shot and threw it back, feeling the
burn as it went through her.
Not enough
, she thought.

Four more shots all within ten minutes and she
was starting to feel warm all over. She turned to find Erik
lingering outside of the doorway. “Erik! Want a shot?”

He took a hesitant step inside, going no
further. “No thank you ma’am. May I suggest you slow down a little?
I know you’re upset, but please be careful how much you drink.”

She knew he was right, but didn’t really care.
She only wanted to calm her nerves and the tequila seemed to have
done the trick. Pacing no longer seemed necessary.

Just then Erik’s phone rang. He stepped out in
the hall to answer, but he wasn’t going to walk away from her. She
wanted to hear what was said, but all that was heard was a lot of
yes and no. Not much to go off of.

As soon as he hung up, she was on him. “What
happened? Are they coming home now?”

“His cabin was broken into and set on fire.”
Cali gasped, her hand moving to her mouth. “They are finishing up
with the police and fire department now, but will be on their way
soon.”

He must have thought she was going to pass out,
because he moved close to her like he was unsure of what to do.
“Ma’am, you’re white as a ghost, please sit down.”