Page 100 of Callow

“Daph, come on,” he said, making me look up to see him standing there, his hands bloody, his knuckles broken open. “Wehave to get out of here, kid,” he said, voice coaxing. “Your mom is worried about you,” he added.

An embarrassing cry escaped me then as tears filled my eyes.

I managed to fight them back as I started to get to my feet.

“Listen, kid,” he said. “When we walk out of here, keep your eyes on me. Just on me, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, nodding.

I mean, it was an empty promise.

I was always planning on looking.

Of course I was.

I knew to expect the one guy shot and dead.

And he was.

Eyes open like a horror movie.

The one with the dragon tattoo, though, he hadn’t simply been shot.

His face looked like it had caved in.

From Callow’s fists.

My gaze did go to him then.

Not with horror, though. Or fear.

But, I dunno, I guess… gratitude. And affection. Because he’d done that for me.

That felt like it meant a lot.

We were making our way outside when I saw my mom.

I flew at her, regretting each time I’d ever snuck out, ever made her worry about me. Because all those things she worried might happen to me… almost did.

She wasn’t mad at me, though.

And Callow sounded kind of… proud of me.

Suddenly, that was all I wanted from now on.

To make them proud of me.

And not just to make Callow buy me more books.

Though, yeah, that was a factor.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Sabrina

I had my girl back.

I had Callow to thank for… getting rid of the men who, it seemed, wanted to rape and torture her just to try to impress a rival club?