“Hey, Caleb.”
“Squirt, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m all right.” Even to her ears, her voice sounded off. Devoid of emotion.
“Uh-huh, and I’ve got some nice magical beans to sell you. Tell me everything that happened.”
She told him about the letter she’d just received and Bain running after her stalker. When she finished, she heard him swearing quietly and a deep voice asking him what was wrong. This voice wasn’t Aleki or Wolfe’s, it had an accent. One of the princes?
Caleb said something back that she couldn’t hear.
“So sounds like you had the day from hell,” Caleb commented.
She let out a small laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“You’re stressing. Stop stressing. Do the cops have any leads on who this asshole might be?”
“No. None. The letter has gone to their lab, they’re hoping to get fingerpr
ints from it so they can identify him.”
“If he’s in the system.”
“Yeah.”
“What about your family? Larry? They still hounding you?”
“Actually, they’ve gone weirdly quiet ever since Gabrielle visited. I’m wondering if something I said actually got through to her.”
“Doubtful,” he told her. “Remember, I went to school with Gaby. She’s always been a selfish bitch.”
“Caleb!”
“Don’t bother defending her to me. You’re too good for that family of vipers. Always have been.”
“Daniel isn’t so bad,” she said. At least he never asked her for something.
“Yeah? When’s the last time you heard from your brother? When’s the last time he checked in on you?”
Good points.
She rubbed her forehead.
“Where are you right now?”
“Um, lying on my bed.”
“Where is your man? Why isn’t he taking care of you?” Caleb demanded.
“Bain takes care of me just fine,” she snapped back.
There was a moment of silence. And she opened her mouth to apologize, horrified by the way she’d just spoken to him when a small chuckle came from Caleb. “There’s my fierce girl.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s all right, Squirt. If anyone has a right to snap, it’s you. And I know how fiercely loyal you are to those you care about. I’m lucky enough to be one of those people you’ll defend to the death.”
She blushed slightly at those words, not knowing that she deserved such praise.