Stripping Callum (Last Hangman MC Book 6)(81)

“I figured as much.”

“You don’t seem to care?” He turns to me sounding disappointed.

“Bella left, you won, again,” I snarl at him.

“Good, she deserves better than you. You never deserved a good life. You’ll know what misery feels like.” He smirks.

“I grew up in misery with you. The beating, the yelling, the abuse. It shaped me into the man that I am today. It’s your fault. Everything is your fault. I should have killed you that day. I would have been better off. Or better, you should have killed me when I was young or given me for adoption.”

“Too easy. You were too much of a coward to kill me back then. I’m sure you’re still too much of one now to finish the job.” He stands up and faces me.

“You wanna bet?” I smirk and my fist connects with his jaw the minutes he is standing in front of me. “I’m done letting you f*ck with my life and ruin it. You’ve done enough hurting to last me a lifetime. I’m finally getting back on my feet, and you ruin it again by sending Bella away. You’re not getting away from here alive.” I hit him again, and he falls backward. His nose is bloodied, his lip is busted open, yet he smiles at me.

It appears that he made peace with himself and has accepted that his life is now over. That his purpose was to ruin me, and he’s succeeded. It kills me to know that I’m giving him exactly what he wants, but I can’t stop punching him.

I don’t know how many times I’ve hit him, but his face has turned to mush. I only stop because Bennett’s hand on my shoulder startles me.

“He’s dead,” he says softly.

“I know.” I sigh and take one good look at him.

“Let’s go get your woman. She needs you.” He pats my shoulder, and I nod. I grab my knife from my belt and slit his throat for good measure.

Wiping the blade against his jacket, I get up and make my way toward my bike with Bennett.

“You good?” he asks.

“I will be when Bella and Elijah are back in my life again.”

“Good answer. Where to?”

“Denver.”

“Why there?”

“It’s the last place she was at before coming here. She liked it there, so I figured she’d go back to somewhere familiar. I hope so anyway.” I sigh and put my helmet on.

“After you,” he says putting his on, and we drive into the night.

I hope I’m right and she’s there. I need to see her and make her understand that I didn’t mean any of it. I love her and need her in my life again. Her and Elijah. My little buddy, my son.





Annabella

It’s been two days since I got back to Denver, and Elijah and I both hate it because it’s not home. We’re staying in a small hotel until I can find a place for us to live. The city is beautiful, but this isn’t where we’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to be in New Orleans with our friends and family, but what happened with Callum’s father has me questioning everything that’s happened between us.

Thinking about it, I should have confronted him and not pack up and leave, but it’s too late now. I could go back to him and explain, but he hasn’t been in touch these past couple of days. Maybe that’s what he wanted, to find a way to get rid of me. Or maybe something happened to him? Fuck, I didn’t think about that until now, and I really hope that nothing happened to him because of me.

We came to Denver because this is where I spent the most time while I was on my way to New Orleans a few years ago. This is where I felt the most at home in the past, but it’s so different now. I found my home and my future in New Orleans, and I left it.

At least, the good people who owned the diner I worked at when I was here last are still here and they offered me my spot back. Funnily enough, I’m also staying in the same hotel I was staying at back then.

I’ve had to put Elijah in a daycare center until I can get him in a new school. He hates it! I hate leaving him there, but I have to work for us to be able to survive. I can’t even bring myself to say live here. We’ve been here for two days, and we’re miserable. I can’t see us making it past a week. I can’t bring myself to do that to Elijah. I want nothing more than to go back to New Orleans, but I would hate to feel like I’m backing down from what I believe in. The lack of communication from Callum is messing with my head.



Today is my third day working here, and I’m over it already. Elijah threw a tantrum this morning because he wanted to see Callum, and I promised that he would join us and he still hasn’t. I feel shitty for lying to him, but what choices do I have?

Wiping the counter, I’m lost in my thoughts until someone places a tattooed hand on the counter. Those tattoos. I don’t dare to look up. I know who that hand belongs too, and I’m not ready to face him.

“Are you seriously going to ignore me, Bella?” Callum says, sounding pissed.

“What are you doing here?” I look up, glaring at him.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” he scoffs.

“Why are you here?”

“You mean, why are we here?” He points out to where Bennett is, and typical Bennett looks at me with a big ass grin and waves at me. I wave back smiling softly.

“Didn’t think you’d be able to convince me to come back on your own?” I smirk at him.