the hell’d you find this from, eh? Vicky ain’t even got her bin out here.”
And that’s when I knew.
I stepped up to the gate just in time to see Jones disappear round the corner at the far end.
I was out like a bullet, already halfway up the street, steaming and raging and fucking gunning for him, but I didn’t get chance before Vicki screamed.
“My God, Callum, you’ve gotta get back here right fucking now! Casey’s having a fucking fit!”
***
Sophie
My phone flashed in my hand, exclaiming the ridiculous.
Callum.
No fucking way. My heart could hardly believe it.
“Cal?” I rasped. “Is that you?”
His breathing was ragged, crazy, like he was climbing a fucking mountain. “Help me. Please, Sophie, you have to fucking help me.”
The line went dead, and my fingers skidded all over the keypad as I tried to call him back.
He picked up on the first ring.
“What’s happened?!” I said. “Jesus, Cal, what is it? Are you hurt?”
A pained growl sounded from his throat. “Not me. It’s Casey, that cunt Jones gave her something. She’s shaking, and she’s sick, and she’s crying. She’s really fucking bad, Soph, really bad.”
My blood froze. “Where are you? Where is she?”
“Going down King’s Road, to the vet at the bottom. Going quick as I can, but I’m carrying her, can’t get there any quicker.”
“Call a taxi!” I screeched.
“Got no cash. Got nothing, Soph. Please come. Please.”
“Just get a taxi, Callum, please, for God’s sake! I’ll pay them when I get there!”
I’d never moved so fucking fast.
***
My taxi arrived just as Callum was getting Casey out of his. Her legs were rigid, twitching with strain, and her head was lolled back, eyes flickering. She was crying and panting at the same time, a terrible sound that punched me straight in the gut. It was so much worse than I’d imagined, and my eyes filled in a heartbeat, rushing to her side as he struggled to lift her out. He burst in through the doors, muscles tense enough to match hers, and I stared in horror at the vets’ faces. The way they looked at Casey and then each other spoke volumes.
They ushered us into an examination room and Callum laid her flat on the table, stroking her head and talking to her all the time.
“What happened?” I cried. “What did he give her?”
He pulled out a rancid piece of meat from his pocket, and they rushed it off to the lab.
The vet shone a light in her eyes, opened her mouth too.
“Hyperextension, vomiting, rapid heart rate.” He focused on Callum. “What symptoms were presenting when you found her?”
“Panting... crying... sick everywhere.”
The vet stretched out his arms. “Was she stood like a sawhorse? Like this?”
Callum nodded. “Then she went all twitchy.”
“We’ll need to wash her stomach, attempt to remove the rest of the toxin. Please wait outside.”
The fear in Callum’s eyes broke my heart. His voice was so nervous, so unlike him. “Help her, please. Please make her ok again.”
“We’ll be doing our very best for her.”
I took his arm, pulling gently. “Come on, Callum. Let them work. She’s in the best hands.”
He hovered just long enough to put his face to hers. “You’ve gotta get better now, alright? These nice people are gonna take care of you. Love you, Case, so much.”
The savage’s eyes were wet with tears when he rose, but he didn’t linger any longer.
***
Callum collapsed in a heap in the corner once the vet was out of sight.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” he growled. “Just as soon as she’s alright. Gonna cut his fucking heart out.”
“No,” I said. “He wants the fight. Don’t play into his hands. You’re better than that.”
“Don’t fucking feel like it.”
“Casey wouldn’t want it,” I said. “She’d want you to think about your art, about staying out of prison, about how much I need you to come home with me. She needs us, both of us. We’re her home now, Cal.” I pressed my cheek into his back, soaking his hoodie with tears. “Please don’t push me away.”
“Ain’t getting back together for Case’s sake,” he said.
My heart dropped, pain piling on top of pain.
I was numb as he reached for my hand, barely registering he was holding me until he said the words.
“I’m doing it for me.”
***
We sat there for what felt like hours. Waiting, hoping, praying. We’d flinch every time we heard footsteps, but they’d only be offering coffee. I’d think I’d have it together, only for the image of her big brown eyes to reach out and