WHISPERS IN THE DARK

Chapter Thirteen

CALLIE'S POV

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the sunlight streaming in through my windows. I felt relief when I realised I was home in my own bed. Everything was a blur, I felt like it had all been a dream.

My heart skipped a beat when I felt movement at the side of me. I turn to look at what was there but smiled as I realised Mal is laying next to me sound asleep. I couldn't help but admire how peaceful he looked, my thoughts disappeared quickly as his eyes opened and they felt like they were looking into the deepest part of my soul.

He quickly jumps up "Callie, your awake" relief shot over his face as I smiled back at him. "I had the strangest dream about Luca kidnapping me" I laugh as he lays back down beside me. My laugh quickly stops as I see Mal frown "it wasn't a dream Callie, Steph and I found you a week ago. You were severely dehydrated and covered in bruises" he sighs as he rubs circles on the back of my hand. I lay back and sigh "how did you find me?".

Mal wraps his arm around me and I lay on his chest. He tells me about Luca and what had happened. "Callie, we can discuss more on Luca when your better but my concern now is getting you back to full health. Do you know why Heather Fitzpatrick would think your safety was important to her operation. What did she mean by that?". I feel him staring down at me as I try to avoid eye contact with him by closing my eyes.

I didn't know where to begin. I didn't know how to tell him Heather has been working with my father and I since the beginning. So I simply replied "I have no idea, I had never heard of her until she appeared on the warehouse cameras".

He nods and tells me to get some rest and that he is going to get me some food and tell my parents and the doctor I am awake. I thank him as he steps outside to make his calls.

I tried to fall asleep but my mind wandered to the first time I had met Heather Fitzpatrick. I was on a solo job in Spain not long after Olivia and her family moved out there, I was to monitor a man who worked in a bar close to where Heather was living.

I laugh as I remember the bartender trying to flirt with me as I ordered a drink. Heather told him that a real woman like me would never look like a disgusting rat like him. After that we spend the afternoon laughing, which also made a good cover for watching my target. We spoke for a while and she left. The next again day she came back and again we spent the afternoon laughing and joking as I watched my target.

It didn't take me long before I realized she was watching the same guy I was, so I asked her who he was to her and why she was watching him. She explained he was an ex business partner  that was into some real bad things, he messed her around with some buisness and she was watching him so she get rid of him so that she could take over the entire business.

She was flustered and tried to leave when I told her who I was and that her business partner worked for my father and that I was here to end that partnership. We discussed what it would look like her taking over and I agreed to back her.

Our friendship and the business blossomed smoothly over the next few months and I soon introduced her to my father. Heather explained her concerns to my father regarding counterfit money working it's way through our system, she was convinced it was an inside job.

My father, Heather and I came up with a plan to bring the mole our. We worked together and decided we would hit different warehouses where the counterfit cash had been found. By doing this the mole would have been loosing the money he was making as he had been switching his counterfit money for our real money in small batches.

It was all going well until the trail led Heather and her team to Northern Ireland. It was there they accidently hit a few of Maliki's warehouses which caused them to flag a concern which led to Ryan finding counterfeit money in their shipments too.