When You Saved Me

Chapter 32

Tony P.O.V

It's been about an hour since dinner and something just feels off, I'm not sure if it's the fact that I didn't really get to spend any time with Callie today or if it's the way she was behaving at supper, but I feel completely unsettled. I find myself pacing around the lounge with a scotch in hand aimlessly.

"Tony you're driving me crazy," Pepper whines, startling me out of my musings, "I thought we were going to spend time together. Stop brooding and come sit with me."

"Sorry, I'm feeling a little distracted tonight," I admit, joining her on the couch. I'd actually entirely forgotten she was there, but I don't intend on clueing her in on that.

"Tell me what's bothering you," she insists, clasping my hands in hers.

"It's Callie," I confess, pulling a hand away to rake through my hair. "I feel like I haven't spent any time with her since we got back, and she was just behaving so strangely tonight."

"Tony, she's a strange child," Pepper says slowly.

"Okay sure, but she was acting stranger than usual," I insist.

"She's fine Tony, this was the entire point of the nanny.... so you didn't have to spend every waking moment with the kid." She says, her voice taking a slight edge.

"Not every waking moment, but I should spend some time with her, I should go check on her." I decide, promptly pulling my hand from Pepper's and getting to my feet.

"No!" She says hastily, but she remembers herself and plasters on a smile, "I mean, she's probably sick and needs her rest, you don't want to wake her."

"You're back pedalling," I state, eyes narrow with suspicion. "What's going on Pepper? First you find this creepy, Russian nanny insanely fast, and then Callie basically passes out at the dinner table after acting super abnormal, and then the nanny dismissed herself before she's even finished eating and we haven't seen her since!"

"I found her before we left okay? She was the first one to respond to my ad and I figured it'd be hard to find anyone that would be interested in watching that child so I hired her." She says the word child as if she isn't entirely convinced that Callie is one.

"Alright that answers my questions about the quick employment of 'nazi-nanny' but it doesn't explain all of the other strange happenings at dinner time." I say, crossing my arms skeptically.

"Tony, don't call her that, that's awful," Pepper tuts with a whisper, "and I can't explain the dinner part, like I said, Callie is probably just unwell." she shrugs casually.

"She seemed totally fine until she drank that milk!" I huff, "I'm going to go check on her, the whole event left a bad taste in my mouth."

I spin around and start making my way up the stairs towards Callie's room but Pepper leaps off the couch with surprising agility and grasps my arm, "Tony please don't." She pleads desperately.

"Why? What's going on?" I growl in frustration.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to...spend some time with you." She purrs seductively, pulling at my belt buckle.

I swat her hands away angrily, "Knock it off! I know somethings going on, and it's time you told me."

Pepper backs away, running a hand through her hair, "this is better for everyone," she says half-heartedly.

Suddenly the room feels like it's shrinking, and a feeling of utter desperation takes over me, I shake my head blindly and frantically propel my body to Callie's room.