Claimed by My One Time Crush

Chapter Five

Callan’s POV

Heading back to the office, everyone’s orders nestled in a take out bag on my passenger seat, I swear under my breath as my phone starts to ring, the word ASSHOLE coming up on my car display that’s hooked to my cell.

Sighing as I pray to the Gods to give me the patience of a saint, I press the green button on my steering wheel to answer the call.

‘Hello Father’ I greet him curtly, flicking the indicator as I check behind me and move across a lane.

‘Callan’ my father mutters back, his voice the same as always, aloof, confident with just a smidgeon of disappointment that is reserved just for me. I should be thankful, it’s better than the disdain that laces his words when he speaks to anyone that he deems lesser than the mighty Howdell family, which is pretty much anyone who doesn’t have the amassed fortune of my parents.

It matters not that everything my father has was handed down through the family, that he actually did nothing that amazing to warrant the huge mansion and multi billion dollar company that he runs.

‘How are you?’ I ask, not really caring but it’s expected and the lecture that would follow my disrespect would be long and arduous which I’m really not in the mood for right now.

‘The stocks raised point five’ my father replies gruffly as I silently roll my eyes. I asked how he was, not how the damn company was fairing but as always, the company IS Conrad Michael Hownell, if it is doing well, he is doing well.

‘Great’ I mutter, moving toward the turning that will take me back to Cadell Security.

‘You have not been to the house for a while’ my father grumbles, ‘your mother has commented.’

I swallow down a laugh that chokes my throat, my mother noticed? I was raised by the help, she barely saw me through my childhood let alone spent time with me. I’m pretty sure that when I moved out, the chef noticed before my parents did.

‘I’ve been busy’ I retort, unable to keep the bite out of my voice.

‘Watch your tone Callan’ my father barks angrily, ‘come and see your mother.’

I sigh heavily, ‘why?’ I ask bitterly, ‘hasn’t she got a bridge game to attend or one of her charity events to organise?’

‘Your mother’s charity events are very important’ Father growls warningly, ‘it’s important to give back with how fortunate we are.’

This time I can’t hold back my derisive laugh, but the thought of my father spouting this crap is too much even for me. Mother does these events to impress her clique, she couldn’t give a stuff about what the cause is. Father donates a gross amount of money to whatever her whim of the month is so he can write it off. Neither of them do anything that doesn’t serve themselves or the Howdell family name.

‘You will come to the house Callan’ my father continues, cutting off my bitter thoughts. ‘You will be expected to arrive on Saturday morning at ten am, I have an hour before an important telephone call in which to deal with you.’

My fingers tighten around the steering wheel as I fight for control of my anger, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself. That’s my life, just another issue that needs to be shoehorned into my parents' busy schedule and dealt with.

‘Fine’ I grit out, pressing the end call button before my father can respond again knowing I’m going to pay for my rudeness on the weekend but not able to convince myself to give a s.hit right now.

Pulling up outside of the new office building, I can’t help the smile that graces my face as I look over the large, modern building in front of me.

Cadell Security, my home away from home where I work with my two best friends doing what I love, helping people. I always hoped that we’d expand further, use some of our skills and maybe tap into the search and rescue aspect of security. With the clientele we have, kidnappings of family members and staff is always a possibility but the company doesn’t have the man power or resources to help in these situations. We’ve had more than one previous client contact us when something has happened and we’ve had no choice but to turn them away.

My best friend Gage and I were heavily into rescue missions during our time in the Army, and though he doesn’t talk about it, I’m sure that Harrison was in a similar line as a Marine. We have the background to really make a difference just not the financial backing.

I huff out a breath, resting my forehead against the steering wheel as I slowly breathe in and out. Helping people, thats all I wanted to do, from a kid, I was drawn to it. See a kid getting picked on, I had to step in, throw punches until the kids involved backed off. Once I bumped into a little girl crying, her mom had given her two dollars for an ice cream and she’d lost the money. Her mom was a single parent and she rarely had extra for something like this. The kid had three brothers and if their mom had a good night on tips, they took turns being the one to get a treat. The kid had been planning to share her day with her siblings, wanting to buy an ice cream bar so she could cut it up and was distraught that she could no longer do so.

My heart had hurt for the girl, and I had taken that kid to the shop and bought her ice creams for her entire family with my own money. Her tears had dried and thanking me profusely she'd run down the street, clutching those ice creams like they were prized possessions and i'd watched her go, hoping that even if just for today, her mom and her brothers had a slightly happier day.

I absolutely hated the fact I had money practically falling out of my pockets and there were kids like that girl who was lucky to get two dollars a month to spend on herself. My parents had always thrown dollar bills at me, maybe it was a way to compensate for how they had no hand in raising me or maybe it was about how the Hownell heir couldn't possibly be seen as anything other than the rich b.astard that I am. Either way, I had never found as much joy in my life as that little girl did as I handed her those damn ice creams and she knew she could make her brothers happy.

The army was the closest I ever got to feeling how that kid did, the day I passed through basic training and was sent on my first deployment with Gage, my best friend, at my side. I saw terrible things, people living lives that no one should ever be subjected to and knowing I helped even a handful get away from the horrors that they saw every day? That feeling of accomplishment? that was probably the day that I truly felt like I was doing something worthy, like I maybe deserved to be here, on the Earth, living and breathing.

When I returned home, I was lost, memories of the tortures of war and the people I couldn't save etched into my mind like unhealing scars. The faces of innocent men, women and children who were thrown into a world they didn't ask for, didn't want, but had no choice but to live. The dead vacant eyes of babies that we found to late, women with their dresses torn away, throats slit, the terror still in their faces will follow me to my grave.