Hush by Jess Wygle Read Free Book Online

car,” I said.  I was rambling.  I ramble when I’m nervous.  Why was I nervous?
    “Thank you.  I had a Range for a while, but it’s too much for me.  I’m more of a car guy than an SUV guy.”
    “Yeah, a lot of guys drive those big cars to intimidate.  I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
    Callem looked over at me.  “You think I’m intimidating?”
    “Yes.  Yes I do.  You’ve never intimidated me, but when you were scolding Damien last night, I was scared for him.  In your line of work though, I’m sure having a quality like that comes naturally; effortlessly.  It works for you.  By the way, I hope you didn’t lose any clients because of what you did last night.  Now that I’ve seen what he’s really like, I can see Damien bad mouthing you and your business.”
    “I’m not worried about it.  Anyone who’s close enough to Damien to take his word on my services, whatever he has to say about them, isn’t anyone I want to work for anyway.  I know you’d probably like to see him get in trouble for what he did last night.  I can’t thank you enough for saving my neck.”
    I shook my head.  “That’s a little backward, don’t you think?  You don’t need to thank me.  You did the noblest thing of the night.”
    When we arrived at the restaurant, Callem hurried around to my door to open it for me as well as the door to the restaurant.  We were seated at a table next to the large windows peering out to the Pacific.  The moonlight reflected on the rolling waters and if you listened closely enough, you could hear the song of the ocean humming through the windows.
    “So how long have you been doing what you do?”  I asked Callem after our server took our orders.
    “Well, my father started the business so I’ve had my part in it since I was a teen,” Callem explained.  “After high school, I joined the Army and was away for about seven years.”
    “Are you still in the Army?”
    Callem shook his head.  “No, I got an honorable discharge for medical reasons.  I was doing a 10 mile ruck march and when I got back to the barracks, I took my boots off and my feet swelled up.  I was immobile for about a month.  It took the army doctors that long to diagnose me with reflexive sympathetic dystrophy.”
    I nodded.  “RSD.  That’s a fairly rare disease which could have accounted for the lengthy diagnosis.”
    “That’s what they told me, too,” Callem continued.  “So I came home and started working for my dad.  He died almost eight years ago now.  I took over operations with his passing.  Since taking over, I’ve really expanded the company.  A lot of the men I have working for me are former military or cops.  I have a few guys who fought MMA professionally and a few were personal security guards at one time.  We’re in four different states right now and looking to grow.”
    “Were you a pilot in the Army?  I guess I don’t even know.  Does the Army have pilots?”
    “No.  I actually got my pilot’s license before I got my driver’s license.  Since my father had the planes and jets, I grew up around them and I’ve always wanted to fly so I learned young.  He taught me.  I was actually an Army Ranger.”
    “Oh okay.  Don’t you have to take a number of extra courses and training for that?”
    “Yeah.  There’s a program in Fort Benning, GA that I went to.  It’s pretty elite, the Rangers are to the Army as the SEALS are to the Navy.  I was only a Ranger for about two years before I got hurt.  What about you?”
    I shrugged.  “The most interesting facts of my life you heard last night on the car ride to Staples.”
    “I’m sure that’s not true.  You’re probably one of the youngest doctors in the state, maybe in the country, right?  That’s pretty interesting.  How old are you anyway?”
    There was that question again.  “I’m twenty-one.”
    Callem’s eyes bulged for a second.  “Twenty-one?!  You’re kidding me.