Chapter 54

Callum stood in his office, pacing. His phone had rung twice—once from Julian and then from Theo.

By the time he picked up, Julian’s voice was already razor sharp.

“She was almost taken. Your girl.”

Everything in Callum’s world stilled.

“She’s safe?” His voice barely sounded like his own.

“Yes. Shaken, but safe. I’m bringing her back.”

“No.” Callum’s voice hardened. “She was going to see her sister. She’ll go. With full escort. I’ll meet her there.”

“Callum—”

“I said meet me there.”

He hung up and grabbed his coat.

......................................

Arriving at Manhattan Heights Hospital, Ariana stood outside Charlie’s new private suite, hands trembling. Two of Callum’s guards lingered by the door, their eyes scanning everything and everyone.

She pressed her palm to the glass and saw Charlie resting inside, IV in place, monitors beeping steadily.

Ariana released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She was safe. Charlie was safe.

The door opened behind her.

Callum.

He looked like a storm bottled in a man—shoulders tense, jaw tight, eyes raking over her like he was trying to memorize every line of her face.

“Don’t,” she whispered, voice cracking.

But he stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms anyway.

For a moment, the silence between them said everything.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured into her hair. “I should have had eyes on you. I should’ve told you myself.”

She clutched his shirt tighter. “Someone sent a fake driver. I tried calling you, but there was no signal.”

Callum tensed. “They used a jammer. Professional-grade.”

Her knees buckled, and he caught her.

“I’m pulling you out of Manhattan,” he said against her temple. “After tonight.”

She pulled back, teary and firm. “No. I’m not running. Not when my sister just got here.”

Callum stared at her, seeing a fire that hadn’t been there weeks ago. A strength building.

His hand came to her cheek. “Then I’m going to scorch every shadow until there’s nowhere left for them to hide.”

Their foreheads touched.

But behind his promise, a darker storm loomed.

One that would demand blood.

As Ariana and Callum stepped into Charlie’s room together, Callum’s phone buzzed with a secure encrypted message.

A new photo.

Milanna Prestley.

Smiling with her father.

And behind them—a familiar face.

One of the men who’d tried to abduct Ariana.

Callum’s eyes went cold.

“We have a bigger problem,” he whispered.

.....................

Ariana sat curled up in the lounge chair beside Charlie’s hospital bed, one hand absently brushing her sister’s fingers while she rested. The past few hours had been a blur—adrenaline and fear colliding in her chest with the raw relief of survival. She was glad that Charlie wasn’t awake to notice how shaken up she was.

She didn’t feel like she was ready to explain the dynamics of her relationship with Callum to Charlie just yet. She feared that she would blame herself and Ariana didn’t want any of that.

Callum stood by the window, his phone buzzing relentlessly, but he hadn’t moved to answer it. He was watching her again—like he was afraid that if he blinked, she might disappear.

Ariana glanced up. “You should go. I know you need to.”

Callum hesitated.

“I’ll be fine,” she added, her voice soft but firm. “Julian’s probably already pacing somewhere downstairs. I’ll stay until Charlie wakes up, then head back with him.”

His jaw clenched, and she could see the war happening behind his eyes. She reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be okay.”

Callum nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Call me. For anything. Even if you just want to hear my voice.”

She nodded. He lingered a second longer, thumb brushing her cheek, before finally stepping back.

Outside the hospital, the air was crisp and gray, the clouds hanging low like they knew something was coming. Callum spotted Julian leaning against the black SUV, arms folded, face taut with the usual distrust of the world around him.

“Tell me you’re not about to do what I think you’re about to do,” Julian said, the second Callum approached.

Callum exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “We’ve been playing defense too long. It’s time to make Milanna believe she has a chance.”

Julian straightened, brows pulling together. “A chance at what exactly?”

“At being on the inside,” Callum replied, voice even. “If she thinks I’m willing to negotiate—to consider a future with her, even if it’s a lie—then maybe she starts slipping. Maybe she relaxes enough for us to find out who’s really pulling the strings. Her father isn’t the only one feeding her.”

Julian shook his head, clearly unconvinced. “That’s dangerous. She’s unhinged, Callum. You try to bait her and she’ll bite—but not where you expect. You make her believe there’s something real between you again and she’ll become obsessed. Or worse—vindictive.”

Callum’s eyes darkened. “She already tried to have Ariana taken. This isn’t just about strategy anymore.”

Julian took a step closer. “Exactly why you need to keep your emotions out of this. You’re too close. You want to protect Ariana, I get it—but pulling Milanna into a false sense of intimacy? That’s fire. She’s not dumb. If she gets even a whiff that you’re playing her—”

“I won’t let her get close enough to figure it out.”

Julian scoffed. “You already let her get close once, didn’t you?”

Callum’s silence was enough of a confirmation.

Julian leaned in, voice lower. “There are other ways. Pressure her father. Cut her funding channels. Blacklist her quietly. But do not play emotional roulette with a woman who’s already set on burning your world down.”

Callum glanced away, jaw flexing. “It’s not about emotions. It’s about control.”

Julian’s voice turned sharp. “Then you’d better not let Ariana become collateral damage.”

Callum stiffened at that. The words hit too close.

Julian sighed, backing off just a step. “I’ll support whatever move you make—but make sure it’s calculated. No surprises. No more reaction plays. We move first or we lose.”

Callum nodded slowly. “I’ll reach out to her. I’ll make it sound like reconciliation. Like there’s a window.”

“And if she opens the door wide?”

“Then I burn it all down from the inside.”

........................

Back inside the hospital, Ariana stared out the window of Charlie’s room, watching the familiar cityscape blur in the drizzle. She held Charlie’s hand as her sister slept, grateful for her steady breathing and the soft rise and fall of her chest.

But her thoughts weren’t on the hospital anymore. They were with Callum—wondering where he was going, what demons he had to wrestle while pretending they weren’t real.

He had said so little about his past.

Even less about Milanna.

And yet, every look in his eyes carried a weight that made her ache.

She sighed and pressed her forehead to the window. Whatever he was doing—it wasn’t just for him anymore.

It was for her.

For Charlie.

For something that was beginning to feel dangerously like us.

And she wasn’t sure whether that terrified her… or made her feel more seen than she had in years.