Page 26 of Callum

I don’t have the energy or the patience to deal with what awaits me on the other side of my front door, but I know I can’t spend the night standing on the porch in the dark. Pushing my way into the house, I’m greeted by Rosalind, blatantly pretending to sleep in a chair on the opposite side of the room. She still has that knife clutched in her hand, but she’s wearing the clothes I got for her.

I’m calling it a win because I can’t be fucked to deal with it otherwise.

“Rough day, Consigliere?” Theo’s soft voice comes from deep within the shadows of the hall. When he steps into the kitchen’s light, there’s a small smile on his face.

“You have no idea,” I shoot him an annoyed look that only makes him smile brighter. “How long has she been like that?”

“She’s been in the chair since you left, but she fell asleep around an hour ago.”

“Did she eat?”

Theo’s silence is answer enough, and I shake my head in annoyance. “I’m sorry if she caused you trouble.”

“None at all, Consigliere.”

“Good,” I move toward the kitchen, meeting him in the middle ground between the island and the couch. “I spoke to Grady, and I think he’s alright. You might give him a call sometime soon, though.”

“Thank you.” He looks relieved that his brother isn’t going to accidentally walk into what is sure to become an active war zone over the next few weeks, but there is sadness in his eyes as well. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m leaving in the morning,” I pat a comforting hand on the big man’s shoulder. “Get some rest, and thank you again for doing this.”

He waves a hand in acknowledgment on his way out, and I watch him disappear down the street before carefully closing the door. “Are you going to continue pretending to sleep in that chair, or would you like an actual bed to sleep in?”

Part Two: Two Truths and A Lie

GINETTA RICCI

“The GiGi”

Five Days Ago

“Bullshit.”

“I’m no–”

“Shut the fuck up, Ginetta.” Dodge Roman snarls my name from his seat at the head of the Table. I want to say I’ve never seen him this angry, his skin blotchy and eyes feral, but he’s always this angry. It’s the only setting he has.

Dodge leans back in his chair, his faithful brothers at his side. It doesn’t escape my notice that Ford isn’t at the table. She isn’t even in the room. Dickheads like this, the ones who underestimate the power of women, are precisely why I wanted to start this gang.

Pride wells in my chest until I remember why I’m here. My attention turns to the women on my side of the Table. Harlowe is on my left, her terror evident even as she tries to hide it. An unsurprising response from my “third in command”. I know the Silent Killer is on my right, but I don’t look at her. I don’t need to. Kyler and I have faced down worse men than Dodge Roman together.

“You’re claiming that the MacAlisters–”

“Callum MacAlister.” Chevy cuts in from Dodge’s right, his eyes never leaving my face. He licks his lips, and the overwhelming urge to vomit surges through my body. Men are fucking disgusting. I will never understand what some women see in them.

“Right,” Dodge huffs a heavy breath through his nose, and I half expect smoke to pour from his nostrils. “You’re claiming the Great Doctor, Callum MacAlister, is responsible for my Red gathering information on the RMF?”

Chevy seems to take issue with him saying “my Red”, but Dodge ignores him.

It’s times like this when I wish I weren’t the face of this gang. When I wish I could have been the one to dip into the shadows, to pull the strings from behind the veil.

It’s times like this that prove why I shouldn’t be pulling any strings.

Blaming this on Callum had felt like a stroke of genius when he was gone from Forest Falls. I had expected Dodge to realize Rosalind wasn’t coming back to him time and time again because he had some magic cock, but apparently, men are even dumber than I thought. Callum was back by the time Dodge figured it out, and I hadn’t managed to come up with a plan B.

“That is what happened, sir.” It physically pains me to show deference to this scumbag, but we have to paint the GiGi’s in line with the Romans, or we’re fucked.

Dodge watches me for a long moment, his dark eyes darting across my face. “I don’t believe you.”

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