Page 65 of Catalyst

“You mean the one you fucking abandoned?” Kane challenged, standing toe to toe with the man. “Why the fuck are you even here? You don’t care about Callie.”

“I care more than you could ever understand. Now, tell me where she is before I treat you like the villain you are.”

Kane scoffed as shadows collected around his fingers, but Callie’s mom stepped between them, planting a hand on either of their chests. She seemed far too tense to be around her husband, almost like she was scared of him, but I chalked that up to the situation.

“Flynn, that’s the boy I told you about… The one who’s been taking good care of Calista for us.” She shot me an almost pleading smile.

His icy gaze flicked to me, and I stood, looping my arm in Kane’s.

“She’s uh… the baby’s making her sick.” I tried to be strong, but a sob forced itself to the surface.

I expected that statement to cause her father to worry more. But as his nostrils flared, and he rolled his eyes, I realized it wasn’t the case.

“I told her to abort thatthingfor a reason,” he said, turning to look down at his wife. “Why the hell did I letyouconvince me she could keepit.”

My nerves went taut as Flynn’s words hit me like a slap to the face. Callie was fighting to stay alive, and his first thought was to call her son–our son–athing? Fucking heroes.

The shadows coiled tighter around Kane’s hands as the muscles in his jaw bunched. “If youevertalk about Sawyer like that again, I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Hey… Can wenotthreaten the country’s most feared crime fighter?” I whispered, pressing my lips to the shell of Kane’s ear.

I didn’t like the guy any more than he did, but I didn’t exactly crave the feeling of Flynn Voltaris punching me.

“Oh, you mean like how you degenerates are killing my daughter?” Flynn scoffed. “When I kicked her out, she was meant to be gone a day, realizeIwas right, and then follow my orders. But you two filled her head with the idea she didn’t need her family.”

“Weareher family,” Kane barked.

“You two arenothing.”

Kane tensed, and I slipped my hand to his, using my hemomancy to keep him anchored in place.

“Hownobleof the whore and the thief toprotectmy daughter.” Flynn continued. “I’ve had the entire medical team at Aegis dedicated to finding a way to keep heralive, but I’m sure she doesn’t need us.”

Flynn tugged on his wife.

“Come on, Ruby, obviously, Calista doesn’t need us. She hasthem.” He gestured to us, before turning to leave.

My heart dropped as I prepared for them to go and possibly take Callie’s chance of survival with them. What the fuck were we supposed to do? Should I chase them? Beg on my knees for their help?

Ruby started to walk away, her steps much slower than her husband’s, before she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Her emerald eyes glimmered with tears.

“We can’t abandon our daughter.” She breathed, tugging on her husband.

“Ruby… she made her choice, and now she’s suffering the consequences.”

“But what if sheunmakes her choice? What if we can convince her to come home?”

“She doesn’t need tounmake her choice,” Kane barked. “What sheneedsis for you to stop treating her like a fucking pawn and–”

I clamped a hand over his mouth. No part of me wanted to send Callie home or convince her to marry TJ, but this wasn’t something our pride could win. This was life or death, and I couldn’t risk Callie dying just because we loved her.

Chapter 21

Callie

My gaze stayed fixed on the ceiling—at least, I assumed it was the ceiling. It was hard to tell, seeing as my tears blurred everything around me. The cooling blanket on top of me was heavy and uncomfortable, and all I could focus on was the softwhooshingnoise of the water running through it.

Sawyer was squirming, and I knew that meant he was okay. But, as much as I loved my son, that fact made me a little sad because I knewIwasn’t okay.

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