Page 104 of Wicked Duty
“I’m not sure what you mean.” My uninviting tone does nothing to lessen their enthusiasm. In fact, Harper digs into herpocket, finds something on her phone, and shows me with an even bigger smile on her face.
“If I were you, I’d get this one framed.”
Paparazzi photos. Callum and me on our “date.”
I grab Harper’s phone, cold tendrils of horror snaking down my spine.
There’s one of us walking through Times Square, another of us eating pizza, a third of us with the waffle cone. They’ve got images of us holding hands, laughing. Everything.
They’re all over Instagram. TikTok.TMZreported on it. How doesTMZeven know who I am?
The paparazzi must’ve been tailing us all day, and neither of us noticed a damn thing. Super odd that Callum didn’t see them, given it’s his job. But I don’t have time to stew on that.
Those photos. They’re everywhere.
Anyone who follows fashion or reality shows will see them. They’ll know Callum and I are…I don’t even know what we are, but it sure looks like we’re something in these pictures.
What if Viktor…
I bury that worry and pass Harper’s phone back in silence. Understanding that I’m not ready to spill the tea about my bodyguard, she flicks to a new reel and starts chatting with Riley.
I hate knowing those photos exist out there in the wild. But in the end, a few pictures of me on a date with a gorgeous man won’t tank my career.
All my concern is reserved for Callum. I doubt Darren will find Callum’slack of professionalismcharming. Maya’s bound to have a few choice words for the pair of us too.
My jitters reach critical mass, pushing me to my feet. “Nika? I need to see Callum.”
Nika stands, her brow wrinkling over my obvious distress. “I’ll take you to him.”
She tosses concerned glances at my profile as we walk. Aside from Maya, Nika’s the only person who understands that behind my tough mask, I’m clinging by a thread.
She weaves us through several hallways, the last one ending in a wall of glass. As we draw near, the outline of double doors appears. Beyond them, a spacious outdoor patio materializes. A massive, ornately carved stone table dominates a spot near the railing, overseeing a set of stairs that leads to some wild and colorful gardens.
Callum and another man sit at the table while a few others stand.
I pause near the doors.
Nika twists around to look at me. “Lucy?”
My heart stutters.
He didn’t steal the wallet. He wouldn’t. Someone else must have. He’s probably just talking about the hotel breach and discussing Viktor’s movements.
My feet feel cemented to the floor, but I can’t stay here forever. I can’t spend the rest of my life wondering.
I need to know if Callum betrayed me.
Even if the truth kills me.
Chapter 40
Callum
Soaking up the sun, Shane Gallagher lounges with deceptive calm at the head of a terrace table that’s grand enough to serve as a king’s official desk. I sit across from him, waiting while he connects the crypto wallet to a sleek black laptop. The only other people within earshot are a few scattered guards.
When I arrived, Shane left his meeting with his son, Finn, Kellin Brennan—a cousin to the twins, I was told—and a couple of other associates so I could speak with him in relative privacy. Shane Gallagher isn’t the type of man you interrupt without good reason, so I exhaled a sigh of relief when he told Finn to take over and excused himself without another word.
Accessing the crypto wallet must rank higher than locating Nolan Doyle, their missing accountant.
