VISIT FILEDB.IO FOR MORE FREE
I f If I had known I was going to die tonight, I would have worn sexier underwear. Or at the very least, I would have dressed in something much nicer than mismatched pajamas full of holes and bleach stains.
My mother is probably lecturing me from heaven right now, wondering where she went wrong in raising me.
Forgive me mommy. She should have listened to him.
I make a quick sign of the cross before aiming my gun at the shadow standing at the open door. My heart pounds furiously in my chest, the duration between beats growing smaller by the second. “I’ll give you until the count of five to get out of my house before I shoot. One two…”
“Shit.” Something heavy bangs against the wall before a switch flips on, flooding the entrance to the house with light.
My grip on the gun tightens as I come face to face with the one person I never thought I’d see again. Our gazes collide. Her blue eyes trace the shape of my face like an invisible caress, sending a rush of heat through my body.
Despite the alarm blaring in my head warning me to stay away from him, I can’t resist staring at all six feet, four inches of Callahan Kane. Everything about him feels familiar, even the pain in my chest that never went away, even after he did it.
His calm smile.
His unruly dirty blonde hair, always unkempt and crying out to be tamed.
His blue eyes the color of the clearest sky, shining like the surface of the lake under the midday sun.
It’s been over six years since I last saw him. Six long years that have hardened me enough to detect his charm for exactly what it is.
A trap.
If I look closely, I can detect the cracks in her façade that she tries to hide behind her beauty and charm. She was always careful to let people look too closely at the broken person beneath her mask. It was what caught my attention in the first place and what resulted in my downfall.
I was twenty-three when he broke my heart, but the pain feels like it happened yesterday. Instead of ignoring it, I lean into the pain and use it to fuel my anger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” click.
His smile falters before returning to its place. “Excited to see me?” I gesture with my free hand for her to move forward. “Fascinated. Why don’t you come a little closer so I can take a better photo? I’d hate to miss an important organ.”
His eyes flicker from my face to the gun in my hand. “Do you even know how to shoot that thing?
My eyes narrow. “Do you want to find out?” “Where did you get that?”
“A gift from my mom.” My chest swells.
His eyebrows rise towards his hairline. “Did Mrs. Castillo buy you a gun? Because?”
I lower the gun and activate the safety. “She always said that a woman should be two things: armed and dangerous.”
His mouth opens. “I thought he was joking about having a gun to keep us in line.”
“Not everyone grew up in a small, safe Chicago suburb with a rotation of babysitters and a full-service staff.”
“The same can be said for those who grew up in a happy little summer vacation town where you can buy the local cop with booze and a crispy Benjamin.”
I frown. “For his information, Sheriff Hank officially retired last year.”
“A shame for delinquent teenagers everywhere.” Her bright smile widens.
Butterflies take flight in my belly. With the way my stomach sinks and dips, it feels like thousands of them are waking up after spending the last six years trapped in their cocoons.
He broke your heart. He starts acting like it.
The muscles in my shoulders tense. “Are you planning to explain what you’re doing by breaking into my house, or are we just going to stay here all night?”
“Your house?” Her forehead wrinkles. “I think you are wrong. “My grandfather could have let your family stay here because your mother takes care of the property, but you are not the owner.”
My mother not only took care of the Kane house, she loved it as if it were her own ever since Brady Kane hired her to manage the property and help care for his grandchildren.
He left the property to you , not her.
My chest beats. “According to the deed to your grandfather’s house, I do.” Her body stiffens. “What do you mean?”
“That’s between him and me.”
“Since I can’t go ask him to explain since he’s six feet under and all, I’m going to need you to explain.”
The pain over my heart intensifies. “He said this is my property, and I have the right to shoot anyone who questions otherwise.”
He crosses his arms against his chest, drawing my eyes to the taut muscles beneath his shirt. Now I know you’re lying. My grandfather always hated guns.
“So how do you explain his little collection in the attic?” She rubs her chin. “What collection?”
My head tilts. “Maybe you didn’t know your grandfather as well as you think.” “Oh, and you did?” Her laugh comes out condescending.
I lift my chin. “He spent every summer here until his accident, so yeah, I think I know him better than the person who didn’t even bother to call on his birthday.”
His eyes drift away. “He and I weren’t exactly on speaking terms before his coma.”
“I wonder why.” Sarcasm seeps into my voice.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I made a lot of mistakes the last time I was here.” “Do you like hanging out with me?”
The muscle in his jaw flexes. “I shouldn’t have chased you the way I did.”
My chest may feel like Cal has stabbed it with a serrated knife, but my face remains devoid of emotion, a skill honed over the years.
“No, you really shouldn’t have.” My fingers tighten around the handle of the gun.
I’m sorry I ruined our friendship.
The invisible knife twists, sinking deeper into my flesh. “Dating didn’t ruin our friendship. Your addictions did it.
Analgesics. Alcohol. sex _ Cal used them all to escape the demons in his head, and I was too stupidly in love to see otherwise.
You can’t blame yourself when he was a master at hiding it.
However, I still struggle to believe the words I tell myself. My throat gets tight from years of repressed emotions, making it difficult to swallow.
His jaw clenches and his sharp bone structure stands out even more. “Believe it or not, I didn’t drive here to fight with you about our past.” “So why exactly did you come here?” Of the hundred questions I want to ask you, that feels like the safest.
“I came to see the house.”
“After six years? Why?” “Because I plan to sell it.”
I blink twice. “No. Absolutely not happening.”
“Lana—” Her use of the old nickname has my dead heart sparking with recognition.
No wonder he thought you were so easy last time. All it takes is a silly nickname to let your guard down.
“Do not call me that way”. My lips pull back.
“ Alana ,” he corrects himself with a small frown. “I don’t know what my grandfather told you, but you must have misunderstood.”
“Right. Of course, you assume I must have misunderstood.” His eyes narrow. “Now you’re just being difficult.”
“As opposed to what? Naive and stupid like last time?
He ignores my outburst and continues. “We can easily clear this up. Where is the writing?
I pause and consider the disadvantages of giving in to his request.
The sooner you show him the writing, the sooner he will leave.
“I’ll go find him.” I move towards the stairs before shooting him a glance over my shoulder. “Don’t leave that place.”
And risk giving you a reason to shoot me? I’m fine.”
My answer hangs on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it. That’s the thing about Cal. He can make anyone forget that they’re mad at them just by cracking a joke and flashing a smile. It’s his greatest superpower and my personal kryptonite.
You are more prepared now.
Or at least I hope it is.
I run upstairs and lock my gun in the safe before searching my documents for the writing. It only takes me a minute to find it jammed among some other important legal documents.
Cal checks my hands as I walk down the stairs. “No firearms this time?”
I shrug. “I know five different ways to kill a man with my bare hands, so it’s not like I really need it.”
His golden skin turns pale. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
I wish I was. My mom sent me to Colombia to visit my uncle one summer, and he had no idea how to entertain me other than making me work on his farm and teaching me mixed martial arts. I returned a month later with a black belt in kicking ass and enough survival skills to compete on one of those outdoor reality shows.
I place the deed on the entry table and point to Brady’s signature. “There. Just like I said.”
Cal stands next to me as he looks over the writing. He’s careful to keep his distance from her while he reads, but when he shifts his weight, our arms accidentally brush against each other. A current of energy runs through my body. He is quick to tuck his arms behind his back, though the lingering effect of his touch remains. It’s been six years, but my body reacts as if he left yesterday.
My frown deepens.
Cal’s head shakes after reading the entire page. “I’m sorry, but any writing I gave you is out of date.” He points to the date written next to Brady’s signature. “This was signed before his updated will.”
“What will he do?”
“The one he rewrote before his accident.”
My throat feels like Cal is wrapping his hands around it and squeezing.
No, that’s not possible. “I’m going to call your lawyer right now so we can clear this up.” I move towards the stairs, desperate to go up and grab my phone.
Cal looks at his fancy watch. “It’s almost midnight. I doubt Leo would answer a call right now.
I curse under my breath.
Put your hands in your pockets. I will contact him in the morning so we can resolve this before the real estate agent comes by. “What real estate agent?”
“The one I hired to help me sell the house.”
“Exactly what part of ‘I’m not selling my house’ are you not understanding?”
“The fact that you’re referring to the house as yours to begin with.”
My fingers curl around each other, forming two tight fists to avoid wrapping them around his thick neck.
His eyes fall to my clenched hands before returning to my face. “I think until we get a valid explanation from the lawyer, we should postpone this. It’s late and we’re not going anywhere. The front door creaks when he opens it.
“Wait.” I extend my hand. “Give me your key.”
He ignores me as he drags his luggage inside. “I do not go anywhere.”
“Well, you sure as hell aren’t staying here,” I stammer.
“Where do you expect me to go?”
“The motel on Main Street probably has a spare room, plus they now have Wi-Fi and color TV.”
His lips part. You can not be serious. They once caught a serial killer there.
My eyes roll. “Actually, he didn’t commit any murders on the property.”
“Oh, that makes it all better then.”
“Mommy, who is that?” Camila calls from the top of the stairs. Her wide blue eyes look at Cal before her gaze moves back. to mine.
I dismiss her without thinking about any of that. “No one important. Go back to bed, please.
Cal’s wide eyes move from Cami to me. “Who the hell is that and why does she call you mommy ?”
“Don’t curse in front of my son.” My whisper comes out more like a hiss. “Kid? How old is she?” Cal trips over her feet in an attempt to get away from me, though she scrambles to regain her balance.
“Five!” Cami raises her hand like she’s waiting for someone to high-five her.
All color drains from his face as he reaches the wall. “Five. That’s… She’s… We…
“It’s not—” My response is cut off when his eyes roll to the back of his head.
His legs give way beneath him and his body falls forward. “Shit!” I reach for him.
Our limbs tangle as we both fall. I’m out of breath as I crash onto the worn wooden floor. Cal’s head crashes into my stomach, which hurts more than expected but softens his fall. I’m not able to catch his head in time before he falls off my lap and hits the floor. Cal doesn’t flinch as he lies on the ground, completely unconscious.
“Shit. That’s going to hurt.” I roll his limp body toward me before lifting his head onto my lap.
“Oooh. Mommy has to put money in the swear jar.
I have a feeling a swear jar is the least of my worries now that Callahan Kane came back into my life with a deadly smile and a big problem.
