Grant’s POV
I expected a thank you. Maybe a kiss. Hell, even a roll in the hay if luck was on my side.
But apparently, I overestimated myself and underestimated how far gone my girlfriend’s trust was.
If this was the old , the God complex version of Grant Calloway I’m sure she wouldn’t have dared this cold shoulder. She knew better than to cross back then.
But love...
Love makes n do stupid things.
It turns monsters into negotiators. Makes killers ask for permission.
I dropped Nova in front of the hospital and drove off to a nearby hotel to give her space, the space I didn’t even believe she needed.
During the whole ride, she didn’t spare a glance. Not even by mistake, she rather stared out the window with her hand clenched around her phone like she wanted to crush it.
I tried to tell myself it was fine and temporary, that she’s angry and she’ll cool off.
She always does.
But as I sat in the hotel suite watching the city bleed orange through the window blinds, I couldn’t shake the thought that sothing between us had shifted. Like I did sothing wrong.
Still, the sooner she realizes we’re ant to be, the better for both of us.
Now that she’s mine, there’s no way in hell I’m letting her go. Not unless every trace of this feeling, this maddening, possessive hunger is erased. But it won’t be. I’m so sure this thing we share isn’t fickle.
This is forever.
A red line blinked across my phone screen, dragging back to reality.
Shipnt delayed. Or no, I blinked rapidly to be sure I’m seeing things right. No. Shipnt intercepted.
"Fuck," I muttered, snatching my phone and dialing my account manager.
He confird my worst fear: one of my largest shipnts, due today, had been busted halfway through transit.
I didn’t need physical proof to know who was behind it. Only one man was petty and illogical enough to pull a stunt like that.
Luca.
I opened my encrypted contact and typed a quick ssage to an anonymous number who is my mole on the inside.
ssage: "Clean it up. Make it loud enough that Luca bleeds."
I didn’t hit send right away. My thumb hovered over the screen, a small, bitter smile curling on my lips.
"Luca needs to learn when to stop," I said to no one.
I’d barely taken a sip of whiskey when the door swung open.
Ivin barged in without knocking which is never a good sign. His face was pale, his breathing uneven.
"If it’s about the shipnt, I know already," I said, waving him off. I loosened my tie, trying to ease the weight pressing against my throat.
"Not that, boss." His tone made the hairs on my arm stand. "Bad news. It’s about your Texas connect."
My heart stuttered once but I masked it with annoyance, glaring at him. "Spit it out, Ivin. I don’t have all day."
He swallowed hard. "The n your Texas contact hired to handle Sandy were found dead. In a canal. Looks recent."
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my jaw. "Do I look like I care about what karma finally caught up with them? If that’s all you ca here for, you can get the hell out."
I turned back to my laptop, fingers brushing the mouse, but his next words froze mid-motion.
"Your n didn’t handle Sandy, sir. Soone else did."
I stopped breathing. "What are you saying?"
He hesitated. "Their real target was Lena."
The world tilted. My blood ran cold, my pulse thundering in my ears. Lena. My Lena.
"Evidence," I said, my voice cracking through the air. "Before I have your head rolling across this goddamn floor, give evidence."
He flinched. "We’re still tracing it—"
"Evidence!" I roared, slamming my hand against the flimsy bedside table. The wood cracked in half, my laptop hitting the floor and snapping shut like it knew better than to interrupt.
Panic clawed up my chest, sharp and unfamiliar. I might act cold, ruthless even, but when it cos to Lena—my little girl—I draw the line.
She’s all I’ve got.
The one person who still sees as sothing other than a weapon.
I didn’t wait for Ivin to keep stamring.
The rest of the details blurred into noise as I stord out of the room and into the night.
By the ti I reached the hospital, the sky had turned a dull, colorless gray. The waiting room was packed, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, the air thick with disinfectant and grief.
And there she was.
Nova.
She looked like a ghost of herself, her eyes were swollen, shoulders trembling, her face blotchy from crying. My chest tightened. My first instinct was to pull her into , to tell her I’d fix it all, that no one would ever hurt her again.
But we had to keep up the act.
Here, I was the father to her best friend, not her lover, not the man who’d burn down cities for her tears.
"Lena will need to be monitored for a few more days before she’s discharged," the doctor said, flipping through his chart. "A broken arm, so bruises, but she’ll recover."
I nodded absently. The relief was short-lived.
When I stepped back into the waiting room, Nova was crying softly, her face buried in her hands. Katie sat by the window, wiping her eyes with a crumpled tissue, staring at nothing.
I knelt beside Nova and touched her shoulder. "It’s okay," I said quietly. "Lena’s fine."
That did it.Her head snapped up, and sothing inside her broke.
"Lena is fine," she spat, shoving backward, tears streaming freely now. "Lena’s fine but Tyler is dead, Grant! Her boyfriend is dead!"
I blinked, montarily stunned. I hadn’t realized Tyler didn’t make it and since when did they start dating? Didn’t he learn enough from our last eting? And now. Now my focus had been on Lena, the only thing that mattered.
Katie’s sobs grew louder, echoing off the sterile walls. She stumbled out of the room, her cry slicing through the corridor.
"I’m sorry," I said finally, my voice lower, uncertain. "I wasn’t aware—"
Nova’s eyes burned through .
"He died because of you," she hissed, jabbing a trembling finger into my chest. "Because you decided to handle things. You killed them, Grant. I hope you’re happy now."
I stiffened. "Them?"
"Yes, them. Only your precious Lena survived just like you planned!"
Her words hit hard.
For a long mont, I just stared at her, the world narrowing to the sound of her ragged breathing and the hollow thump of my heart.
I wanted to tell her she was wrong. That I’d never—ever—risk my daughter’s life. That every move I made was to keep them both safe.
But the truth was, maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong.Maybe the blood on my hands was starting to spread
Nova’s words hung between For a second, I couldn’t even speak.
"Nova," I started slowly, the muscle in my jaw twitching. "You think I’d plan it to end up like this?"
She laughed short, broken and bitter which was unlike her. "I don’t know what to think anymore. Every ti you say you’re handling soone, soone ends up dead."
Her words were a blow to the gut. I took a step closer, lowering my voice, trying to sound calm even as my pulse thundered.
"I’m not your enemy," I said. "I’d never hurt Lena. I’d never hurt you. But you need to stop letting your emotions cloud the truth. There’s soone else pulling these strings, and I swear to God, I’ll find them."
She turned away, arms folded tight like she was trying to hold herself together.
"Just... stop talking, Grant. Please."
I almost reached for her, but the hallway behind us creaked and I thought it might be Katie but it was a nurse whose uniform swallowed her up.
She nodded politely before disappearing into Lena’s room.
Nova sank into the chair, her body trembling. "I can’t do this," she whispered.
I crouched in front of her, forcing her to look at . "You don’t have to. Let handle it. Just stay close to Lena. Don’t—"
The sound cut off.
A shrill alarm blared through the hallway, loud enough to wake anyone sleeping heavily.
Red lights started flashing above the ergency doors.
Nova’s head snapped toward Lena’s room. Nurses were already rushing in, voices overlapping in panic.
"Code Blue! Room 214—Code Blue!"
My heart stopped.
Lena’s room.
Nova bolted before I could stop her, screaming her friend’s na, but the doors slamd shut before she could get through.
Through the small glass window, I saw the chaos of doctors swarming around the bed, the heart monitor flatlining.
And in the middle of the chaos, the nurse who’d walked in monts ago was gone.
Not a trace of her.
The realization hit . This wasn’t an accident. Soone had gotten to my daughter again. And right under my nose this ti.
I pressed my palm against the glass, my reflection fractured by the red light flashing above .
"Find her," I said to Ivin, who had just arrived, panting from the stairwell. My voice was quiet, struggling to hide the panic and fear that was rushing through .
"The nurse or who ever the fucking impostor is. I don’t care what it takes. Find her."
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