Page 69 of Her Nightshade

You have to trust me. I’ll call you when it’s safe.

Her message sat on my screen, feeling like hope and a curse, pulling me in opposite directions. My fingers hovered over my phone, desperate to respond, to keep some sort of connection. But I couldn’t. Not without putting her at greater risk.

Ana had given me the address of the lake house but she made it clear: Jake was always one step ahead. If I acted impulsively, it wouldn’t just put her in danger…it would unravel everything.

And I hated to admit it, but I needed help.

The thought twisted in my stomach like a blade. I hated admitting I couldn’t handle this on my own, hated the vulnerability of reaching out. But there was no other option. I wasn’t going to jeopardize Ana’s safety because of my pride.

I scrolled to his name and hitcall.

He picked up after two rings.

“Charlie,” Callan’s voice came through, sharp and cautious. “What do you want?”

“It’s Ana,” I said quickly. “She’s in trouble. I need your help.”

Callan’s tone shifted immediately, the caution replaced by urgency. “What kind of trouble? Where is she?”

“She’s at the lake house in Maryland. With Jake,” I said, forcing the words out. “He’s blackmailing her, threatening her. But it’s more complicated than that. I need to tell you everything, and it’s not going to be easy to hear.”

“Then start fucking talking,” he snapped.

I hesitated, my throat tightening. “I’ve been watching you,” I admitted, the words heavy with guilt and embarrassment.

“What do you mean, ‘watching me’?” Callan asked, his voice hardening.

“I was keeping tabs on you,” I said quickly. “Trying to find dirt, something I could use to make you back off. I thought if I had leverage, I could stop you from interfering in my relationship with Ana.”

The silence stretched, and I looked at my phone to make sure he was still on the line.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Callan said finally, his voice low and cold. “You were spying on me?”

“Yes,” I answered quickly. “I know it was wrong, but I was desperate. Every time you questioned me, it felt like you were trying to turn Ana against me. I thought if I could get you to stop—”

“Fucking unbelievable,” he interrupted.

“There’s more,” I said quickly. “I…I know about your relapse.”

His silence was deafening.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Charlie,” he said finally, his tone like ice. “So, you’ve been sitting on this? Spying on me, digging into my life, knowing I was struggling? What the fuck were youdoing, laughing about it until you could throw me under the bus?”

“I didn’t know what I was going to do with it,” I admitted. “But Jake knows too. He’s using it against Ana, threatening to tell Sloane.”

There was a sharp breath on the other end, but Callan didn’t interrupt, so I forced myself to continue. “And Sarah,” I added, my stomach churning. “I hired someone to scare her in jail. I just wanted to make sure she couldn’t hurt Ana, or Sloane, again. But Jake somehow knew. He escalated it. He’s the one that had her killed, Callan. And now he’s using that, too.”

More silence. When Callan finally spoke, his voice was calm but laced with fury.

“So, let me get this straight,” he said. “You spied on me, hired someone to intimidate Sarah, which got her killed, and now you’re coming to me for help?”

“Yes,” I said, the admission heavy on my chest. “I fucked up, Callan. I know I did. But Ana’s in danger, and…I can’t fix this on my own.”

There was another pause, and then his tone softened, though I could still hear the frustration. “Where are you?”

“My loft,” I said quickly.

“I’ll catch the next flight out. Meet me in D.C—it’s closer to the lake house. We’ll need to go over everything before we make a move.”

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