Page 70 of Her Nightshade

“Thank you,” I whispered, relief washing over me.

“I’m not doing this for you,” he said sharply. “I’m doing this for Ana.”

I hesitated. “Are you telling Sloane?”

Callan let out a heavy sigh. “Not yet. She doesn’t need this weighing on her right now. But if Jake so much as hints at her, I’ll handle it. Just keep me updated and I’ll be in D.C. tonight.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding as if he could see me.

“And Charlie?” His tone dropped, colder and sharper. “If you ever pull this kind of shit again—spying, lying, dragging Ana into your mess—I won’t just sit back and let it slide. I’ll make sure you feel every ounce of the damage you’ve caused. Personally. Do you understand me?”

I bit my tongue. Now wasn’t the time to argue with him, especially after asking for his help.

“Fair enough,” I said quietly.

As the call ended, I stared at my phone, my heart pounding.

What the fuck are we going to do?

* * *

I sat alone in a hotel room in D.C., perched on the end chair near the window, staring at a photo of Ana and me on my phone. We were both smiling, my arm wrapped around her, caught in one of those perfect days when it felt like the rest of the world didn’t exist. I’d give anything for another day like that.

This was the longest I’d been without Ana since the night I came to her apartment to make dinner, and it was killing me. My heart physically ached.

I told my team I needed the next day off. I had no idea what the plan was yet, but I knew we’d need time to figure it out. They weren’t happy about it, but the show couldn’t go on without me. They’d have to make do. I’d been busting my ass prepping for the tour, making up lost time, sacrificing precious time with Ana. I couldn’t keep doing that—not anymore, not without her by my side.

A sharp knock at the door broke through my thoughts. Startled, I pocketed my phone and stood.

I opened the door to find Callan standing there, and to my surprise, Sloane was with him.

“Sloane,” I said, taken aback. Her scowl told me everything. “Callan,” I added with a nod before stepping aside to let them in.

Sloane marched past me, her presence electric with frustration. Callan followed, his disdain barely masked as his eyes lingered on me.

“I can’t believe my mom is in this mess,” Sloane said, hands on her hips as she glared out the window. Then she turned, her eyebrows shooting up. “Charlie. What the fuck?”

I sighed, shutting the door behind me. “I know. This is my fault. But I’ll do anything for your mum, Sloane. I’d fucking die for her if I had to. I didn’t know things would get so…so fucked up,” I said, my voice cracking, feeling like the guilt was eating away at my chest.

Her expression softened slightly as I wrung my hands, pacing the room.

“Alright, Charlie. You fucked up. Now let’s fix this,” Callan said, his arms crossed as he stood next to Sloane by the window. “What exactly does Jake know, and what’s he threatening Ana with?”

I hesitated, sinking back into the chair. “Like I said…I hired someone to watch him. The same guy I used to hire you. But Jake knew all along. He knows about Sarah. He knows about…” I glanced at Sloane, then back at Callan. “About what you’re going through.”

Callan’s jaw tightened. “Sloane knows, Charlie,” he muttered.

Sloane shifted uncomfortably, her eyes dropping to the floor before meeting mine. “What were you gonna do with all this, Charlie? Why were you watching my dad?”

“I don’t know!” I snapped, the words spilling out louder than I intended. “I wanted to take down anyone who hurt Ana. I didn’t have a plan.”

“And you wanted to take me down because you thought I was threatening your relationship,” Callan interjected coldly.“Because I was suspicious of you, Charlie. Turns out I had every fucking reason to be. Now look at this. Look at this fucking mess.”

“Okay, stop,” Sloane said, raising her hands. “Let’s stop blaming Charlie. It’s clear he didn’t mean any harm,” she said, pausing briefly. “At least…not to my mom.”

Callan huffed but didn’t argue. “So Jake’s threatening to expose you,” he said, his tone still sharp but less cutting. “He’s threatening to tell Sloane about my relapse, which is fucking cruel. What else?”

I exhaled shakily. “He said he could do to me what he did to Sarah.”

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