Page 177 of Callan

Not many people sleep sound at night knowing that someone wants them dead.

But maybe he’s right.

My eyes stay locked to his as I grapple with regret.

What he just said hurts.

Not the thing about those people wanting me dead, the other thing about me not having a place in his life. And for a good reason.

One not even I can argue against.

“I don’t want to go home,” I say, and his hand freezes on my cheek, a smile flashing through his eyes.

“Excuse me?”

“Yes. I don’t want to go home,” I reiterate stubbornly.

His touch softens against my cheek while he slowly shakes his head.

“What you want is not possible, Mackenzie…”

His downcast eyes are hardly contradicted by the sadness in his voice.

“It’s just not,” he goes on. “As you can see, you’ve caught me in the middle of something. You made it alive tonight, but that might not be the case the next time someone’s after you…” he says quietly, his eyes burning like embers in dark waters.

“So what’s your plan?” I reply, my voice unsettled with desperation. “Do you think that by staying away from me, you’ll keep me alive?”

He grips my chin, and smiling, he nods a couple of times.

“Yes… Yes, I do.”

“You were away from me, and this still happened.”

“Mackenzie.”

I shut my mouth in resentment before he speaks.

“They’re trying stuff out. Despite taking rigorous precautions, they must’ve known we spent some time together. That’s why they came after you. And then there was your neighbor. She might no longer pose a threat to you, but these people do. I don’t even know what the exact connection between these people is. I need to take care of these things before I bring someone like you into my life. I don’t want you to pay a price for stuff that has nothing to do with you.”

My knees are about to crumble.

I suck in a short breath, running out of arguments.

“It’s New Year’s Eve,” I murmur, looking into the distance.

“Yes, it is,” he says quietly, and I turn my eyes to him.

A faint smile colors his gaze.

“What if we spent this night together…” I suggest. “And then I’ll forever disappear.”

He laughs, and I make a weak attempt to smile, his arm snaking around my shoulders.

“No, you won’t,” he says.

“I will. I promise you.”

He presses his lips against the top of my head before turning pensive.

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