Page 28 of Nocturne

“Callahan,” I call softly. “Look at this.”

He joins me, standing close enough that I can feel his body heat. Together we study the partially obscured markings—symbols I recognize from Elizabeth’s diary. Symbols that seem to call to me like something from my past.

My blood runs cold. Elizabeth had stumbled onto something far worse than Cohen’s criminal operations. I know it.

“What is it?” Callahan asks, voice low.

“They’re the same ones in her diary,” I say, tracing the air above one symbol without touching the wall. “Some kind of…cult symbols, maybe? A weird religion?”

Before he can respond, a noise from outside freezes us both. Car doors slamming. Multiple footsteps approaching.

Callahan’s hand finds the small of my back, guiding me toward the rear exit. “Time to go,” he whispers.

We slip out the back door just as the front entrance crashes open. Keeping low, we make our way along the building’s edge to the narrow gap between warehouses. The voices inside are muffled, but the tone is unmistakable—anger, urgency.

One voice rises above the others, accented and commanding. “Someone was here. Check the surrounding buildings.”

Callahan pulls me into the shadow of a loading dock as footsteps circle the building. His body shields mine, arm braced against the wall beside my head. We’re close enough that I can count his heartbeats, feel the warmth of his breath against my hair.

For a moment, the danger recedes, and all I’m aware of is his proximity—the slight tremor in his muscles, the scent of his skin, the way his gaze drops briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes. It’s all-consuming, taking over every cell in my body, slowly but surely. When he moves slightly, I swear I feel the hard press of his cock against my thigh, making my mouth water.

The moment stretches, electric and dangerous. I find myself leaning imperceptibly closer, drawn by something beyondphysical attraction. Something deep and primal that’s been hiding in my blood.

His free hand rises, hesitating just shy of touching my face.

Do it, I think.Touch me. Kiss me. Fuck me.

Part of me is scared I might reach him, might compel him.

Scared he might do it.

The spell breaks at the sound of approaching footsteps. A man in a dark suit appears at the end of the alley, scanning the shadows. He looks directly at our hiding place, but his gaze slides past without recognition.

After he moves on, we remain frozen for several breaths.

“Friend of yours?” Callahan whispers, still pressed close.

“Not that I know,” I reply. “We should separate. They’re probably looking for me, not you.”

He frowns. “I’m not leaving you?—”

“I can handle myself,” I interrupt. “Trust me.”

His reluctance is palpable. “You sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m a big girl. I’ve survived this long. And being seen with me right now will only lead to trouble.”

He nods, conceding. “Be careful, Lena.”

The use of my first name startles me. More startling still is how natural it sounds in his voice.

It feels like a song.

“Always am,” I murmur, slipping from beneath his arm.

I make my way back to my car through a maze of side streets, mind racing with implications. The symbols on the wall, the blood, strange men searching the warehouse—it all connects to Elizabeth’s murder, I’m certain of that now.

But how?

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