Page 33 of Dirty Secret Love

“You took your time,” Cal remarks with a smirk, stretching his arms over the back of the couch.

Rounding on him, I demand, “Just leave. Anything you have to say you can do it over the phone.”

“Ansel came back with your things.” He mentions his best friend and former FBI partner. I think Ansel is his boss in CQS now. I can’t really keep track of what’s going on with his friend. “Well, not everything but most. Also, I wanted to update you. Everyone has been working at Sutton’s house. You can come back today. Jez needs you to work and the engagement party is tomorrow. Did you tell Sutton about the changes?”

I knit my brows. “What changes?” I ask because that was a lot of information, and my brain is just starting to come out of the sex fog.

“We set bookcases throughout the house. Regina and Jez helped, telling us where to put everything, including the few new things they bought per your request. They think it’s a nice surprise, and you’re being . . . swoony.” He cringes at the word, clearly disliking the term, as if he’d bitten into something sour.

A smile breaks through my stern face. “I can’t thank you enough for all of this,” I say, genuinely touched by everything he’s done since I told him about the engagement.

Initially, I swore he was going to use his mean right hook or even send me to the clinic to get all the broken bones adjusted. Instead, he’s been giving me a hand and enlisting everyone else.

Cal straightens, retrieving a small red box from his pocket, presenting it to me with a solemn nod. “Here’s the ring.”

“Should I be thankful that it wasn’t charred in all those fires?” I ask, still reeling about the news that some of our properties are now ashes.

He lets out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not everything is lost. After the first few incidents, CQS packed up everything that wasn’t already incinerated and moved it to a safe location. That includes the factory. It was relocated.” He pauses, taking a long exhale. When he lets all of it out he says, “So, when I said all was good, I meant it.”

“Did you tell Elle what’s happening?” I press on, meeting his gaze.

I’m not sure how she’s going to take the news or if he was gentle enough to inform her that we got slightly screwed. I don’t even know what that means or how we are supposed to continue when she can’t do anything remotely. For all we know, Elle died or disappeared the same day as our father.

His eyes drop to the floor momentarily. “It’s under control. Things are still operational. If there’s a need for her input, I’ll fill her in. For now, we keep that between us.”

I can’t help but narrow my eyes and take in his demeanor, something tugs at my heart. He appears just as devastated as the day Lake vanished from Heartwood without leaving a trace or a mere goodbye. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” he mumbles, frustrated. “I had hoped CQS would allow me back in the field, but they probably don’t trust me, or think I’m useless since someone killed my father under my watch.”

He wasn’t watching our father when it happened. Just because he’s an FBI agent, it doesn’t mean that he protects the entire world. Someone should tell him that. Working for CQS doesn’t seem like a smart solution to his current issue—what is his damage?

Losing Lake, the love of his life, being trapped in this town, and probably us. That’s when it hits me, leaving town will be stupid—even for Callahan.

I lean forward. “But what if you’re identified out there?”

His gaze hardens, and he shoots me a cold glare.

Holding up my hands defensively, I say, “What did I do now?”

“That’s exactly what Finnegan Gil said. I can be?—”

I cut him off, urgency in my voice, “Don’t put yourself, their team, and us in danger, okay?”

He runs a hand through his hair, looking slightly exasperated. “I’ll try. So, have you guys set up any guidelines for this . . . charade?

“What kind of rules are you talking about?” Sutton’s voice precedes her, her hair damp and a curious glint in her eyes as she enters. “Good morning, Callahan. Didn’t realize we had company.”

“Sutton.” Cal’s bitter expression melts into a more cordial one, his stance relaxing a bit. “Always a pleasure.”

With a thoughtful frown, Sutton inquires, “I’ve been meaning to ask about the library. I got a text from Jez vaguely assuring me everything’s ‘under control’. Please tell me they haven’t simply shut it down.”

Cal chuckles lightly. “Trust your friends, they’ve done everything in their power to make sure that everything is handled the way you’d like. Bach’s currently managing the library. He’s doing a great job, actually. And if you ever need an extra hand, he’d be more than capable.”

“She has me.” I shoot a glare toward my smirking brother.

He scoffs. “She does, huh?”

“Can you thank him on my behalf?” Sutton says, ignoring me.

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