Chapter 5: The Name That Haunted Me

Evans' POV

I was in my office when my assistant told me about the car accident.

"There was an incident on Fifth Street this morning," Bernard said, handing me a report. "A black sedan hit a pedestrian. The victim was fine, but the driver fled the scene. Security cameras caught part of it."

I barely heard him. I was too focused on Hailey. She had texted me that morning saying she was going apartment hunting with Mabel. They were supposed to be back by lunch.

"Where is the accident location?" I asked.

"Fifth Street. Near the shopping district."

That was where Mabel wanted to look at apartments.

My stomach dropped. I immediately called Hailey. She picked up right away.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"There was an accident near where you were. I was worried."

"Oh. Yeah, we saw it happen. It was scary but we're okay."

I felt my shoulders relax. "Thank God."

"Evans, something weird happened though."

"What?"

"The man who saved me from the car. He was this really good-looking guy. But here's the thing. He called me Nana. Like, these is the second time meeting me and he's calling me by a nickname I don't know."

My blood went cold.

"What did he look like?" I asked carefully.

"Dark hair, maybe our age. Really charming but also kind of intense. He knew my name immediately though. Like, before I even told him. It was really weird, Evans. Do you know him?"

"No," I lied. "I just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you."

After we hung up, I sat in my office for a long time. Just staring at the wall.

Calix. The name echoed in my head like a curse.

It couldn't be him. It couldn't be the same Calix.

But I needed to know for sure.

I called my private investigator that afternoon.

His name was Marcus, and he was the best. He could find anyone, anytime, anywhere. He'd been working for the Wilson family for ten years.

"I need you to find someone," I said. "His name is Calix. That's all I know right now. He's in Paris. Dark hair, around twenty-five years old, and very charming."

"That's not much to go on, sir."

"I know. But I need to know if he's connected to the UK mafia."

There was a pause on the other end. "The Wood family?"

"Yes. Can you check?"

"It'll take some time, but I'll look into it."

I hung up and tried to focus on work. But I couldn't. My mind was racing. If this Calix was the same one I'd heard about, then Hailey was in serious danger. And I hadn't told her any of it.

The problem was, I didn't know anything about Calix except rumors. Stories that circulated in certain circles. I'd heard his name mentioned a few times at business events, always in hushed tones. Something about a young mafia boss from London. Something about vampire blood and lab experiments.

It sounded insane. But in my world, nothing was too crazy.

Three days later, Marcus called me back.

"I found him," Marcus said. "His name is Calix Wood. He's the adopted son of Ivan Wood, one of the most powerful mafia bosses in the UK. Calix took over the family business about two years ago."

My hands were shaking. "Tell me everything."

"He's dangerous, sir. Very dangerous. He's been connected to at least fifteen murders. He works in underground markets, black market weapons, stolen art, that kind of thing. But here's what's interesting. About two months ago, he left London and came to Paris. We don't know why."

"Did you find anything else?"

"Yes. He's been asking questions about a lab. An illegal lab that was operating five years ago. The lab was doing genetic experiments. Creating people with special abilities. The man who ran it was a scientist named Dr. Margot Leroux. She's disappeared now, but before she vanished, she made some notes. She mentioned creating twins. Two identical girls with rare blood types."

My heart stopped.

Two identical girls. Rare blood types.

Nancy and Hailey.

"Where is Calix right now?" I asked.

"We've been tracking him. He's been spending a lot of time near the Wilson Corporation building. He's also been following your wife."

The phone almost fell from my hand. "What?"

"Your wife, Hailey Wilson. Calix has been following her, taking photos of her and meeting with her. We have photos if you'd like to see them."

"Send them to me immediately."

When the photos came through, I felt sick.

There was Calix and Hailey at the car accident scene. Calix holding her. Calix handing her a phone number. Calix looking at her like she was the most important thing in the world.

I scrolled through more photos. Calix at a coffee shop near our house. Calix outside the office building. Calix watching Hailey through a window.

He was obsessed with her.

And the worst part? He looked at her like he knew her. Like he recognized something in her face.

My stomach twisted with a horrible thought. What if Calix was connected to the lab? What if he knew about Hailey being created? What if he knew about Nancy?

I needed answers. Real answers. Not just theories and guesses.

I called Dr. Leroux's emergency number. The one I'd gotten years ago when I found Nancy in that underground facility.

She picked up after two rings.

"Mr. Wilson?"

"I need you to tell me about Calix Wood. Everything. Now."

There was a long silence on the other end.

"Mr. Wilson, I can't talk about this over the phone. It's not safe."

"Then meet me. Tonight. Somewhere safe."

"There is no safe place anymore. Calix knows about your wife. He knows about Nancy. And if he finds out the truth about why you married Hailey, everything will fall apart."

"What do you mean? What truth?"

"The truth about your marriage. The truth about what you've been hiding from her. If Calix tells her, she'll hate you forever. And Calix will use her against you."

Before I could ask another question, the line went dead.

I sat in my office, alone, my heart pounding in my chest.

Hailey didn't know the real reason I married her. She didn't know that I'd suspected her origins from the beginning. She didn't know that I'd married her to protect her from people exactly like Calix.

And now this man, this dangerous man, was getting closer to her every day.

I had to tell her the truth. But if I did, she would leave me.

And

if I didn't tell her, Calix would.

Either way, I was going to lose her.