LOGINThe last thing Callie remembered was the smell of Vin clinging to her nostrils, chasing away the smell of rot and blood that seemed to seep from her pores.
Vaguely, she recalled the car ride back home and how Vin carried her from the car up to the penthouse. She seemed to remember the penthouse being crawling with armed men, the first time Callie had ever seen that many soldiers around Vin’s home.
But that wasn’t important right now.
The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils now, and beneath her, she felt the softness of the bed that she was all too familiar with.
Callie’s tears threatened to fall at the memory of her and Vin tangled in these very same sheets. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Another explosion rocked the building. Lights flickered off, and suddenly their forms were bathed in the bright white of the emergency lights. Outside, windows shattered, and everything was in chaos.Callie didn’t even realize that Vin had covered her body with his, shielding her, holding her steady as explosion after explosion pummeled the house.“Hold that thought, sweetheart,” he whispered against her ear, smirking. “There’s something I need to take care of first. Hold onto me.”Before Callie could respond, Vin had her comfortably settled in his arms as he carried her out of the room.By the sound of the explosions, they came from the opposite side of the building—the least protected, but at least it was the farthest away from his safe room.Only members of his security teams and his circle knew of this weakness, but he chose to file that information away to dissect later. He needed to get Callie to safety first. These attacks would not stop until he had Reich six feet under.His m
The last thing Callie remembered was the smell of Vin clinging to her nostrils, chasing away the smell of rot and blood that seemed to seep from her pores.Vaguely, she recalled the car ride back home and how Vin carried her from the car up to the penthouse. She seemed to remember the penthouse being crawling with armed men, the first time Callie had ever seen that many soldiers around Vin’s home.But that wasn’t important right now.The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils now, and beneath her, she felt the softness of the bed that she was all too familiar with.Callie’s tears threatened to fall at the memory of her and Vin tangled in these very same sheets. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
With a hand over her mouth, she tried not to make a sound; she willed her heart to stop pounding so damn hard.Voices drew closer; her pursuers were almost upon her.All that was left for her to do was pray. She prayed for the pain to subside. She prayed Cullen’s men would be dumb enough to follow her fake trail. She prayed that Vin would find her.Callie allowed a small smile to form on her lips. Despite the circumstances, it was still the thought of Vin that brought her comfort. But she couldn’t count on him now. She only had herself to rely on, and it would have to be enough, because no help was coming.With trash covering even her face, Callie could only see through a small gap. The voices were now just outside
Shit. No, this can’t be happening.The shouting came after the alarms, which still rang in the air like the soundtrack to Callie’s capture. The pickup truck started to slow down, along with Callie’s hopes.This was it. She’s going to get caught again, and she’ll be punished. Brutally.Callie’s hands shook with a mix of fear and determination. This couldn’t be the end. After everything she’d survived, she was not throwing the towel in now.Without another thought, Callie threw the blanket off and leaped from the side of the truck. Ignoring the pain in her knees and ankles, she took off into a wild sprint, headed for the quickly closing metal gates.
The sweet aroma of jasmine and ylang-ylang filled Callie’s senses. The sexy notes of the scents were perfect for seduction, for losing oneself in another.She had been led to a suite that looked nothing like the dorm room she was given. Heavy curtains lined the walls, helping with the room’s soundproofing.The lights were dimmed, giving the suite a soft glow, illuminating a king-sized bed to one side of the room, and a settee to another.It was perfect. Callie thought as she adjusted the blonde wig she had donned earlier that night. Just the right amount of sultry and sweet, enough to distract whatever fool Cullen Reich had decided to throw her way.If that bastard thought Callie would lie down and die, he was sorely mistaken. She would not have survived this long if she were weak.The songbird positioned herself on the settee, arranging the long-sleeved red robe that covered most of her body to fall perfectly around her. Save for her bare leg that she’d strategically slipped out of t
Fresh out of the bath, Callie softly called out that she was done.The woman who had prepared the bath for her entered with a white fluffy towel draped on one arm, and a salve resting in her other hand.“Thank you…” Callie started when the woman handed her the towel.“Nabi,” the woman answered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.“Thank you, Nabi. I’m Callie.”Nabi offered a small smile as Callie slipped into a fresh white robe, then she led the singer to sit in front of the vanity.“I’ve heard your name before,” said Nabi as she pulled one drawer open to grab a brush. Slowly, she took a section of Callie’s hair and started to brush it.Callie didn’t ask her to elaborate. Somehow, people knew her name by her association with Vin, and every time, nothing good came out of it.They stayed silent even as Nabi pulled the hair dryer out of another drawer and started to dry Callie’s hair. The blonde brushed and pulled sections of Callie’s hair and pinned them away from her face in







