12. Grudge

Chapter 12

Grudge

CALLIE

M r. Black held my eye contact in a tense standoff. Neither of us trusted the other. Neither of us spoke. Neither of us softened as we waited to see who broke first.

The anxiety and paranoia were almost like being back at ES.

Shockingly, Mr. Black broke the strained silence first, answering the question I desperately wanted to ask. “The only reason you’re not fired is that you were already hired here before we learned about Eternal Sun. Otherwise, I wouldn’t give a damn if this was a coincidence. That timing saved your ass.”

Thank godde ? —

No.

Thank goodness for small miracles.

But Mr. Black wasn’t done.

His expression and demeanor darkened in such a terrifying way that it became abundantly clear how he’d become so powerful. And why employees were so cautious not to discuss him.

I’d already thought he was intimidating. As I stared at his handsome face, I realized he might just be a monster instead.

Only he wasn’t the one who spoke.

It was Chef Frédéric who issued the threat I saw in Mr. Black’s glare. “But if you do anything that makes us even suspect you’re in contact with the fuckers at Eternal Sun, you’re gone. I don’t care if you’re in the middle of serving a table. Security will escort you out immediately.”

I rapidly shook my head. “I won’t be.”

“That includes your parents,” Mr. Black added.

“I won’t be,” I repeated with zero hesitation.

He held my eye contact again before jerking his head.

I took it as the dismissal it was and rushed from the room.

Part of me wanted to keep going, only stopping once I was in the safety of my apartment. But since that apartment wouldn’t be mine much longer if I didn’t have an income, it wasn’t an option.

A bigger part of me wanted to keep going until I ended up across the country. Get a new name. A new backstory. A new life. But Eternal Sun had taken four years from me. They’d taken my comfort. My trust. My parents. I wasn’t going to let them take any more, so that wasn’t an option, either.

At least not until I’d saved enough to comfortably make the move to wherever I chose.

Since it all came down to money, I settled for fleeing to work.

That’s what I wanted, at least. But when I pressed the elevator button, nothing happened. Not until an arm reached next to me to touch their finger to it.

I didn’t need to look to know it was Marco.

“Thank you,” I whispered as the door opened. I got in, but he didn’t follow.

He simply reached in to press the button for the main floor.

And then he left me alone.

Thankfully.

I wasn’t sure I would have been able to hold back my frustrated tears for the entire ride. Without company, I was able to let them fall.

Fucking Eternal Sun.

Fucking Abraham.

Fucking goddess.

Cole

I finally let myself look at her as Callie ran from the office like it was on fire.

Marco followed without a word so he could summon the elevator. I wondered if he would silently glare to scare the hell out of her.

I wondered if he would say something to scare the hell out of her.

It was a coin toss.

I knew he wouldn’t offer words of comfort like I might’ve. It was why I hadn’t moved. Why I’d barely looked at her. Why I wanted Freddy to fire her.

She was a risk I didn’t want to take.

Maximo leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “We buying it?”

“I don’t know her,” Ash said, “but anyone nice enough to be moved to tears over Veronica has more of a conscience than I do.”

Marco returned and surprised me by saying, “I believe her.”

Of all of us—except maybe Maximo—he was the most distrusting. He also held a helluva grudge. I’d assumed he would be on my side about getting rid of her before she got under our skin.

More than she already was.

Maximo arched a brow at him. “You don’t think she’ll reach out to her family?”

“She said no.”

That was surprising, too. Of the five of us, only Marco and Ash still had relationships with their families. Good ones, too. I would’ve bet that would make him more skeptical that she could cut them off.

Maximo turned toward me. “But you don’t buy it.”

“I didn’t say that,” I said.

“But you look it.”

As soon as I’d seen her in the background of that picture with Abraham, I’d been positive it was all a plot. That her sweet smiles had been bullshit lies. That the way she’d blinked up at me with those pretty brown eyes was an act.

That Ash and I going to Eternal Sun had put Maximo on Abraham’s radar. Hell, that Ash had put himself on it by paying a fifty-grand debt without blinking.

I’d assumed Callie had been sent to get intel that could be used to recruit. Or maybe just lure.

Fuck knew I would’ve followed her anywhere.

Digging into her life—more than the stalker amount I already had—hadn’t given much. There was nothing to connect her and Eternal Sun besides that picture. The last address before her apartment was a rural farm in Utah. She hadn’t even had an ID until around the time she’d gotten hired at Parisian Crescent.

But that was the way the organization operated. There were no links on their website to show off their high-profile members. No photos. Nothing beyond their beliefs, teachings, and mission statements. And not a single reference to money, donations, or how the business side worked.

The only online posts about them were from what the members themselves shared, and all of it was positive. Tailored humble brags about how much the program had improved their lives. No negative reviews. Not even an anonymous mid one.

It set me on edge.

My knee-jerk reaction was to fire Callie and return her to those creepy linen-wearing fuckers. But then Freddy had pointed out that she’d already been working at Parisian Crescent before Ash and I had stepped foot on that property. So either Abraham had a magic crystal ball or he hadn’t sent her.

It’d been good to know we hadn’t gotten played, but that didn’t change much. She was still associated with the group.

I could see past her being there as a minor. Like when Juliet had lived with her piece-of-shit father because she had to. She would’ve undoubtedly taken off the moment she was old enough. Of course, if that’d happened earlier, she wouldn’t have been there when Maximo went to deal with him. They wouldn’t have found each other.

Saved each other.

But Callie was nineteen—another damn issue I didn’t even want to think about. She’d stayed an entire year after she could’ve left. I wanted to know why, but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter.

We couldn’t take the chance that she would see things. Hear things. Information that the power-hungry Abraham would love to have.

Everything Maximo built—and that we worked to protect—could be threatened.

And that was what I said. “I believe that she’s not in contact with anyone at Eternal Sun.”

I’m just not saying how I know that.

Ash and I had a lot in common. Our tendency to get obsessed with mysteries—and other things—was high on that list.

“But,” I continued, gesturing to the picture still on the monitors, “I think Abraham wouldn’t hesitate to utilize her if he learned she worked here. Even if she wants nothing to do with that place, he could use her parents for leverage. Or bribe her. Offer her money, power, or his creepy cult in the palm of her hand.”

“She works in the restaurant,” Ash said. “We’re not giving her a tour of our financials and discussing warehouse fights with her down in The Basement.” He looked between us, his sharp gaze taking in Marco, Freddy, and me. “Unless it’s more than that.”

A few days prior, he’d have been right.

But right then?

“Nope.”

“Nah.”

“Just an employee.”

At the trio of denials spoken over each other, his mouth curved. “Riiiight.”

Maximo rubbed his jaw as he stared out the open doorway where Callie had just been. “I believe her, too, but we should still play it smart for the time being.” He paused before adding, “I’ll have a word with Juliet to be mindful.”

And we’ll stay the hell away.

Easy enough.

Callie

Well…

Today sucked.

I’d expected to walk into Parisian Crescent to find that all the progress I’d made with the rest of the staff was gone, but that wasn’t the case. No one seemed to know about my meeting with Mr. Black, ES, or that I’d lied about when I’d moved from Utah. Not even Manny.

My secret was safe.

For then, at least.

The fact that Mr. Black and the other men had found out from a stupid blurry photo just proved that nothing stayed a secret forever.

And that thought had lingered at the back of my head all through dinner service. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a truly chaotic night, or I would’ve been so screwed. The distraction of that meeting had still been enough to throw me off my process, and I was even later than usual getting out.

A silent security guard walked next to me as we headed for the garage, and I couldn’t help but remember how much better my escort had been after my last shift.

Nope.

That’s clearly over.

Forget it ever happened.

When we approached my car, I almost wept with joy. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and forget the entire day had happened.

A loud static cut through the air to echo around us, and I nearly dropped the keys I’d remembered to take out while inside the building.

A voice came across the guard’s walkie-talkie to announce a disturbance in the lobby. He perked up for the first time since I’d found him practically asleep while he’d waited for me. His impatient gaze darted between the row of cars and me.

“I’m good.” I gestured that mine was only a couple of spots away. “You can go.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. With one last scan of our surroundings, he turned and hustled to a stairwell.

I reached my car and was about to unlock my door when someone whispered, “Callie.”

Jolting at the harsh voice, I dropped my keys with a clatter and spun around. I expected something from a horror movie—which I’d quickly learned I hated—and pressed my back to the still locked door.

Nico peeked from around the other side of my trunk before standing. “You’ve got to help me.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” I pressed my palm to my chest, feeling my heart race a million miles a second. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“You’ve got to help me,” he repeated.

“With what?”

“You have to get my job back. Tell Manny you were into it. That we’re a thing.”

“I wasn’t, and we are not .”

“I know that, but he doesn’t need to. I thought they’d have cooled off when I came back. They didn’t. They wouldn’t even let me inside.”

“Because you sexually harassed me.”

He reared back like I’d slapped him across the face. His brows furrowed over wide eyes. “No. I flirted .”

And he believed that. He was genuinely confused by my words.

Ugh .

It wasn’t my job to explain the difference between showing interest and being a creep, and it certainly wasn’t something I would attempt while we stood alone in a parking garage.

“I’ll talk to them,” I lied as I glanced down in search of my keys. They weren’t there.

“Do it now.”

I froze as he took a step toward me. “Everyone is gone.”

“No, Chef and Manny never leave this early.” Another big step. “Just go back in and talk to them. Tell them it was a mistake.” Yet another step until he was almost in front of me. Close enough that I could see the same panicked desperation on his face that I heard in his voice. “Get me this job back.”

“Why?” I used my foot to carefully feel around. When I swept it back, I kicked them farther under the vehicle.

Of course. Just my luck.

Nico didn’t seem to hear the jangle of the metal. He ran a hand through his messy hair. “Because no place pays like here. And I don’t have time to find a new job, train, and wait for my first paycheck.” He leaned toward me, and my breath caught in my lungs as I braced for whatever was coming. “I owe people money, Callie. A lot of money. They won’t be patient about it.” He grabbed my upper arms and tugged me away from the car, his hold bruising. “Go now, or I’ll tell the people I owe that you’re the reason?—”

Before he could finish his threat or propel me from my car, the metal stairwell door opened before slamming shut. Voices sounded and grew louder. Closer.

Nico twisted to look, and I took advantage of the distraction. I dislodged him as I ducked to grab my keys. I positioned the cylinder on my key ring in my fist.

“Go, or I’ll mace you,” I hissed.

And lied.

It was only lip balm.

He hesitated for a second before racing away.

My fingers trembled as I unlocked the door and practically threw myself onto the bench seat. I locked it behind me before taking my first full breath since he’d startled me.

I should tell Manny and ? —

And what? Chef probably wouldn’t care. And telling Manny meant leaving my car, putting myself in the open again, and risking angering Nico even more.

That was stupid.

Once my heart slowed out of heart attack range and my hands stopped shaking, I began driving. Every time I had to slow or stop, my attention darted between the mirrors, just in case.

Yup.

Today sucked.

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