11. Caleb
Caleb
" O ff the record, Caleb. This whole thing is a mess.
" David leans back and loosens his tie. The formal mask he wore in the conference room is long gone.
We've been talking for twenty minutes, and I can see the strain on my brother's face as he tries to balance family loyalty with professional obligations.
Meanwhile, I'm still thinking about the way Serena looked in that conference room.
Professional. Composed. Fighting not to cry.
The way her hand trembled under mine beneath the table.
I wanted to pull her into my lap right there in front of everyone, tell Patricia Wong to go fuck herself, and carry Serena out of there.
"On the record, that's because your investigation is a joke and you know it," I say bluntly, gesturing at the paperwork on his desk. "I’m not taking this settlement offer to her. It’s insulting.
Who's running this—a summer intern? Your daughter’s volcano project has more structural integrity than this case. "
"Don't be an ass, Caleb. Patricia's doing her job with what she's got." David's voice carries the edge it gets when I push too hard. "The board is breathing down everyone's necks. They want this resolved quickly and quietly."
"By railroading an innocent woman." I lean forward, elbows on his desk. "Come on, David. You've read this file, reviewed the evidence. You wouldn't take this to small claims court, let alone build a termination case on it."
"You think I don't know that?" He runs a hand through his hair—the same gesture he's made since we were kids when our parents cornered him about something. "But I'm not calling the shots here. The board wants a scapegoat, and Serena's it."
"So you're just going to let them destroy her career?"
Over my dead fucking body.
"Why do you think I suggested she call you?"
"Because you knew I'd make your life miserable if you didn’t?"
"That too." He sighs so deeply it practically deflates him.
"Look, I can't hand you insider information, Caleb.
I'm not going to tank my own credibility—even for family.
But between you and me? The tip about the meeting with Victoria Chase came from inside Luminous.
C-suite level. I can't say who, but if they're going this far, I don’t see them letting Serena back. Even if you clear her, she's gone."
There's something new in his voice—sympathy that's rare from my older brother. When we were teenagers, our father used to make us debate case law at the dinner table for sport. Loser got a lecture on mediocrity. I always lost. But David never gloated. He’d just find me later, when Dad wasn’t looking, and explain where my argument fell apart.
He was always better at the long game. He's playing it now.
"I can't go back to her with that news. She's not the type to roll over and slink away." I pause, thinking of all the ways Serena Morgan doesn't do what she's told, especially when cornered.
My mind immediately returns to our walk after the Golden Dragon, when I had her cornered—back against that wall, breathing hard, pupils blown wide. All I had to do was close that distance and taste her. Feel those lips I've been fantasizing about for months.
"Then I don't know what else to tell you, Caleb." David shrugs.
"If they want a war, I'll happily give them one."
He lifts his gaze, eyes dark with warning. "Don't go nuclear, Caleb. Not unless you have to."
"Not my style," I lie. Total bullshit. It's always my style, especially when someone threatens what's mine.
And Serena is mine, whether she accepts it yet or not.
"Listen, I'll try to buy time for a real investigation. But if you can find something concrete, something that points away from Serena within the next couple of weeks..." He trails off. "It would make my life easier."
His phone buzzes on the desk. When he glances at it, his expression softens immediately.
"Michaela's school. Science fair presentation this afternoon." He looks up at me. "She's been working on it for weeks. The volcano project."
"She'll do great. Kid's got more guts than half the lawyers in this building."
"Seven years old and already smarter than both of us." David pockets his phone. "Look, Caleb, I know this puts us in an awkward position. But I want you to know—again, off the record—I don't think Serena did this."
"Then help me prove it."
David stands, straightening his tie and regaining that practiced authority. "If I find anything, you'll be the first to know."
"Likewise." I get up, my mind already three steps ahead—calculating next moves, sorting through possible leads, always with that background buzz of Serena's scent still haunting me. Vanilla and cinnamon. So damn fucking delicious. I swear, I want to go full motorboat and just inhale it all in.
David opens his office door and we shake hands. It's the most awkward family handshake in history—all mutual pressure and neither of us willing to let go first. Finally David grins and releases. "We'll talk soon."
"Good luck at the science fair," I say. "Tell Michaela I'll take her for ice cream Saturday."
"Sure thing," David calls over his shoulder, already back on his phone.
I'm dialing Bennett before I make it to the elevators.
"Tell Logan it's go time," I say the second he picks up. "Whatever dirt he can find on Luminous security, I want it yesterday." I pause in the glass-walled lobby. "Also, Jenna's background check on Serena's team. I need that immediately."
"Got it. Anything specific for Logan?"
"Badge cloning vulnerabilities, server access protocols, anything that shows how easy it would be for someone to frame Serena." I head toward the elevator bank where I left her. "And Bennett? This stays between us."
"Understood. I'm guessing the meeting went as expected?"
"Worse. They're not even pretending to care about the truth."
"Shit."
"Yeah. I'll fill you in later."
I hang up and scan the elevator area. Empty. Fuck. I check my watch—thirty minutes since I left her here. Where the hell is she? I told her to wait.
Familiar irritation flares in my chest, along with something darker. Possessive.
Maybe I do need to put a tracker on her. Or better yet, strap her to my bed so I know exactly where she is at all times. So I can keep her safe. Among other things.
I text:
Me:
Where the hell are you, Serena?
The response comes immediately:
Serena:
Coffee shop called Grind on Michigan. Maya found me. I'll explain everything when I come back.
Maya. Her protégé. Young, ambitious, probably scared about her own job.
me:
Stay there. I'm coming to you.
Don't move. Don't disappear. Don't you dare fucking run from me again.
I take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, my mind already shifting gears. If Maya sought Serena out, she either has information or she's fishing for it. Either way, I need to know what was said.
I told her not to fucking talk to anyone.
Grind is exactly what I expected—exposed brick, mismatched furniture, baristas who look like they'd rather discuss Sartre than take your order. I spot Serena immediately, sitting alone at a corner table, staring into an empty coffee cup like it holds answers.
The sight of her makes my guts jolt. Relief that she's safe, hunger that never goes away, and possessive anger that she left when I told her to stay. My hands itch to touch her, to verify she's real and here and mine. I've never wanted to protect someone and devour them at the same time.
I cross the floor in four strides. She looks up when my shadow falls over her table, eyes wide and startled.
I clamp down on the back of her chair hard enough my knuckles ache. "I told you to stay put."
She flinches, her eyes going from startled to defiant in a heartbeat. "And I told you I was fine. I just needed some air and Maya found me."
"You're not fine," I bite out, my voice low and dangerous. "You're in a war zone, having coffee with potential combatants."
Her chin lifts. "Maya is my friend."
"Or she was pumping you for information." I take the seat across from her, watching her fingers wrap around her empty cup, remembering how they felt in mine.
“What happened with David?"
"He told me what I already knew," I say, my voice clipped.
"That Luminous wants a scapegoat, and you're wearing the target.
" I lean forward, invading her space, needing her to understand the danger she's in.
"Forget David. What did Maya say to you?
" I watch her face, the way her jaw tightens.
She wants to push back, I can see it. But I won't let her.
"Every word, Serena. Now." I'm done playing games.
Someone is trying to bury her, and I'll be damned if I let her hand them the shovel.
Her eyes dart to the door, then back. "She thinks it's Lisa. From my team. Says she asked for my passwords last month."
"Lisa." I repeat the name, the word 'passwords' a goddamn flare in the dark. This is it. The first real crack in their bullshit case. My anger at Serena for leaving morphs into a cold, sharp focus. "Did Maya give them to her?"
“She said she didn’t.”
"Do you believe her?" Her loyalty to this girl is a liability. For all I know, Maya is playing her, setting up this Lisa as a fall guy. I watch Serena's face, the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. I need to get her out of here, away from prying eyes, where I can get the full story.
"I do. Lisa's always been passive-aggressive, always made it clear I wasn’t her favorite person. But I didn't think she'd go this far."
"OK. We'll look into her."
She gives me a look that's all fire and exhaustion. Even stressed and betrayed, she's fucking stunning.
"I'm not used to waiting for other people to save me," she says, voice catching. "It's weird, letting you take the lead."
I lean forward, lowering my voice. "If you can relinquish control for even ten seconds, I'll make sure you don't regret it."