Chapter 33
Callan
I drove straight to Karlee’s building. I didn’t think or plan what I was going to say to her. I only knew I needed answers, and I needed them now.
The look on Lana’s face had burned itself into my head. Shock, shame, and so much fear flashed in her eyes, and seeing her like that hurt me more than anything ever had in years.
I had spent weeks keeping Karlee and Kira at a distance, shutting down their comments and their fake smiles, thinking that was enough to keep Lana safe.
I thought they were petty, but harmless.
I thought I could ignore them and they’d lose interest, because even Lana wouldn’t give them the reaction they wanted.
But I was wrong.
And now Lana was paying for it.
I was angry, and every inch of my body tensed with the knowledge that Lana’s innocence had just been taken from her.
I didn’t have to look up the video to know they were telling the truth.
Lana wouldn’t lie about something like that, and Karlee and Kira were perfectly capable of doing something so cruel.
When I parked the car in the lot outside Karlee’s apartment building, I got out and slammed my car door, heading straight inside. I took the stairs two at a time, my steps echoing through the hallway. I didn’t bother knocking politely. I hit her door hard until I heard the lock turn.
It was Kira who opened the door with a forced smile that dropped the second she saw my expression. “Callan, what are you—”
“Move.” I pushed past her and stepped inside. “Gather. Both of you,” I demanded when I stopped in the middle of the living room.
Kira shut the door and frowned as she came closer. “Jesus, what’s your problem?”
“Where’s Karlee?”
“She’s in the shower—Callan, you need to relax.”
I glared at her, pointing my finger right at her face. “Sit down and be quiet.”
I hated talking down to anyone, but in this moment, I needed her to know that I wasn’t messing around. This was serious, and I couldn’t risk them running their mouths again, thinking this was just a game they could talk themselves out of.
Kira backed up and sat with her arms crossed, pouting like a little kid who’s just been scolded for something minor.
“Karlee!” I called out. I didn’t hear the shower running, which meant she was hiding. “Come out here, now!”
Seconds later, Karlee walked out of the bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around her hair, and a makeup-free face that told me just how horrified she was to see me. Good. I wanted her scared.
“Callan, what’s your problem?” she asked innocently.
I wasn’t wasting any time. “Sit,” I ordered. “Where’s your laptop?”
She sat down next to Kira and blinked, still acting like she had no clue what I was here for. “What?”
“Don’t play stupid with me. Where’s your laptop?”
Her jaw shifted, and her eyes darted to the kitchen counter. That was all I needed. I walked over, grabbed the laptop, and put it on the coffee table between us.
“Open it.”
She folded her arms. “I don’t know what you think I—”
“Open the fucking laptop, Karlee.”
My voice came out low and tight. Her confidence slipped for the first time, and she moved closer, flipping the top open.
“Unlock it,” I ordered.
She sighed and typed her password with shaking fingers. “You’re intruding on my privacy here—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I stared at her, my eyes wide. “I’m asking you an honest question here, Karlee. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, I’m not,” she replied, her brows furrowed deep. “You’re literally making me give you access to my private stuff.”
I slammed my hands on the coffee table, unable to hold back my anger any longer. The loud noise of my palms hitting the glass made them both jump, but I didn’t care about their feelings right now. I stood leaning over the table, my face close to theirs.
“You filmed and uploaded a video of Lana and me without her knowing,” I roared, not caring about staying calm anymore. “You put it online for everyone to see. Don’t you dare sit there and talk to me about privacy.”
Karlee’s face went white. Kira gasped beside her, her pout dissolving into genuine fear.
“I…we were just joking,” Karlee stammered, her eyes wide. “It was a stupid prank, Callan. We didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think?” I roared, slamming my hand on the table again. “You didn’t think that violating someone, that destroying their sense of safety, was a bad idea? You didn’t think that posting nonconsensual pornography is a fucking felony?”
“We didn’t think it would go viral like that!” Karlee whined. I still didn’t see any sense of remorse in their eyes. They weren’t sorry for Lana. They were only sorry they had been caught.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down, hating the person I had become because of them. I sat back down and rubbed my hands together. “Log in,” I commanded. “To the site you uploaded it to. Now.”
I knew the steps I’d have to take now. I knew I had to report it, but I also had to preserve evidence for the police.
Tears welled in Karlee’s eyes, but I had no sympathy left to give.
Her fingers trembled as she navigated to the porn site.
She turned the laptop so I could see the screen, and once the dashboard loaded, I saw the video.
The thumbnail had our faces on it, frozen in what was supposed to be a private moment.
But now it was splashed across the screen for public consumption.
Seeing it like that made me want to smash her face into the glass.
But, again, I wasn’t a violent man. I’d have her pay for this in a different way.
“Were you there when she uploaded it?” I asked, glancing at Kira.
“No, I wasn’t even in town when—”
“Shut up, Kira!” Karlee shrieked. “You liar! You were right here with me.”
“But you made me do it!”
“Quiet!” I moved my gaze back to Karlee and tipped my chin at the screen. “Change it to private.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“Because I need to secure the evidence. And I need your login details.” I kept my voice low. “You’re done controlling this. I’m taking over.”
Karlee shook her head. “I don’t—Callan, you can’t—”
“You will give me your login details,” I repeated slowly. “Send them to my phone.”
Kira let out a sharp breath. “Is there nothing else we can do to make it up to you? I feel like you’re overreacting—”
I turned on her. “I’m reacting exactly right. You two filmed a private moment without consent. You uploaded it. You spread it. That’s a crime. And you’ll deal with the consequences.”
Karlee’s tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped them with the back of her hand. “If you go to the police…what happens to us?”
“You’ll be investigated.” I didn’t sugarcoat it. “You’ll admit to everything and live with the outcome. You wanted attention. Now you’ll get the wrong kind.”
Karlee covered her mouth and sobbed. Her shoulders shook, but it didn’t move me an inch.
“Change it to private,” I repeated, waiting for her to move her fingers over the mousepad. I watched as the mouse moved to the three dots under the video, and when the option or visibility appeared, she hovered over “private” for too long.
“Now, Karlee,” I hissed, glaring at her again.
Another sob escaped her, and she finally clicked. Next, I made her grab her phone, which she used to send me the password to her account. Once I received the message, I got up and grabbed the laptop off the coffee table.
“Where’s the charger?” I asked.
Karlee just pointed to a tangled mess of cables on the kitchen counter. I walked over, grabbed the charger, and coiled it around the laptop.
“This is mine now,” I said, holding it up. “This is my evidence. I’m taking this to the police. I’m also filing a report for revenge porn, cyber harassment, and anything else I can think of. You two will be contacted. I suggest you get a lawyer.”
I was about to turn away when another important thing popped into my head.
I looked at them again. “You won’t be working with me anymore, and I will make sure that everyone knows what you’ve done.
” That was enough for them to understand what it meant.
They’d have a hard time finding new jobs. They had just ruined their own careers.
Karlee was openly sobbing now. Kira just stared at me, her face full of terror and disbelief.
I didn’t say another word. I turned and walked to the door, my grip so tight on the laptop I thought I might break it. I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to to assure myself that I had left them shaken. The sound of their crying was all the closure I was going to get tonight.
As I stepped out into the hallway, I was set to head straight to the local police department. It was time to start fixing this. For Lana.