Chapter 7
GEMMA
I didn’t think I could feel more violated after my archive was hacked. But I’d been wrong.
The moment Callum told me about the bug he found in my studio, it felt as though the floor had dropped out from under me. This wasn’t just a digital breach. Someone had come into my space so they could watch and listen at their leisure.
The studio wasn’t just where I worked. It was my sanctuary. The place where I’d poured my grief and creativity. Knowing it had been infiltrated without my knowledge made me feel raw. Stripped bare.
The thought of someone spying on me was terrifying. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up just thinking about it. That was why I hadn’t fought much when Callum demanded that I pack a bag and return to the Iron Rogues compound with him. I knew nobody could get to me there.
And I wanted to stick close to Callum. He was the only reason I wasn’t spiraling right now. The calm in the storm I’d somehow found myself in.
It was a good thing he’d driven a truck instead of his motorcycle because I was too distracted to be a safe driver. My mind was still whirling when we reached the Iron Rogues compound.
He exchanged a look with the guy at the gate, who gave a quick nod before the heavy iron barrier rolled open.
When he pulled into the lot, I realized the place was bigger than I expected. The clubhouse had two stories, and there were other buildings, too. Not that I had a chance to look at them with how Callum rushed me into the clubhouse.
His fingers closed around mine as he helped me from the truck, and some of the tension in my spine unwound. More of my tension eased when he settled his hand against my lower back to guide me inside.
I kept my chin up as we walked through the door, ignoring the way a few men stopped what they were doing to glance our way. I reminded myself to breathe when Callum didn’t slow down to answer any of the questions I could see in their eyes.
He practically dragged me through the large room, past leather couches and a long bar to head down a hallway and to a locked door. After unlocking and opening it, he stood aside so I could step in first.
I didn’t know what I expected from his room, but it was tidy. Stark, even.
Dark gray sheets stretched taut across a king-sized bed, no wrinkles in sight. The walls were bare except for a single hook near the door. And a desk in the corner of the room.
A faint scent lingered in the air—leather, clean soap, and something spicy I couldn’t name but immediately recognized as his.
When I stepped farther inside, I noticed a weathered paperback resting face down on the nightstand. The spine was cracked, and the cover was nearly worn off. I tilted my head to read the title. The Old Man and the Sea .
I hadn't read it, but the book seemed fitting for Callum.
I walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, my fingers curling around the end of the comforter. The mattress didn’t give much beneath me.
Everything caught up to me at once. The hack. Ellen’s disappearance. The bug. Yet I felt safe here. With Callum.
He crossed the room without saying anything, opened the closet, and set my suitcase inside. Then he carried my toiletries bag into the attached bathroom, disappearing for only a moment before returning.
“You can use anything in there.” He gestured toward the door. “And there’s space on the shelves for your stuff.”
“Thanks.” I looked up at him. “This is a lot.”
His expression didn’t shift, but something softened in his eyes. “You’re handling it well, baby.”
I’d never been close enough to a guy for him to give me a pet nickname, but I loved hearing Callum use one for me. It gave me the courage to admit, “Only because of you.”
His hands fisted at his sides, his knuckles turning white and his nostrils flaring. “Fuck, baby. You can’t say shit like that when we need to head down to Deviant’s office.”
My brows drew together as I asked, “We do?”
“He’s digging into Ellen’s disappearance and wants to see if she ever said anything to you that might send him in the right direction.”
I stood, already moving. “Yeah. Of course. Whatever you need. I want to help.”
His lips curved at the edges in a slight smile. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
Callum led me down another hallway, this one quieter and narrower than the one we’d used earlier to get to his room.
Stopping at a closed door, he knocked once and opened it without waiting for a response.
The guy at the desk looked up from his computer and gave me a quick once-over before shifting his gaze back to the man at my side. “I’m assuming you wanna stay for this.”
Callum quirked a brow with a nod. “You’d be right.”
“Mm-hmm.” I didn’t get the gleam of humor in Deviant’s eyes, but it vanished quickly when he looked at me again. “Gemma, right? Come in and sit down. I’m Deviant.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured as Callum guided me over to one of the chairs in front of Deviant’s desk. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. So we can get to the bottom of Ellen’s disappearance.”
I glanced up at Callum, who stood behind me like a wall of protection. “I’m willing to help however I can.”
Deviant leaned forward slightly. “Not sure how much Hawk has told you, but your client Ellen hasn’t just been reported missing. She’s gone completely dark. Phone’s off. Apartment’s empty. No financial activity in the past forty-eight hours. Nothing.”
My heart sank. “I hoped she was just…hiding or something.”
“So did we.” Deviant tapped a few keys. “That’s why I need anything you can remember from your conversations with her. Even stuff that didn’t seem important at the time. Something she said. The way she acted. Anything unusual.”
“She mentioned going through a rough divorce not long ago.”
“Yeah.” Deviant nodded. “Already figured that out. I’m lookin’ more for something that wouldn’t be common knowledge.”
I hesitated, sifting through my memory for anything that stood out to me.
“She was nervous, but that’s not unusual.
A lot of women are at first. I do this whole routine to help break the ice—silly questions, stuff like ‘are you the type who clears all your notifications, or do you have thousands of unread emails?’”
Deviant’s fingers froze on the keyboard. “What did she say?”
“That she doesn’t just clear them, she deletes messages constantly.” I bit my bottom lip as I remembered exactly what she’d said. “And she also mumbled something about how that hadn’t done much good in the past.”
“Did you notice if her phone was rooted?” he asked.
I blinked. “I’m sorry—what?”
“Modified. Jailbroken. Anything off about it?”
“No idea,” I admitted. “I barely saw it. She kept it in her bag for the whole shoot.”
Deviant nodded and resumed typing at lightning speed. “Still helpful. Could mean she was paranoid about someone seeing something on her phone. Or that she was trying to hide her tracks.”
I offered him a grateful smile. “I hope it helps.”
“It does.” Callum squeezed my shoulder before asking, “Need anything else?”
Deviant shook his head. “Not unless Gemma has more info for me.”
“Nothing I can think of.” I heaved a deep sigh. “But I’ll let Callum know if anything else comes to mind.”
“That’d be good,” Deviant murmured before his focus returned to his computer screen.
Callum tugged me gently to my feet, and I followed, the weight of Ellen’s absence still pressing on my chest. The rest of the day passed in a blur.
By the time we got back to his room, my head was heavy, and my nerves were frayed.
But at least my belly was full of delicious food, and my heart was warmed by the welcome I’d received from everyone.
The door clicked softly behind us, and I kicked off my shoes before flopping onto the bed.
I heard the low rumble of Callum locking the door, then his footsteps crossing the room.
When I looked up, he was setting something down on the nightstand.
My phone charger, which I hadn’t even realized he’d grabbed from my bag.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
He let out a quiet grunt and sat on the edge of the bed beside me, his weight barely shifting the mattress.
The silence stretched, thick but not uncomfortable. It was strange how being near Callum eased something inside me. Like the frayed ends of my nerves were slowly stitching back together just because he was close.
“I’ve never stayed somewhere like this before,” I said, my voice soft. “The clubhouse, I mean.”
He shrugged. “Most people haven’t.”
“I thought it would feel…chaotic. Uncomfortable, even.” I rolled onto my side so I could see his face better. “But it doesn’t.”
“No woman needs to worry when they’re here.” He stretched out next to me and interlaced our fingers. “Sure as fuck not you.”
I rolled partway toward him. “Because of you?”
“Yeah, baby.” He stroked his thumb against my palm. “It’s safe to say that.”
My breath caught, but before I could ask what that meant, he was moving. He turned toward me slowly, bracing one hand beside my hip and leaning in, giving me time to stop him if I wanted to. But I didn’t. I wanted this.
“Say no if you’re not ready after everything that happened today,” he murmured, his words a hot puff of air against my lips.
I shook my head, barely whispering, “Please.”
His mouth found mine in the next breath. He didn’t rush the kiss. Instead, he devoured me with slow, unrelenting heat, like he had all the time in the world.
His lips moved with purpose, coaxing instead of taking, until I was clinging to his shirt.
The room faded. The ache in my chest, the worry in my gut, the fear I’d carried for days—they all fell away.
There was only Callum, and the way he kissed me like he’d been waiting for this moment for longer than he’d ever admit.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing harder than before, I couldn’t stop myself from brushing my fingers over his scruffy jaw. His hand curled around the back of my neck, holding me in place.
We stayed like that for a long time, until he eventually broke the spell so we could get ready for bed. Where we just slept together…and nothing else happened. Unfortunately.