Chapter 22 #2
“I managed to decrypt the files,” Tate began, and there was an undeniable excitement in his voice.
“Took longer than I expected. Calloway’s security was sophisticated, but once I got through.
..” He shook his head slowly. “Charlotte, I don’t know how you knew which files to grab, but you hit the jackpot. ”
“What did you find?” I asked.
Tate leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of him, his features hardening.
“More than enough to incriminate Calloway. Property records for unregistered warehouses used to hold victims and host illegal parties. Offshore accounts funneling money through shell corporations disguised as consulting firms and investment groups. A network of payments to private security companies that have no presence outside Calloway’s organization. ”
Charlotte’s hand tightened on mine, because this was huge.
“But that’s not the worst of it,” Tate continued, his voice dropping. “There were spreadsheets listing women by first name and age. Coded notes. Travel arrangements. Hotel bookings, flight manifests, payments to recruiters who were trafficking women into Calloway’s network.”
My stomach turned. Beside me, Charlotte had gone pale.
“There was a file labeled ‘Guest Preferences,’” Tate said quietly. “Inside were profiles on powerful men—politicians, executives, investors. Details about what kinds of women they requested. What drugs they preferred. Which girls were considered ‘compliant’ and which needed ‘extra incentive.’”
“Jesus Christ,” I breathed.
“There’s surveillance footage too. Security recordings from parties and private rooms. Enough to prove coercion, trafficking, and assault.
” Tate’s jaw was tight. “And buried in a folder labeled ‘Legal,’ I found payoff records. Judges. High ranking police officers. Attorneys. An entire ecosystem of corruption built to protect men like Calloway while vulnerable women disappeared into the cracks.”
Sutton spoke for the first time. “What Tate is saying is that these files aren’t just comprehensive, they’re incriminating. This is a blueprint for a criminal empire, and Charlotte managed to download nearly all of it.”
“Once we turn this over to the DA’s office,” Tate continued, “the fallout is going to be massive. We’re talking dozens of arrests.
Cops, politicians, businessmen—everyone connected to Calloway’s network.
Including Kohen.” Tate looked at me, sympathy flickering in his eyes.
“There’s enough evidence to prosecute him for his role in the evidence locker thefts, his connection to Calloway, everything.
There’s no denying what’s in these files, and there’s no way for anyone to get out of it. ”
Charlotte let out a shaky breath. “So it’s over? Calloway’s actually going to prison?”
“For a very long time,” Sutton confirmed. “Along with everyone who helped him. The DA is going to have a field day with this.”
Relief washed through me—sweet and overwhelming and almost painful in its intensity. Knowing that Calloway spent years operating without impunity, believing he was untouchable, this was the kind of public reckoning he deserved.
“Charlotte,” Sutton said, and there was genuine respect in his voice, “what you did in that penthouse—accessing his computer, having the presence of mind to download those files while you were being held captive—that took extraordinary courage. You may have just brought down one of the most dangerous criminal networks in the state.”
Charlotte ducked her head, color rising in her cheeks. “I was just doing my job.”
“No,” I said quietly, tucking a finger beneath her chin to lift her gaze to mine.
“You were doing more than that.” My thumb brushed softly across her skin.
“You helped save countless women from ending up trapped in Calloway’s system, and you gave Ruth the one thing she never got while she was alive.
” I held her gaze, wanting her to truly hear me. “Justice.”
Her smile was both sad and grateful.
“We’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Sutton said. “There’s nothing more to do tonight except wait for the DA’s office to move in the morning with arrests. Get some rest. You’ve both earned it.”
Tate and Sutton left the lounge, closing the door behind them. The silence that followed felt different. Charged. Full of possibility.
Charlotte shifted on my lap, turning to face me more fully. Her eyes searched mine, and I could see the question forming before she spoke it.
“What happens now?”
The words were tentative. Careful. And I knew she wasn’t asking about Calloway or the investigation or the legal proceedings to come.
She was asking about us.
I reached up, brushing a strand of hair back from her face, letting my fingers linger against her cheek.
“I’m so proud of you,” I said softly. “Do you know that? All that stubbornness of yours—the same stubbornness that drove me crazy when I saw you again in the conference room—it turned into something incredible back there at Calloway’s.
You were trapped in that penthouse, alone, terrified, and instead of falling apart, you fought .
You found a way to bring him down even when you thought you might not make it out alive. You are so fucking brave, Charlotte.”
Her eyes glistened. “Kane...”
“We lost two years,” I continued, the words pouring out of me now. “Two years that my brother stole from us when he framed me and destroyed my life. I spent that time isolating myself. Convincing myself that I didn’t deserve anything good because of what everyone believed I’d done.”
I cradled her face in my hands, needing her to see the truth in my eyes. “I don’t want to lose any more time. Not a single day. Not with you. I’m not letting go again. Not ever.”
“Kane…” Her voice broke on my name and her fingers curled into my shirt, holding on like she was afraid I might disappear. “Promise me this is real. That when everything settles down and the adrenaline fades and we’re just... us ... you’ll still want this. Want me.”
“Charlotte.” I look into her eyes—those beautiful, fierce, vulnerable eyes that had haunted me for two years. “I have never wanted anything more in my entire life.”
I kissed her then. Soft. Slow. A promise sealed with lips and the quiet certainty of two people who had finally found their way home to each other.
When we broke apart, she was smiling, one that lit up her whole face and made my chest ache with how much I adored her.
Outside the lounge windows, the city lights glittered against the night sky. Somewhere out there, Calloway was about to face justice. Kohen would answer for what he’d done. The corrupt system that had protected them both was about to come crashing down.
But in here, in this quiet room with Charlotte in my arms, none of that mattered. What mattered was this moment. This woman. This future we were finally free to build together.
And for the first time in two years, I let myself believe that I could truly have it all.