Nica didn’t want to go down without a fight. Worse still, she had Paul Rayner on her side.

When we were brought back to Northbridge (because the Ashland police department had no jurisdiction over our cases), Nica used her one phone call to bring in Paul Rayner, who assigned her and Ori the best lawyers money could buy. Cally, who hadn’t been involved in anything, was set free back in Ashland. She promised she would get me help and call me as soon as she could. Of course, I didn’t want her to show up at the same time as her father, who was probably just as mad at her as he was at me.

I imagine Paul Rayner wasn’t too happy to find out how I’d beaten up the two goons he’d hired to torture and possibly kill me. Of course, I had no evidence of this, and even if I could find that warehouse, it’d probably be cleaned out by now. Rayner was out to get me, so it was actually safer for me to stay in jail rather than be bailed out.

The missing pieces of the puzzle were finally connected when I realized how Nica was connected with Paul. Paul told the cops that Nica was a close family friend of his. But he couldn’t hide the truth from me. Ori was the spitting image of Paul, I’d just never noticed it before because I hadn’t been paying attention. Ori was Paul’s daughter, which made her Cally’s half-sister. Ori wasn’t related to me or my father at all, and that was Nica’s biggest ‘fuck you’ to the Ainsworth name. Protected by one of the wealthiest men in the world, I had no doubt she’d be out of jail in no time. And I was right. Rayner posted bail an hour later and sent a driver to take them away. All charges were magically dropped, two hours after that, and I spent the night alone in jail.

Cally was right to mistrust the corrupt NBPD.

Kieran had been right when he told me to move on and forget about seeking justice.

I could not win. Not when the opposition had a hundred times the manpower, money, and connections I did. Not when he could set Nica and Ori free with a snap of his fingers.

By the time the state could appoint me a lawyer, Nica and Ori would be long gone and my case dismissed. They’d be sun tanning in Mexico, and I would spend the rest of my life as a convicted sex offender, if I was lucky. If Paul felt vindictive, there was a chance I’d be dead by the end of the week. Because men like Paul could do that to another man and get away with it. He could set me up, using his own daughter as bait, and he could put me away for three whole years. I had no doubt I’d be charged with parole violation by sunrise, and an expedited hearing would send me straight back to the hellhole I’d crawled out of a few short weeks ago.

Because life wasn’t fucking fair, and money talked. In Northbridge, money talked a lot.

My only ray of hope was Callista Rayner, a woman I’d used and betrayed. Someone who owed me absolutely nothing, yet witnessed the atrocities her father had rained down on me and promised to help. But what could she do, really? And even if she could do something, would she go against her father to do it? Did she like me enough to save my life again? We’d bonded physically, but was it enough for her to risk her heart?

The jail cell was cold despite the four other bodies crammed in with me. Two drunks were passed out in the corner in a puddle of their own piss. One repeatedly banged his head against the bars. The other rocked back and forth, muttering obscenities for hours. I couldn’t sleep, even though everything, seemingly down to my fingernails, ached. The superficial bullet wound on my ass hadn’t healed, and the bandage hadn’t been changed in over twenty-four hours. The skin around it felt warm to the touch, and I prayed it hadn’t gotten infected. A distinct purple bite mark blistered against my forearm where Ori had bitten me. Damn bitch was crazier than her mother.

When someone shone a flashlight on my face sometime in the middle of the night, I thought I was probably getting sent back to Maxfield Prison. So when I saw Cally’s tired face on the other side, my eyes watered with relief.

“Ms. Rayner has posted your bail. You’re free to go,” the night guard said. “Watch your step.”

I waited all the way until we were out on the street before picking Cally up and squeezing the hell out of her. I buried my nose in her sweet, soft hair and groaned, “I thought you wouldn’t come for me.”

“I’m not leaving you, Ryder,” Cally murmured. “I told you we were in this together.”

I looked at her weary eyes, which were rimmed with red. Had she been crying? “What time is it?” It was dark out, and I felt disoriented.

Cally checked her watch. “Almost five in the morning.”

“Why did you come for me?”

Cally shrugged and sniffled a little. “Because I like you. A lot. Way more than I should. Probably way more than you deserve. But all the same, I can’t help how I feel about you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. She was still here. “This isn’t a dream, right?”

“Nope. I’m really here. And you’re starting to annoy me,” Cally said. “Hop in my car. Let’s go home.”

“Home?”

“What? You thought after everything we’ve been through, I’d just drop you off by the library and let you sleep on the bench?”

“I—I don’t know what to say, Cally.”

“Come on, Ry, it’s starting to rain.”

I looked up at the overcast sky. A couple droplets of rain landed on my cheek and rolled down to my chin. Within seconds, it began to pour. I slid into Cally’s Porsche, every bone in my body screaming from exhaustion.

She came for me. She saved me. Despite all the fucked-up things that happened between us, she forgave me. Was this what bliss felt like? Was this enough?

After Cally pulled away from the station, she made a beeline back to her apartment. “What now, Ryder? Orielle is alive. She’s the one who set you up. Her and Veronica. You’ve got your answers now.”

I clenched my jaw. “Answers, yes, but not justice.”

“You can lead a perfectly normal life, Ryder. Even with a record. Even as a registered sex offender. With the right support system, with me, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

“What about your dad? He bailed Veronica and Orielle out of jail. He’s involved; he helped them pull it all off.”

“Like I said, let me talk to him. He won’t hurt me. I’ll tell him how I feel about you and ask him to leave you alone. In exchange, you will forget about your plan and lay low. Live a normal life. Doesn’t that sound nice for a change? You wanted answers, and now you have them. Maybe that’s enough.”

“You’d stand up against your dad, for me?” I asked.

“Of course.”

I reached over and squeezed Cally’s thigh. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

“You could start by fixing a few things around my apartment. Why don’t you stay with me until you’ve found a new place?”

“I—”

“Just until you have your own place,” Cally emphasized. “I’m not asking you to move in or anything.”

“Okay,” I said. “Maybe just a couple of weeks.”

* * *

We made our way up to Cally’s apartment in silence. My fingers intertwined with hers, my thumb tracing circles along her hand. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Cally. I know it sounds cheesy as hell, but it’s the truth. I’m so scared that I’ll fuck up again and drive you away.”

“You’ve been on the run for too long, Ryder. It’s time you stopped running.” Cally reached up and kissed me. “I can help you heal, Ry, one day at a time.”

The elevator doors parted, and we walked hand in hand toward her apartment, my cock already swelling at the sight of her swaying hips. A strange new feeling bubbled in my chest, one I couldn’t quite identify. I was ready to move on if it meant that I’d keep Cally. Cally was worth so much more than revenge, so much more than trying to seek justice for something that happened a lifetime ago. I could be a new man. With her help, I could be anyone.

Cally dug in her purse for her keys, all the while, I kissed her neck and snaked my arms around her waist. “Stop, you’re tickling me,” Cally said, swatting me away. “I have to find my keys.”

I pressed myself against her, my erection straining against my pants. “I’m ready to take you right here in the hallway,” I whispered hungrily.

“Ryder…”

Just then, Cally’s apartment door swung open, and I came face to face with the one person I never wanted to see again. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked.

“Come in, we need to talk, Ryder.” Nica swung the door wide, and Cally and I entered cautiously, as if expecting an ambush. Instead, we found Paul and Orielle sitting on Cally’s sofa, chatting. Without wanting to, I’d come face to face with the three people who single-handedly ruined my life. My first instinct was to run. My second, to attack.

Paul stood up when he saw me, his body going rigid at the sight of my hands, which were still wrapped around Cally’s waist. “We’ve come to talk,” Paul said. “Please, have a seat.”

“Dad, what the hell are you doing here? With them?” Cally cried.

“I have a spare key,” Paul said.

“Doesn’t mean you can just waltz in here with them!” Cally exploded. She tried to lunge at Orielle, but I held her back.

Paul frowned. “Cally, baby, please, sit down. I just want to talk.”

“Sit, Cally,” I encouraged. “Let’s just see what he says. You’re the one who wanted to talk to him, remember?”

“But not with them sitting here,” Cally snapped, disgust marring her face.

“Cally, I was wrong. I made many mistakes,” Paul began. “Some of which began more than twenty years ago, when I had an affair with another man’s wife.” Paul glanced at Veronica, who was standing in a corner, arms folded across her chest. Orielle sat next to Paul, stiff as a board. Paul rested his hand on her shoulder. “Cally, this is your sister, Orielle. You grew up thinking she was a family friend, but the truth is, she’s your sister, whether you like it or not. A few years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I wanted to help Veronica get revenge, so I manipulated Ryder. I set him up and sent him to prison because I thought it would make Veronica and Orielle happy. Then, Orielle and I had a fight, and I drove her away. I was angry and said things I shouldn’t have. All these years, I never got publicly involved with the Ainsworth family. But the truth is, I love Veronica, always have. Our relationship has strengthened over the past year, and…I know this will be extremely difficult for you but…I’m leaving your mother, Cally. I will be filing the divorce papers soon. Veronica, Orielle, and I are planning to move to Mexico and starting over.”

Cally’s face twisted with confusion. “Are you kidding me right now?” she eked out. “You’d leave your company, your wife, and me, for them?”

“You can visit whenever you want. And I’ve left the company in very good hands. The new CEO will manage it for me, but I’ll still keep tabs on him once in a while.”

“I don’t understand,” Cally repeated in shock. “You’re willing to just throw everything away?”

“I don’t expect you to understand. But you need to know that I love you, Cally. Nica and Ori will not press charges against Ryder for what happened last night in Ashland, and I hope Ryder will leave us alone from now on. Live and let live?”

“You sent people to fucking kill me,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. Bolts of hot anger made my heart race. “They wanted to torture me to death. How do I know you won’t do it again?”

“They got carried away, and I apologize for that. I only asked them to intimidate you, not physically harm you,” Paul said. “Like I said, I just want to start over, in Mexico, with my new family. Cally, I know you can’t forgive me right now, but in time, I hope you will understand. Celeste, too. You know I’ve been unhappily married for quite some time now.”

“No…I didn’t know, Dad. You and Mom always seemed so happy. So perfect together.”

“Cally, just know that I love you, and I’m not abandoning you. I want to stay in touch with you,” Paul said, his face genuinely remorseful.

“Just…just leave,” Cally said, pointing to the door. “You said what you came to say, now just go. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

“You don’t mean that, sweetheart. I—”

“Go!” Cally cried, tears chasing one another down her cheeks. “Get the fuck out!”

Paul stood up, nodded to Veronica, and the three of them left without a word. Once the door slammed shut behind them, I turned to Cally and squeezed her tight. After the footsteps faded down the hall, Cally let it all out, sobbing against my chest, her body wracked with pain. I kissed the top of her head and held her, because mere words would be inadequate in that moment. Nothing could console her but time and rest. All this time, the man Nica really wanted was Paul Rayner. And now she had him. I hoped the two villains would find their twisted happily ever after. As long as they were out of my life, out of Cally’s life, I could breathe easy. I could rebuild my life, so long as Paul, Ori, and Nica were gone. Maybe them leaving for Mexico actually worked in my favor. It wasn’t the perfect ending I wanted, but it was an ending, and that’s what mattered. That chapter of my life was finally closed, and I could start a new one now.

After some time, exhaustion overwhelmed Cally, and she fell asleep against my chest. I let her sleep, shifting only slightly to ensure a more comfortable position for both of us.

When we awoke later, it was almost noon, and blinding sunlight flooded Cally’s apartment. My vision was streaked with red as I pushed myself up and off the couch.

“I can’t believe I fell asleep,” Cally grumbled, rubbing her eyes. Then, memories flooded back, and she sighed. “Did that—did it—”

“Yes, it really happened. I’m so sorry, Cally.”

“Maybe this was for the best, Ryder. I mean, with them gone—”

“My thoughts exactly.” I leaned over and tipped up Cally’s chin until we were eye to eye. Then, I took her lips, the sweetest I’d ever tasted, and knew that if I had her, I had everything I ever needed to start over. And when the time was right, I’d tell her how much I was in love with her. How much being with her had changed me for the better. “What do you say we grab some lunch?” I suggested. “I’m starving.”

“Sounds good,” Cally agreed, yawning. “Let me just take a quick shower and get changed.”

I watched Cally disappear into her bedroom, and wondered, for a split second, what would happen if she never reappeared. But she did, carrying a change of clothes and a towel. And she looked beautiful. While Cally was in the shower, I made a new promise to myself. A promise I intended to keep; a plan I intended to follow through with this time.

No more lies. No more crime. No more running.

Only honesty, love, and trust.

Cally deserved nothing less.

I couldn’t give her anything at the moment, but we had time on our side. And for the first time since we met, there was a glimmer of hope.

Hope was a good start.