“Amelia,” I said. Sighing, I rested my head on her stomach. If only it was that simple.
“Tell me,” she demanded.
“In Chicago, the drugs come from one place. And there is an unspoken rule for all dealers.” Even after all this time, it still felt odd talking to her about this.
“An unspoken rule?” she repeated.
“Either you pay back the merchandise, or the Callahans will come for your family,” Austin finished for me. However, when her hands froze, I glanced up at her.
“The Callahans … I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
I snorted and kissed her hands. “They’re like royalty in Chicago. Hell, they basically own it—”
“No. I mean I know that name. Is one of them named Melody? Melody Giovanni Callahan? I know her.”
“You know a Callahan?” Austin grunted, but from the look on her face, I knew she wasn’t joking about this. Why would she if she didn’t even know who they were?
“Amelia,” I said, “how do you know her?”
“She helped me,” she said, not at all making sense. Melody Callahan. Though I had never met her, I knew she did not help people. Used them, broke them, killed them, yeah—but helped? “When you were arrested for the whole Mallory thing, I tried to get proof that it wasn’t your fault. I failed miserably. Then out of nowhere, Melody Callahan picked me up and said she would give me what I needed if I gave up Sheldon Worcester. She needed his help and promised she wouldn’t do anything to him, so I told her. I didn’t know she had anything to do with drugs!”
“You sold your friend out to the head of the Italian mob,” Austin chimed in, not at all fucking helping.
“What?” she panicked. I didn’t give a damn about Sheldon Worcester. My biggest concern was the ripple effect this would have—
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Austin pulled out his phone, stared at it, and shaking his head, he answered.
“Bo. We just saw. I’ll get—He’s busy—We will get back to you—Yes, I understand how serious this—No, don’t. Bo. Bo!” He glanced back at me, shaking his head. “He’s spooked. I wouldn’t doubt that he’s packing to run now.”
The floodgates of hell were opening up, and all I could do was laugh.
“Noah?” Amelia sounded concerned.
Shaking my head at her, I couldn’t help it. “Amelia, my father is now a wanted man with $265 million of debt over his head. Both he and Bo will be hung out to dry. Who do you think is left holding the shit? I can’t catch a fucking break. It’s always one thing after another.”
Every time I felt like I escaped Chicago, the Southbend, I was being dragged back in. If this weren’t my life, I would have thought it was one shitty movie.
“I’m worth $73 million,” Amelia whispered beside me, squeezing my hand. I looked at her, and she just brightly smiled at me. “Whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll figure it out—with the help of our trusty manager, that is.”
We both looked to Austin. Frowning, he started to dial.
“I hate you both,” he said, walking toward the kitchen.
Sometimes God fucks up with our families and has to make it up with other people in our lives. Amelia and Austin—they are my family.
Chapter Four
Amelia
I called.
I texted.
I emailed.
I called again.
Still, I could not get in touch with Sheldon, and even if I did, I still wasn’t sure what I could say. Hey, I’m sorry sold you out to the mafia. The mafia? Since when was that still a thing? The longer I stayed with Noah, the more my eyes were forced open, and I wasn’t sure if I liked what I was seeing anymore.
“Are you scared?” Noah asked me softly as his driver and bodyguard, Daniel, drove us to my photo shoot. We were late, much to Austin’s annoyance, which forced him to leave earlier. But it really was the least of our problems.
“I’m not scared,” I finally replied.
“Just like you weren’t scared of that lion when we were kids?” he asked with a smile.
“I was not scared!” I argued like a child, and he just smiled at me. His blue-green eyes focused only on me so intensely, I stopped breathing for a moment. “Shut up,” I muttered, turning away.
Lifting my hand up, he kissed it. “Honestly, I’m afraid.”
“What?” I faced him again.
He nodded. “Growing up, the scariest man in my life was my father, and I would never forget how terrified he was of the Callahans. They’ve been getting away with their double lives for decades. When they want something, they get it,” he whispered. For the first time, I had seen him truly afraid. Even when he told me about Esther, even when he found me covered in her blood, he never once looked afraid. He was always a rock. My rock. And now, I would be his.
“I was scared of the lion,” I admitted, leaning into him.
“It was obvious.”
“Shut up,” I laughed before becoming serious. “I was scared of the lion. I’m not scared of the Callahans or your father or anything. Call me naïve or just stupid, but I honestly believe we’ll be okay. We haven’t gone through all of this just to be hunted by the mafia. Seriously, Noah—the mafia?”
“You’re crazy,” he said, despite the grin on his face.
“You made me this way—oh, wow,” I whispered as this beautiful Spanish-Colonial style mansion seated on acres upon acres of grassy hillside came into view. By the time Daniel pulled up, the gate was already open, and I was sort of annoyed by the crew and setup that covered the front entrance because they blocked most of the flowers and statues that lined the sides.
“I want this house,” I whispered to myself.
“You hate Pelican Point and Orange County,” Noah reminded me, taking off his seat belt. And it was true. Esther wanted me to buy a house here, but I couldn’t deal with a dozen other housewives just like her as neighbors and begged Oliver to help me stop her.
But damn, the house was gorgeous. “I would welcome Pelican Point and Orange County for this house.”
“Then you’ll only have $60 million, and what can I do with that?” Noah joked, winking at me before stepping out of the car.
“Ass,” I coughed.
“Did you just ‘ass’-cough me?” he said far too loudly, causing more than a few people to glance at us.
“You are not funny,” I muttered, elbowing him.
“It was a little funny.”
“Sometimes, I swear you are—”
“Amelia,” a voice said. We both turned to find Austin coming out of the house with a short, older Asian woman, her hair cut into a short bob. In her wrinkled white hands was a black camera. “I’d like you to meet—”
“Hanako Sugiyama,” I finished for him, stepping forward. “Ma’am, it’s so amazing to meet you. I love your photography.”
“’Ma’am’?” She tilted her head. “Do I look like a ‘ma’am’ to you?”
You sound like one.
“Be nice, Hanako,” Noah grinned, leaning in for a hug and kissing both of her cheeks. She made a face at him and smacked his arms.
“Don’t even get me started with you. You promised to do the Somerfall spread and backed out last minute.”
“It was three years ago, and I had the flu—”
“Don’t care, and don’t care,” she snapped at him. The fact that Noah towered over her and she was the intimidating one was just too funny. “I actually know how you can make it up to me.”
“How—”
“You’ll join the shoot—for free.”
Austin stepped up. “Hanako, this Amelia’s shoot.”
Her dark black eyes shifted over to me, and I raised my hands up. “I don’t mind.”
“Then it’s settled.” She nodded to herself happily and walked back into the house.
“Hanako!” Austin called after her before turning back to me. “Really?”
I shrugged. “What? I don’t mind—”
/> “Not what he’s annoyed about,” Noah replied, pulling out a cigarette. “He’s pissed I’m doing the shoot for free.”
Austin opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but then stopped, glaring at Noah before heading back into the house.
“Who’s going to give him gray hair now?” I said, following him inside. Two double staircases sat under a large crystal chandler. My heels clicked against the marble floor as I walked to the center of the foyer. There on the ground was a cursive ‘G.’
“Still want this house?” Noah said when he walked up beside me.
“That might be a problem.”
There, coming down the stairs, had to be the most handsome man I’d ever seen, aside from Noah. He was dressed in a light gray fitted suit and a light blue shirt with no tie and the top buttons undone. His brown hair was messy, and his green eyes were identical to those of the little boy in his arms, who was equally well-dressed in a bow tie and khakis. The man walked down the stairs with a wicked smirk on his lips as he looked us over.
“You see, my wife is really attached to this house,” he said, shifting the boy up in his arms. The boy rested his head on his father’s shoulder and waved at me.
“Hi!” I waved back, leaning closer. “Your mommy has good taste.”
“Say hi, Ethan.” The man tried to get his son to show more of his face, but the boy only clung more tightly to his neck. “Excuse him. He’s shy.”
“No, he’s so cute. How old is he?”
“Three—”
“And half,” the boy cut in, holding out his fingers to explain.
His father rolled his eyes. “Excuse me—three and a half.”
“Ms. London,” a voice called. I turned away from them and toward the photography assistant who was waiting with three other people behind her. “We need to get you prepped for the shoot.”
I nodded and faced the man in front of me again. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr…”
“Liam is fine.”
“Liam,” I repeated, leaning back down to wave at his son. “It was a pleasure to meet you both. Bye, Ethan.”
“Bye-bye,” Ethan replied softly.
He is too cute.
I looked to Noah, who just nodded for me to go without him. Confused, I didn’t push him, but headed toward the prep area.
“Noah Sloan and Liam Callahan … it should be a sin for them to be in the same room at the same time,” one woman whispered.
I froze mid-step. Everything slowed down, and I could clearly hear each beat of my heart. Noticing I wasn’t following them, one of the women turned back to me wide-eyed. She muttered something to the woman who had spoken before and then turned to face me.
“Ms. London, I’m sorry. She can be careless—”
“Liam Callahan?” I asked her.
Confused, she nodded, looking back behind me. “Yes, the Callahans gracefully allowed us to shoot in their mansion. This morning, the other venue backed out at the last minute. We are so lucky; there have never been any photo-shoots done here before.”
I didn’t want to turn back around, but when I did, they were already walking somewhere.
“Is something wrong, Ms. London?”
Everything. Everything was wrong with this.
Noah
“Your woman’s cute.” Liam glanced back over to Amelia as she spoke to the staff. “A little naïve, but cute. Must be very different from the women in the Southbend.”
“I haven’t been back there since I was a teenager. I wouldn’t know what the women are or aren’t like.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “You only get one lie with me. Do you really want it to be that one?”
I said nothing. He had stepped down those stairs like the devil himself, and his son in his hands did nothing to hide that fact. It proved that even the devil loves his kid. I didn’t say anything while he spoke to Amelia, hoping he wouldn’t involve her in this, and luckily, he played dumb as well.
“Let’s talk, Mr. Sloan,” he stated, giving me no room to argue. He walked around me toward the east side of mansion, going behind one of the staircases. I noticed there were no photos in the house, nothing that made it looked lived in. If it weren’t for the noise of the crew setting up for the shoot, the house would have been eerily quiet. Finally, he stopped at a pair of brown French doors leading into a study overlooking the pool and all of Santa Ana.
“Please have a seat while I try to figure out this damn thing,” he muttered, crouching down in front of small wooden desk set. He pulled out the chair seating his son before opening a drawer and pulling out some blocks for him. When his son started to play he stood up straighter, turning to me. “There we go. Sorry about that—the struggle of being a working father. You know how it is.”
“I don’t have any children,” I replied, taking a seat in front of his desk.
“Right,” he said, pulling out a bottle of brandy. “The baby whose hospital bills you paid for—she’s your brother’s child correct?”
“Yes,” I answered when he offered me glass. “I’m good.”
He didn’t drop his hand. “When an Irishman hands you a drink, you take it.”
“I’m Scottish.”
The corner of his mouth turned up, and he downed the glass himself. “You pulled yourself out of the slums, you’ve made something of yourself, and you’ve got balls. I like you, Noah … but your family is another case altogether. Scottish, Irish—it doesn’t matter. You’re from the Southbend, so I’m sure you know who I am. You know the rules, and your father broke them. Custom says that I kill you, your brother, his family, and then him, because you and I both know he doesn’t have the money to pay me back.”
“I’ve never been one for custom,” I replied, leaning back into the chair, “but then again, neither are you. After all, you are here instead of out on a murder spree.”
“Not because I don’t want be,” he snapped, glaring into me. “You father lost over $200 million dollars, my fucking money, and now he’s in the wind along with your idiot brother. The only person I can get my hands on at the moment is you. That’s an annoyance in and of itself because you’re a movie star, which means people would actually give a damn if you went missing. And I could waste my time thinking of an elaborate way to get to you, but for what? You only serve as your father’s ATM. I want Frank. I wanted him yesterday, and so you, Noah Sloan, will bring him to me before my annoyance turns to full-blown anger.”
“I thought the Callahan network was vast and undeniable? You say you want him, and in enough time, someone somewhere will find him—”
“But I don’t want someone, somewhere. I want it to be you.” He frowned, stood up, and walked over to the windows. “I may not kill you, but you and your family will take a beating just like any other family that gets in my way. Your father will die because you turned him in to me. If you fail, well … you don’t want to fail. Not if you want to see a future with Ms. London.”
“Threaten her, touch her—in any way, shape, or form—and I swear to God, I don’t care what your last name is, I will come for you.”
“I’m terrified. No, really, I am,” Liam snickered, not even bothering to glance back at me. “But I’m not the man you should be threatening. Not only is it useless, but I’m also not your enemy. I’m just a businessman protecting his interest. It was your father who used you and her as collateral. So my question to you is, who are you more loyal to: her, or Frank?”
“Dada! Dada!” Ethan cried out, smashing the blocks on his table. I had forgotten about his presence.
“Looks like our meeting’s over. I’m sure you can show yourself out. Enjoy your photo shoot.” He walked over to his son, a smile on his face as he grabbed Ethan’s sides, tickling him. How in the hell he could talk about wiping out someone’s family one minute and be so caring about his own was haunting.
Closing the doors behind me, I took a deep breath. The only upside of all of this was when I found Frank, it would literally be the last time we met.<
br />
Who am I more loyal to? It wasn’t even a question.
I retraced my steps back to the front, where Austin stood waiting for me. He looked me over once, and I nodded, letting him know I was fine.
“Liam Callahan,” he said.
“In the flesh,” I replied. I needed a fucking smoke. “He even brought his son along.”
“The venue was changed at the last minute. I didn’t have time to check,” Austin said.
“That’s what he wanted.” Everything he was doing was to prove a point. Having the ability to change Amelia’s shooting location, bring me to him, displaying his kid in of us—his message was clear. He wasn’t even the least bit worried about me. I couldn’t touch him, but he could fuck with me in the blink of an eye.
“He wants you to sell out your father,” Austin said, not even trying to pose it as a question. But what else could Liam Callahan want with me?
“Mr. Sloan, we’re ready for you.” The same photography assistant who had called Amelia earlier appeared in front of us again.
“I’m heading back to Chicago after this,” I told Austin as I walked toward the assistant.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to do this shoot, Mr. Sloan. Everyone is obsessed with you, too.”
That was the problem.
“Beautiful, Amelia,” I heard Hanako say. We walked past the large pool, and Amelia leaned against the pool wall dressed in a strapless red swimsuit, glowering into the camera sensually, her pink lips parted slightly.
While whole world was watching me, I was always stuck watching her.
Amelia
When he came out, dressed only in his black boxer briefs since they hadn’t prepared anything for him, I let go of the breath I was holding. I had told Austin to immediately find out who it was we were talking to, but I wasn’t sure if that made any difference whatsoever.
“Jump in with her,” Hanako directed.
Noah nodded, but instead of slipping into the pool slowly, he backed away.
“Noah, don’t you—”
Too late. He ran for it, and I prepared myself for the wave of water that would surely mess up what the stylist had done to my hair. In the background, I heard the cameras click away as the wave hit me.