“Nancy… asked me to call you for dinner,” Callie said, her voice trembling with guilt.
No one believed her.
Bridger laughed at her excuse, his usual nonchalant and roguish demeanor on full display. “Miss Marsh-oh, no, I mean, Mrs. Oconnor, eavesdropping, huh?”
Callie was startled by his address, instinctively looking at Nelson. He remained silent.
“Don’t look at him. Nelson almost tore up my club for you. If I couldn’t figure this out, I’d be an idiot,” Bridger explained, then cupped her face in his hands. “Let me see. There’s no one in Ylosea who would dare provoke Trevon Wilcox but you. Instant fame, huh?”
Callie forced a smile, wincing in pain as it pulled at her wound. “Well, thanks to your abandoning me, I got myself a new scar.”
Her sarcasm made Bridger laugh heartily. “You can’t blame me for that. I have a business to run. Finding Nelson for you was already a huge act of kindness on my part.”
Callie rolled her eyes and said after a pause, “I’ll leave my brother in your capable hands then. We’re even.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll teach him well. In a few years, you’ll have a well-behaved brother back.”
Bridger patted her shoulder, then signaled to Nelson. “I’m off.”
The study door was closed considerately behind him. Callie stood there, her toes curling in anxiety. “That friend of yours has a silver tongue. Better cut ties with him sooner.”
Nelson didn’t move, just looked at her. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
Callie was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m just afraid of it leaving a scar.”
“Weren’t you afraid when you had the guts to go to Club Paradise?” Nelson’s expression was indifferent as he tapped out a cigarette from its pack.
She always felt intimidated by him. Gathering her courage, she stepped forward. “Trevon threatened Joaquin’s life. I had no choice at that moment.”
Nelson didn’t light the cigarette; instead, he played with it in his hand. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“How could I call you?” Callie blurted out.
Nelson looked into her eyes, and she shrank back, stubbornly lifting her chin. “I mean, you have no obligation to save me. I can’t keep troubling you.”
He seemed amused. “You’ve troubled me quite a bit already.”
“But I’ve realized that we’re not on the same path. It’s best if we just take what we need from each other and avoid further entanglements,” Callie said, deciding to be blunt about what she had pondered for days.
Nelson’s gaze fell on her bruised knees, a hidden pain overtaking his craving for a cigarette. He put the cigarette back in its pack and closed the lid.
“Still mad about the meeting.” It was a statement, not a question.
So he knew. Callie was silent for a moment. “Not entirely.”
“Then what is it?” There was a hint of coaxing in his tone.
She didn’t answer.
Nelson crooked his finger. “Come here.”
Uncertain of his intentions, Callie approached slowly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, the faint smell of tobacco surrounding her.
Nelson opened his laptop, revealing surveillance footage. It was a recording of her in the private room with Trevon, showing their interactions.
The audio was clear.
“Make sure you have a good time tonight.”
“You’re my first client.”
“You can do whatever you want tonight…”
…
At the first line, Callie wanted to flee, but Nelson held her firmly in place.
She was on the verge of tears, half-kneeling on the floor. “It was a matter of convenience. How was my performance? Pretty convincing, right?”
Nelson sat in the dim light, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I didn’t realize you were still a novice at this.”