“He will not suspect you.”
“How do you know that?”
“He’s in love with you. That whole family—whether it is a curse or a blessing—they are always blinded by the people they love. You’ve done well, now it’s time—”
“You are rushing!” I hollered.
“You are stalling!” he hollered back. “Not only that, you are cracking! The Calliope I raised has fooled presidents, drug lords, convicts, and on occasion, even me, with just how well you can act, just how well you can hide who you really are and what you really want. Yet not even two days of being in that damn house, and you are letting your mask slip. I can no longer tell where your head is! You aren’t acting like the girl we trained—the cold-blooded murderer you are. You are acting like…like you are Mrs. Callahan. You’ve done well getting this far but—”
“You no longer trust m
e,” I whispered, turning from him, trying to keep my composure. “You think I can’t finish this.”
“To be honest, if you could, you may not be human.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Your grandmother and I knew this might happen. When we told you to have a child, we figured it would make you closer to him. So, it’s only natural that you care about him. But you still need to remember, none of it was real. When your family slips, you help them back up and fill the gap.”
“If I am fucking slipping, it’s because you both will not give me fucking space. Everywhere I turn, I feel you both circling, hounding. I will get the job done, but I cannot do that while you both are pressing me.”
“Are we pushing, or are you pushing against us?” he questioned. “I am not a fool. I know you must have thought about how easy it could be to just ride off into the sunset with your prince charming. The temptation is there. It has to be. But do not give into it. You do not have to be his queen. You can rule on your own. When they fall, you and Gigi can survive it, just like we planned, and like always, we will be in your corner. You won’t have to pretend anymore. You won’t have to worry about what others think or want. The Callahan family…they only come with more pain, not less. It’s always fun, until it is not. I’m doing all of this because I do not want you to get sucked in.”
I flipped my glass over and placed it on the counter before meeting his eyes. “That’s the problem. You keep assuming I’m getting sucked in, when I am not. Be patient. I cannot just put a bullet in their brains while they sleep. I need to establish myself first in order to survive the fall, and again, I cannot do that while you all are forcing me to screw up. I gave you my life because I love you …but I can’t end up with nothing when this is over. I need time.”
His stare lasted a long time before he nodded. “Then, you will get your time.”
I knew him too well. “But?”
“Prove to me you are not wavering.”
“Are fucking serious?” I said through clenched teeth. “Today, I let Ethan suffer a huge blow. He’s lost millions if not billions.”
“And he can make that back before the month is over!” he snapped, glaring into my eyes. “You want to prove it? Hurt them in a way they can never recover. You can’t kill all of them, but you can kill one of them.”
“Grandpa.” I gasped.
“It doesn’t have to be Ethan. But it must be more than an appendage,” he said, lifting the arm and giving it back to me. “You have a week. Give me a body and you will have your time.”
I stared at the dark circles under his eyes.
“What?” he questioned. “Did your job become hard all of a sudden? That’s odd. Because you’ve never hesitated before? Are you having a hard time choosing? Or is it—”
“Keep the arm; it’s a gift,” I muttered, stepping back toward the door. “I’ll get your body.”
“Calliope,” he called out from behind me. “No tricks. Don’t want anyone coming back in the final act with a surprise for me.”
I didn’t reply, walking out of hell as fast as I could.
I had set myself up for this.
I knew it from the very beginning. The only thing that would satisfy him was Callahan blood.
Both Ethan and Gigi’s faces flashed through my mind. I wanted to sink into the concrete under my feet and hide from my crimes, past and present.
But all I could do was keep going forward.
ETHAN
I could see a thick, black cloud and orange glow of the fire rising from the elementary school from over a mile away.
“How much did they get out?” I asked Monk.