Chapter 8 - THE MAN CALLUM NEVER MENTIONED|
Rowan did not call Callum immediately.
She went home, placed the photograph and Grant's envelope on her kitchen table, and spent an hour reviewing every document her attorney had collected.
She wanted to separate what she knew from what she feared.
Grant had abandoned her.
Someone had threatened him.
A company connected to an unidentified network had attempted to claim her business.
And Grant believed a person associated with Callum's organization had been involved in the events surrounding their breakup.
None of those facts proved that Callum had harmed anyone.
But they raised a question she could no longer ignore.
Who was Callum Voss before he became the man she knew?
When she finally called, he answered immediately.
"Red."
"I need to ask you something."
"Ask."
"Eight years ago, did someone connected to your organization become involved in a business dispute with Grant Holloway?"
The silence lasted long enough to frighten her.
"Who told you that?" Callum asked.
"Grant."
Another pause.
"Can we speak in person?"
"That depends on whether you're going to tell me the truth."
"I will."
They met that evening at a quiet restaurant owned by one of Callum's legitimate business partners. Rowan arrived first and chose a table near the window.
Callum entered alone.
He looked tired.
"I knew Grant's former business partner, Nathan Cole," he said. "Years ago, Nathan approached several shipping investors about a freight contract. The deal involved money that couldn't be accounted for."
"Was Grant involved?"
"His company had signed part of the agreement. I don't know whether he understood the entire arrangement."
"Did you threaten him?"
"No."
"Did anyone working for you?"
Callum took a breath.
"One of my former associates, Victor Raines, was involved in the debt negotiations. He used intimidation. I learned about it after the fact, and I ended the business relationship."
"Did you know I was engaged to Grant?"
"No."
"Did you know he left me?"
"Not until tonight."
She studied his face.
"Why didn't you tell me about Victor?"
"Because I didn't know his name was connected to your past. I should have told you more about the history of my business when we became serious."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because I wanted you to see the man I am now, not every mistake I made before."
Rowan looked away.
"That sounds a lot like Grant's explanation."
"I know."
He didn't try to defend it.
Callum explained that he had grown up in a neighborhood where legitimate opportunities were scarce and dangerous men often controlled access to jobs, loans, and transportation routes. He had built a legitimate logistics business by buying struggling companies, renegotiating contracts, and investing in infrastructure.
But some of his early partnerships had involved people who used illegal methods.
He had severed those relationships over time, though the consequences had not disappeared.
"I won't pretend my past is clean," he said. "And I won't ask you to ignore it. If you decide you don't want a relationship with me, I'll accept that."
Rowan's eyes stung.
"Do you love me?"
He looked at her.
"Yes."
"How can you love someone and still keep so much from them?"
"Because I was afraid you would leave."
She laughed bitterly.
"Then you should have learned something from Grant."
"I have."
He leaned forward.
"I won't tell you what to believe. I'll give you the records I can lawfully share, cooperate with the investigation, and answer your questions honestly. But I can't erase my past."
Rowan stared at him for a long time.
She wanted to believe him.
She also knew that wanting something did not make it true.
"I need time," she said.
Callum nodded.
"You have it."
He left money on the table and stood.
Before he walked away, Rowan asked one final question.
"Who is Victor Raines?"
Callum's expression hardened.
"An investor who disappeared from the business world after a disputed shipping deal. We believed he had left the country."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"No."
Callum's phone vibrated.
He checked the screen and went still.
"What is it?" Rowan asked.
He turned the phone toward her.
A message had arrived from Dominic.
It contained a photograph of the same black sedan Rowan had seen outside her apartment.
Beneath it was a single sentence.
Victor Raines has resurfaced. He's working with Meridian.
Callum looked at Rowan.
And for the first time since she had met him, she saw genuine fear in his eyes.
May you like
Not for himself.
For her.
