Page 22 of Shadows Within

“I want him handled. I don’t want him as much as breathing near her again.”

“You sure you want to cross that line Callum?” He asks carefully. “You know what that means.”

“I’m so far over the fucking line.” My voice is quiet but final.

“You know that we can’t dispose of him like that. Not unless you want push back from the Highers.” He doesn't argue, he’s just looking out for me.

“I’m not talking about blood.” I stay calm. “I just want him reminded. Make him squirm a little.”

“Enough to bruise the ego?” His tone sharpens.

I smile. “Exactly. Make it humiliating. Don’t let him forget it.”

“I’ll get creative.” There’s a dark satisfaction in Harrison’s voice.

I hang up without another word, my pulse racing as I think about her. My hand remains curled around the phone. I should feel control. Instead, I feel like I’m losing an unwinnable battle.

I shouldn’t care—I wasn’t raised to care. I was taught to push away my feelings and told that caring makes you weak and vulnerable. Growing up, I watched my mother waste away into the background while my father used people like pawns. I’ve promised myself that I’d be different—but not like this. Not attached. Not soft.

Then there’s her. She’s like a hurricane that pulls me in and breaks me down with nothing more than a look or a sassy comment. She didn’t ask for my help, and she sure as hell didn’t ask for me to follow her—yet I did. And I know I will continue to. My chest tightens the more I think about her.

I finally open my car door and climb into the driver’s seat.I can never lose control, not around her.My fist hits the steering wheel.

“Fuck!”

I hate that her safety is the only thing that matters to me right now. More than The Society. More than the rules. She’s unraveling me and she doesn’t even know it. My knuckles grip the leather of the steering wheel so hard they start to whiten.

She was never part of the plan.I start the car and sit for a moment, in silence. I know what I need to do, I just don’t like it. I check my surroundings and leave the campus parking lot.

I’m disappointed with myself, for caring about someone else’s feelings. But Scarlett isn’t just anyone, she’s an anomaly, one that I never accounted for.Push it down.

“Attachment is a liability.” That’s what Father would always say. A low laugh builds in my chest. My parents wouldn’t know the meaning of supportive if it knocked them over the fucking head. As the traffic light in front of me turns from yellow to red, I hover my hand over the gear shift and slow the car down. I’m not familiar with this side of town. The houses don’t look like they belong on the front of glossy magazines, and their small square lawns are nicely cut, but don’t need trucks with landscaping crews to maintain them. Life looks simpler and more honest.

I pull over to the side of the road, a few houses down from hers. The engine idles as I park underneath a streetlight. I don’t want to be noticed—by her or anyone else.

There isn’t much traffic on King Street—it’s unnervingly silent. Scarlett’s house is dark, except for a porch light and a faint glow from a window upstairs. Its curtain is slightly open—I assume that’s her room. I wonder if she’s thinking about me, like I can’t stop thinking about her. I run my hand along my jaw and contemplate texting her. I type in her number. I don’t have it saved in my phone, but I have it memorized. While some may call that psychotic, I call it endearing.

I type each word slowly.

Callum:Did you make it home?

I know she made it home. I’m looking at her car in the driveway, I’m just looking for any excuse to talk to her. I hesitate before I hit send.

My phone buzzes—that was quick.

Unknown:Who is this?

Of course, she doesn’t know my number.

Callum:The campus ex-boyfriend watch committee.

Unknown:Sounds like a stalker… Callum?

Unknown:Yes, I’m fine.

I laugh.

She has no idea.