Helen’s lips curve into a sad smile.She leans down and, to my complete astonishment, places a gentle kiss on my cheek.“You saved him,” she whispers.“Thank you.”
Before I can process this bewildering turn of events, Helen straightens.“Your mother is outside.She’s been here since last night.One of your brothers is with her.They’ve all been coming and going.It’s been quite lively.”
“My family’s here?”I blink in surprise.“Who called them?”
“Caleb did,” Helen says with a small smile.“As soon as you were brought in.He thought they should know.”
I feel a wave of emotion at this.Before I can say anything further, Caleb stirs, his breathing changing rhythm.
Helen steps back.“I’ll send her inside in a bit.You two should talk first.”With a final meaningful look, she slips out of the room just as Caleb lifts his head.
His eyes find mine, cloudy with sleep for only a second before sharp awareness takes its place.He immediately gets to his feet, relief washing over his face as he reaches out to touch my cheek, his fingers slightly trembling.
“Eve,” he says, my name soft on his lips.“How are you feeling?”
“I’m mostly fine,” I say, trying to sound casual despite the emotions clogging my throat.I reach out to cup his face, my thumb brushing against the stubble on his cheek.“Are you okay?”
He leans forward until our foreheads touch, his eyes closing briefly.“Now that you’re awake, I am.”My heart hammers against my ribs.I’ve never seen him this unguarded, this vulnerable.
“How long was I out?”I ask.
“Since last night,” he says, checking his watch.“It’s the next afternoon.”
The launch.The campaign.Everything we’ve worked for.“What about the launch?”
“It’s fine,” Caleb says, his hand covering mine where it rests against his cheek.“Ethan and Joshua are handling it.”
Joshua.The memory of him fighting with Steven flashes through my mind.“Is Joshua okay?He was hurt.”
“Just a few bruises,” Caleb assures me.“He’s fine.”
I sigh, leaning back against the pillows as a stab of pain shoots through my side.The stitches pull uncomfortably.
Caleb notices my grimace.“I’ll call for the nurse?—”
“No,” I interrupt, reaching for his hand.“I’m okay.I don’t want more painkillers yet.I need to be clearheaded.”I pause, memories from last night flashing through my mind.“What happened to Steven?”
Caleb’s expression darkens, a flash of that same rage I saw when he attacked Steven last night.“He’s in jail.”
“What about his wife and kids?”I ask, genuinely concerned.“They must be devastated.”
“Steven doesn’t have a family,” Caleb says, his voice hard.“He’s single.Those kids were models from his hometown.Two kids he paid to pose for photos.”His lip curls with disgust.“What better cover than a father trying to support his family?Nobody suspects a family man.”
I stare at him in shock, remembering all the times we’d included Steven in office events.“Flora used to get his ‘kids’ Christmas presents,” I murmur, feeling sick at the depth of his deception.“She’d knit them sweaters.I can’t believe he played such a long con.”
“That’s exactly what it was,” Caleb says grimly.“Steven does this for a living.Companies hire him to infiltrate their competitors.He works undercover for two, three years at a time, building trust, collecting information—then disappears.”
“What a mess,” I sigh, trying to process everything.Then I groan, covering my eyes with one hand.“I can’t believe I actually suspected Joshua.If he finds out, he’ll never let me forget it.”
Caleb smiles slightly.“To be fair, he was acting shifty.Turns out he’s the nephew of Martin Reed on our board.Joshua actually got the job here on his own merits, but when Martin started suspecting information leaks, he asked Joshua to keep an eye out.”
“Joshua?Playing detective?”I can barely wrap my head around it.“The same Joshua who once got his tie caught in the paper shredder?”
“The very same,” Caleb confirms with a nod.“He’s been quietly looking into things for weeks.He suspected Steven but couldn’t find solid proof.”
His eyes settle on me, and his gaze intensifies.“I don’t care about any of that right now.”His voice drops, becoming fierce.“If I’m ever in danger again, you are never to step in.Do you understand me?”
I narrow my eyes, irritation flaring despite the warm fuzzy feelings I’ve been harboring.“You can’t tell me what to do, Caleb.”But as I meet his eyes, I’m shocked by what I see there.Not anger.Not arrogance.But raw, unfiltered fear.He looks… scared.
