Callen continued.
The man needed to know.
“In order to keep Graham from taking his life, Gryphen stepped in to try to help him. Graham said he’d not hurt himself if Gryphen asked Elizabeth to help him find you. He asked for our help to find the one man he loved his whole life, and it all fell into place. You know when Gryphen was in Scotland. It wasn’t that long ago.”
He was right.
It wasn’t.
Callen was to the point.
“He needed to know you were okay so he could check out, Michael. His final wish was to know that you moved on and were happy. He wanted to make sure he didn’t break you so badly that you were in the same position he was in.”
Damn.
That floored him.
It also hurt his heart.
“He asked us to make sure you were happy and safe. He wanted to know that he didn’t destroy your life so he could end his.”
The whole time that Callen was talking, Michael said nothing.
“So you can be angry with us, and you can be pissy that we sent you there, but you can’t blame us for all of this. You have unfinished business, and it’s clear that the universe wants you to handle it.”
Michael was adamant about it.
He was so goddamn scared by the man in the castle. He was theONLYperson on this planet that could blow him up and damage him.
Losing Riley hurt, but only because he betrayed him, and it nearly cost Michael his family. He wasn’t nearly as hurt by the loss of his fiancé.
Not.
Even.
Close.
Michael was to the point.
“I’m not getting back on that train. That is a one-way trip to a broken heart again. He broke me, Callen. He didn’t trust me enough to follow me. He gave me an ultimatum and…”
Callen stopped him.
It was clear he was missing the most important part in all of this.
“And he’s paid dearly for it,” Callen admitted. “He’s suffered every day wondering if you were happily married, with children, and if you ever thought about what you had. You’re the ghost that haunts him and has for a long time. You moved on, Michael. He never did.”
He wanted to believe all of this.
Desperately.
Only, he didn’t believe it. Graham was gorgeous, and he was a catch. How could he never move on?
HOW?
Callen kept going. It was clear that he’d calmed him down enough that he was thinking rationally again.
“He never got over you. I know you’re angry, Michael, and we’re not saying you don’t have the right to be, but no one did any of this to hurt you. We sent you there to protect you. Riley Cunningham is insane, and he’s looking for you. He’s batshit loopy, and you’re not safe here.”
