10
LEVI
Charlie leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Give me the afternoon to clear my schedule. Set up some meetings."
Amelia's jaw tightened. I could see her digging in, ready to push back, to demand accessnowinstead of later.
But then she surprised me.
"Fine," she said.
Charlie's eyebrows lifted slightly—like he'd expected more of a fight, too.
"I'll have Teddy reach out with details," he said, standing. "In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable in Charleston. It's a beautiful city when you're not trying to burn it down."
Amelia smiled, sharp. "I'll keep that in mind."
The drive back to the Embassy Suites was silent.
Amelia sat beside me in the Bentley, staring out the window, fingers tapping a rhythm against her thigh. I knew that look. She was already compiling questions, organizing her approach, mapping out every angle she'd need to cover when Charlie gave her access.
She was good at this. Better than good.
But what bothered me—what I couldn't stop replaying—was Charlie's dodge.
He's a Dane. So are we.
What the hell did that mean?
Were we related? I didn't know of any long-lost cousins. My brothers back in Montana—Ethan, Jacob, Caleb, the rest—they were the only family I'd ever known.
And Dane wasn't exactly an uncommon name.
Maybe it was just a coincidence. A weird, inconvenient coincidence that happened to involve private jets and black credit cards and a guy who grinned like he knew something I didn't.
Maybe.
The Bentley pulled up to the hotel, and the driver opened the door.
"Thank you," Amelia said, stepping out.
I followed, and we stood on the curb for a beat, the humid Charleston air pressing in around us.
"I need time to think," she said, not looking at me. "Write some things down. Maybe talk to my sources."
I wanted to grab her hand. Pull her back to my room. Rip off all her clothes and remind her that whatever was happening with Dominion Hall, we still hadthis.
But I didn't.
"Yeah," I said. "Okay."
She nodded once and walked inside without looking back.
I went to my room, dropped my backpack on the floor, and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Tried to piece it all together.
The text messages. The plane. Charlie's grin. The credit card with my name etched into it.He's a Dane. So are we.
