Shit.
It's Keira and she's sending me text after text.
Call me.
Call me.
Call me now.
I fold the paper and shove it into my pocket.
"Stay on the bed and be quiet," I say, and press the call button as I walk into the bathroom, shutting the door slightly.
She answers on the second ring.
"Callum!"
"Everything alright?"
"No." Her voice is furious. "I just got off the phone with our connection at city hall."
"Okay?"
"Shadowharbor just pulled every fucking license they helped us get. Every zoning permit for the hotels, apartments, construction, gone. The liquor license for Third Street? Gone. They even had an emergency city council meeting called last night and took our name off the plans for the new city park benches downtown we donated money for."
I turn around and stare out the crack in the door at Zaria sitting on the bed looking around the room.
Son of a bitch.
This was the last thing Zaria told me I couldn't confirm, and now it's happening exactly the way she said it would.
"Okay," I say. "Okay. We'll figure this out."
"How, Callum? They totally fucked us."
"I don't know, Keira. But we will. Call Declan. You two come here now."
I hang up before she can argue.
I stand there for a moment, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
My knuckles are still bruised from the other night.
Fuck.
It just keeps getting worse and worse. This is the first time I wish I had my father here, just to ask a question or get some guidance.
I walk back out into the bedroom and stare at Zaria, gripping the phone in my hand.
"Our permits have been pulled," I say.
I shouldn't be talking family business with her, even if she was the one to tell me about it. But she already knew and tried to warn me.
She nods and sighs. "Told you. Just don't meet with them."
I pull out her map and hold it up.
"I'll check this out. If this is a trap, going back to the basement in the dark will be the least of your concerns."
