Page 105 of Last Resort

“You’re not responding,” Ledger says.

“Why would you do that for me?” I finally ask.

“Because good people are hard to find, Sutton. And you’ve more than proven that you are just that, good at what you do . . . so while it might benefit you, we are the ones who get the most out of it.”

“I’m flattered. And thank you. I’m a little overwhelmed. I mean, Roz . . . What would—”

“Like we said, we’d handle her,” Ledger says.

“Still, I . . .”

“We know we’ve given you a lot to think about,” Ford says with a gentle smile. “Would you like a few moments to consider our proposal?”

“Yes. Please.” My hands tremble so I clasp them to try and hide it from them. “I’d appreciate that.”

They gather their laptops and papers and smile as they exit the conference room, leaving me sitting there dumbfounded.

I need to move, to process . . . to think. Rising from my chair, I move toward the wall of windows and stare out at the city below but don’t really see anything. I’m too busy realizing everything I wanted career wise is just within reach but so terrifyingly close to what I can’t have.

“Did we give you enough time?” Ledger asks as he walks into the conference room after what feels like only seconds. “Or do you need more?”

I lower my eyes to look at my hands and sigh. “I’m sorry. I appreciate the offer and your faith in me, but at this time, I don’t think it would be the best decision—”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

My whole body stills as I hear those words. Words that were spoken to me the first time Callahan and I ever met. I’m afraid to hope he’s here, afraid to look up and see if he is.

And if I do and he is, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to keep the emotion off my face. There’s absolutely no way I’ll be able to keep what we had a secret from his brothers.

“Look at me, Collins.”

My chest tightens at that silly name spoken by an incredible man.

I swallow over the hopeful trepidation lodged in my throat and dare to look up. Tears well in my eyes, but there he is. “Callahan.” His name is a reflex and an oath I’m bound to keep.

Ledger looks from his brother, to me, and then pats Callahan on the back as he walks out of the conference room, shutting the door behind him.

“They know,” he says when I’m certain panic blankets my face.

“They know?”

He nods and takes a step toward me. “I told them everything. Minus the details they don’t need to know, of course.” He winks, and I try to understand why he has a smile on his face when I’m struggling to breathe. To hope. To not want.

“But . . . why?”

“Why what?” he asks.

“Why did you tell them?” I whisper.

“Because I had to. Because I figured if I was staying here then I needed to come clean with them. And—”

“What do you mean if you were staying here?” The first tear slips over, and I wipe it off my cheek.

“All I’ve ever wanted is to get out of this place, to be free, and then when I had the opportunity to do so, I just couldn’t do it.”

My heart races. My hands tremble. But I ask the question anyway. “Why not?”

He closes the distance between us and lowers his head to my level as he cradles my face in his hands. His eyes, that liquid amber, gaze into mine and he smiles warmly. “Because I had other, more important things on my mind.”