Page 92 of In the Dark

I shut my eyes tight, furious with how cowardly I was being, but even with my eyes closed, I yanked the SD card out of the computer.

I needed more time. I needed more strength.

Until then, I knew I was doing the absolutely wrong thing by avoiding it and not pushing through.

Sometimes, though, the mind did stupid things to protect itself and survive.

It wasn’t smart or strong. But it was human.

26

Callahan

“WHY DO YOU THINK Mia is so adamant to befriend her?” I grumbled to my brother, who was taking his sweet-ass time walking to my car. “What the fuck took you so long to get here?”

“They’re fine. Archer’s with them. You know that, right?” Jameson frowned at me like I was being overbearing.

“Might I remind you how you acted with Mia not so long ago, asshole? Not to mention my girl has a mean streak.”

“Your girl?” Jameson questioned, and when I didn’t deny it, he said, “Never got over her, did you?”

“How could I get over her? You saw her at the gates. She’s a damn menace clouding my judgment and every single thing I thought I cared about.”

“Maybe she’s making you care about the right things, then.”

I grumbled but didn’t disagree. “Just hurry up and get in the damn car.”

“If we don’t give them space, they’ll leave us,” he said, closing the door. I put the car in drive immediately. “Mia’s already told me once or twice.”

“And you just can’t live without the woman now?” I chuckled.

Jameson was serious when he responded, though. “I can’t. Neither can Fran.”

I nodded, sobering a bit. I didn’t ever want Fran to lose Mia—or anyone else in her life, for that matter. “You marrying Mia any time soon?”

“Not before you marry your fiancée, it seems.”

I let that sink in. I was getting married before my brother, who was wildly in love. “How do you feel about that?”

“About what?” he asked like he wasn’t even paying attention.

“About the fact that I’m fast-tracking this wedding and getting married before you?” I asked as I sped down my long driveway and turned onto the road.

“Married for the Diamonds. A contract that’s only—”

“Might be longer,” I cut him off.

“Longer because?”

“Because what if I want to keep her?” I said.

“You don’t keep women like Jasmina, Cal. She’ll only stay if she wants to.”

“We’ll see,” I grumbled, not even slowing for one of Paradise Grove’s stop signs.

He gave me that inquisitive look. “You good?”

“Why wouldn’t I be good?”