Chapter 40 The Reckoning

• They left the city behind that same night.
• No press. No lingering police interviews. No questioning looks. Callum made the arrangements with the same quiet ferocity he did everything else—swift, efficient, and ruthless. By the time dawn painted the sky in streaks of coral and rose gold, they were driving through winding hills toward a private estate buried deep in the countryside.
• Aurelia sat in the passenger seat of his black Aston Martin, legs curled beneath her, wrapped in one of his sweaters. Her head leaned against the window, fingers tracing the condensation lazily. She hadn’t spoken much since Delilah had been taken away, and Callum hadn’t pressed. Not yet.