Chapter 20 No, not like that. Twist it the other way." Callie glared at the other woman. "Forgive me if I'm not as adept at picking my way out of handcuffs as you are." "You would be if you were better at taking directions." Carrigan glared right back. "Twist it the other way." With a sigh, Callie obeyed, twisting the bobby pin she'd bent out of shape to the other side. A little jiggle later and she was rewarded with a click. The cuff opened and Carrigan's wrist slipped free. "Fucking finally." She snatched the makeshift pick out of Callie's hands and went to work on the other side. In the two hours she'd been fighting with the cuffs, she'd managed to keep the fear at bay, but now that her hands were idle, it came rushing back-with interest. Getting Carrigan's hands free was only the first-and easiest-of the hurdles they had to clear. She glanced at the sky, the beauty of the setting sun completely lost on her. It wasn't a gorgeous sunset. It was a mark of too much time passing. "Don't freak out." Carrigan stepped out of the bathroom, where she'd retreated after she was freed. "We can't get out of here until it's dark anyhow." How in the world did she manage to be so confident? Callie snapped the curtains shut. "Then let's get started." They went through the room from top to bottom, looking for anything they could use as weapons or tools to scale the outside of the house. While she was certain she could survive a fall from the second story, she didn't like their chances of doing it without some kind of injury that would prevent them from being able to run. Because escape was the only option now. James had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to honor the promise to release Carrigan now that he had Brendan's murderer. If he wouldn't do that, there was no reason to believe the Hallorans would call off their dogs, either. And with each passing hour, her faith in her contingency plan diminished. The war would continue whether she died or not. So she was going to do her damnedest not to die. She opened the closet. "There's other clothing in here if you want to change." Considering Carrigan must have been wearing that dress for two days now, she was surprised when the woman shook her head. "I'm good." "You're going to scale the side of this house in that dress?" Carrigan turned a sharp look at her. "I'd rather keep this dress on than change into something of his." That brought Callie up short. His? She must mean James, but there was a wealth of rage in her voice that seemed significantly more personal than this situation warranted. Not that she was an expert on such things but... She spoke without turning from the closet. "He didn't... hurt you?" "No." She muttered something that sounded like I did that all on my own, but before Callie could question her, she said, "Fuck. Fine. Grab me those sweats." She obeyed because she was pretty sure if she said anything else, Carrigan would turn on her. She went to hand them over, but the woman indicated that she should drop them on the floor on the side of the bed furthest from the door. When Callie raised her eyebrows, she shrugged. "No guarantee that he's not going to come check on us. If I'm wearing his clothes, that's a sure sign that we're up to no good." "Good thinking." It was something she should have considered on her own. Callie rubbed a hand over her eyes. They still didn't have a way out of the room. While tying bedsheets together worked well enough in the movies, James only had a fitted sheet on his bed. That wouldn't get them anywhere near the ground on its own. She moved to the window again, and muscled it open. The cooling air was heaven against her face, and she spared a brief moment to close her eyes and just breathe it in. They would figure this out. They had to. She leaned out the window a little, careful to keep an eye out for anyone below. As she'd suspected, it was a straight shot to the rocky ground. There was no way they could jump without turning an ankle-and that was the best-case scenario. She leaned out a little further, angling to get a view of the windows on either side of them. Both had the same setup. Damn it. A little further. There. Three windows down on the right, the garage cut out from the house. It would still be a drop, but seven feet was better than twenty. Callie ducked back inside and carefully closed the window. "I have a plan." "I'm all ears." They both froze at the sound of a heavy tread coming down the hall. Carrigan kicked the sweats under the bed. "Hurry!" She tossed Carrigan the cuffs and she threw herself onto the bed and slipped them loosely around her wrists in the approximate spot she'd been in before. For her part, Callie spun in place, trying to figure out if they'd moved anything or if there was any indication that they had no intention of sitting here and waiting to be murdered. Nothing. Or, at least, she didn't think so. Damn it, she couldn't be sure. But it was too late to do anything more. The footsteps stopped outside the door. She dropped onto the bed next to Carrigan, hoping she could shield any inconsistencies with her body. They both looked over as the door opened, and Callie's stomach lurched into her throat. Brendan. The man moved fully into the room, and the image shattered. Not Brendan. But they were close enough in looks that this had to be another brother. He eyed them, his gaze lingering too long on Carrigan's bare legs for Callie's peace of mind. She shifted, trying to draw his attention, even though his creepy blue eyes gave her chills. "What do you want?" "So you're the bitch who killed my brother." He leaned against the wall, but she wasn't fooled. His body was tensed, ready to spring into motion at a second's notice. "You're prettier than I expected." It sounded like a compliment, but she couldn't shake the instinct demanding she go for his throat. So she stayed silent. That didn't stop him, though. He shifted closer. "You're going to die for what you did. But not for a long, long time." He grinned. "Baby, I'm going to enjoy breaking you." His gaze moved back to Carrigan. "Both of you." "Ricky." Callie jumped, but the man didn't. Obviously he'd heard James approach. He didn't turn. "Yeah?" "Get the fuck out of here." "Yeah, sure." He tipped an imaginary hat. "I'll be seeing you two again real soon." James waited for his brother to walk out of the room before he turned his attention on them. "Make whatever peace with God you can. You only have tonight." Then he was gone, too, shutting the door behind him. Callie sagged, adrenaline beating against the inside of her skull like she'd just been in the middle of a fight. Carrigan sat up, the cuffs dangling from her hands. "It's almost a shame those two are going to miss out on their entertainment tomorrow." How could the woman joke at a time like this? Callie kept her mouth shut, because she was afraid if she opened it, she'd start screaming and never stop. So she held very still and watched the minutes tick by on the clock; the slow movement of time, much steadier than her heartbeat, grounded her. She finally took a breath and made an effort to unlock her muscles. "I don't suppose you can pick a door lock as well as your handcuffs?" "Old doors? Not so much. But the ones they have in new houses like this?" Carrigan motioned to the heavy wood door between them and the rest of the house. "Piece of cake." She certainly was a woman of unexpected talents. Callie moved to the window and glanced at the sky. They were well on their way to dusk, but it would be a good hour yet before they could make a move. "How did you learn to pick locks?" "Aiden taught me." She smiled, though it was a touch bittersweet. "He convinced one of the men to teach him, and he passed it along to Teague and me. Though Teague never quite picked it up. I have a natural skill for it, I guess." She shook her head. "And a tendency to want to be where I'm not supposed to." "It sucks being shut out for your own protection." She'd dealt with that time and again growing up. Even as young as ten, Ronan was considered mature enough to sit in on meetings with Papa, while she was told to go play with her dolls. She'd resented it then, but that resentment only grew the older she got. Even when she'd stepped up to take over the legitimate side of the business, Papa had done his best to shield her from the uglier sides of what being a Sheridan meant. And then Ronan was gone, between one breath and another, and it was left to her to fill the shoes he'd left behind. She didn't feel guilty about that early resentment, really, but most days she wished she could go back to being that naive girl who didn't know any better. "So-called protection. They blind us and then are surprised when we're gunned down because we had no way to keep ourselves safe." Carrigan looked away, her shoulders bowing in. "That didn't help Devlin." "I'm so sorry." My fault. God, wouldn't she ever learn that apologizing after the fact wasn't worth the words that came out of her mouth? "I know that doesn't mean much now, but I was trying to make it right by coming here." Carrigan snorted. "Is that what you were doing?" "I killed Brendan." It shouldn't get easier to say those words, but they still flowed off her tongue. "This is all my fault." The woman turned on the bed to face her fully. "That's a crock of shit." "Excuse me?" "You're worse than Teague is with playing the martyr." Carrigan sighed. "No wonder he's head over heels in love with you." She'd known he cared. Of course she'd known he cared. He wouldn't have acted the way he had, or touched her with such tenderness, if he didn't care on one level. But that didn't matter now. "Even if he did before, he won't now. Not when Devlin was killed because of a war I started." "You didn't kill my brother." "I might as well have. They were out for vengeance for Brendan's death." Carrigan rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin on her hands. "I can't say I'm sorry to hear that you're the one who put that monster into the ground. My father was considering selling me off to him before your engagement was announced. I would have put a bullet in his brain before I walked down the aisle, too." "It wasn't like that." She wouldn't have done it if she had any other choice. "Who cares? It's done and the world is a better place for it. Teague knows that, same as I do." "But-" "Boston has been a powder keg waiting to be lit for years. With the patriarchs getting older and the heirs a few short years from taking over, there's a flux coming. That scares people. If you weren't the match that set it off, someone else would have been." "That's easy for you to say when I'm the one who set it off." Carrigan sighed. "How about I put this another way? Do you think for a second that my father, proud asshole that he is, would sit back and let your family and the Hallorans create an alliance through marriage?" She hadn't really thought about anything beyond her panic at the thought of being married to a man known for his mistreatment of helpless women. Callie sank onto the chair and actually thought about it. By all accounts-and she'd seen nothing to disprove it in her direct interactions with the man-Seamus O'Malley was just as prideful and violent as Victor Halloran. Judging by how Halloran was reacting to her and Teague's marriage, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that Seamus would have done something similar. "We can't know that for sure." "Sure we can. I'm an expert on my father. The insult alone would have him out for blood, and the possibility that your two families would crush ours in the middle? Yeah, he'd come gunning for both of you-and he'd strike first, before you had a chance to." Carrigan rolled on her back. "Or, take it a step further. Maybe if your father had refused the marriage offer, that would have made Victor Halloran declare war all on his own." "But-" "Really, there's more than enough blame to go around. No matter which way you swing it, this started before you pulled the trigger. If Brendan's death hadn't been enough to start a war, then something else would have happened and that would have been an inciting incident." Callie opened her mouth to argue, but stopped. The more she thought about it, the more Carrigan's argument solidified in her mind. She tried to come up with a scenario that didn't end in war... and came up short. She frowned. "You're wasted as a pawn in marriage." Carrigan laughed. "Try telling that to my father." It was a crying shame for such a calculating mind to be relegated to such an archaic role. Callie might have agreed to an arranged marriage, but it had ultimately been her choice. Carrigan didn't even have that. "I'm sorry." "You have a nasty habit of apologizing for things that you have no control of." "That doesn't make me any less sorry. You deserve better than that." She didn't have to like the woman to recognize that. But it put Carrigan's actions in a completely new light. Callie compared herself to a caged bird when she was feeling melodramatic, but she had a lot of freedom. And, one day, she would run the Sheridan empire. Carrigan truly was caged. If her father was really forcing her to marry a man of his choice-and Callie had no reason to believe otherwise-then she couldn't blame the woman for escaping every chance she got. Speaking of... "Where did you go the other night? I mean, I assume something went wrong because you ended up here." She motioned to the room they were currently locked in. "I went out for a bit of air, and that jackass James grabbed me." Callie started to ask about the man the bartender had seen her with, but changed her mind at the last minute. Carrigan was entitled to her secrets. She glanced at the window. "I think it's dark enough." "Thank God." She stood and walked to the door. "Just give me a minute to change and I'll have us out of here." She pressed her ear to the door as Carrigan changed into the sweats-she had to roll them four times and knot the drawstring to keep them from falling off-and crouched next to the keyhole, holding her breath. If they were found out now, there was nothing stopping James or whoever caught them from killing them on the spot. They'd been promised death, after all. There was nothing but silence on the other side of the door. She closed her eyes, listening harder. Was that a rustle? Was there someone standing right on the other side, listening just as hard as she was, knowing exactly what the soft clicks of Carrigan's tools in the lock meant? This is the only way. You die now, or you die how the Hallorans choose. When she looked at it like that, there wasn't really any choice at all. She couldn't just sit here and wait for the ax to fall, proverbial or otherwise. Now was the time for action. "Got it." Carrigan's words were barely more than a whisper. "Just a second." Callie padded over to grab the lamp. It was unwieldy, but any weapon was better than no weapon at this point. Carrigan nodded. She took the other lamp and then cracked open the door. They waited, but no one burst into the room and no sound of alarm went up. Apparently James was confident in his people's ability to keep them contained in the house without a guard. Well, he was about to be proven wrong. Callie slipped into the hallway, followed by Carrigan, padding on bare feet. She would have liked to get the other woman a pair of shoes that weren't heels, but James's were almost comically too large. So bare feet it was. She silently counted the doors as they moved past them. One. Two. Still, no one in the hallway but them. Three. She pointed to the third door. Carrigan tried the handle and it opened with only the slightest creak. Footsteps in the hallway behind them had them both spinning around. James stood at the top of the stairs, his eyes narrowed. Callie tensed, waiting for the moment he'd sound the alarm. Even with two of them against one of him, she doubted they'd win in a fight. He walked to them slowly, his gaze flickering over her and landing on Carrigan. She raised her chin. "Come to drag us back to our cage?" "No." He snagged the back of her neck and dragged her against him. The kiss was quick and brutal and left Callie feeling like the worst kind of voyeur. James stepped back, easily evading Carrigan's left hook. "You and me, lovely, we're not fucking finished. Not by a long shot." Then he turned around and walked away. Callie stared after him, unable to believe what just happened. "Did he just-" Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ƒindNoᴠᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "I'm going to kill him." She grabbed Carrigan's arm. "Let's go. I don't want him to suddenly change his mind." Though the look on his face made her think he wouldn't. Obviously things between him and Carrigan were significantly more complicated than the woman had let on. After a slight hesitation, she nodded and let Callie lead her through the door. The room wasn't a bedroom. It looked sort of like a study, but the shelves were mostly empty, and the few pieces of furniture all had a light coating of dust across them. She moved immediately to the window and pushed it open. "It's only a short drop to the garage roof." When no one answered, she turned to find Carrigan holding a book, frowning at it. "What?" "Nothing." She shut the book. "I'm bringing this with me." It would make it more difficult to maneuver with her carrying something, but Callie didn't point that out. Whatever that book was, the other woman thought it important enough to set her lamp aside and tuck it against her chest. She motioned to the window. "The coast looks clear, but there's no way to know what we're walking into." "Anything's better than staying here." "Then let's not waste any more time." Callie sat on the windowsill and shifted one of her legs outside. She waited for one breathless moment, but only the distant caw of a crow answered her. So far, so good. She set her lamp on the floor, climbed the rest of the way out, and dropped the few feet onto the garage roof. Instantly, she crouched down, trying to minimize the chance of someone seeing a human-shaped shadow where it shouldn't be. The yard below her was as empty as the street beyond it, but she couldn't afford to assume that the Hallorans had no guards set up. He'd be a fool to assume there wasn't the potential for attack. No, they were there. Somewhere. Carrigan joined her on the roof with a light thud. She looked to Callie, obviously willing to follow her lead. It felt strange after the woman had basically ripped her a new one on two different occasions, but she didn't hesitate to shuffle along the roofline, keeping as low as she could. The pitch was steep, but the newish roof gave them plenty of traction. She aimed for the part of the slant closest to the ground-and furthest away from the bright floodlights positioned strategically around the back. They'd have to brave those to get to the street, and even then it was a long ten blocks to territory that wasn't owned by the Hallorans-not including skirting the warehouses surrounding the highway. One step at a time. "You hear about the entertainment the boss has scheduled for tomorrow?" She froze on the edge of the roof, tucked up against the body of the house. God, how hadn't she noticed the man standing down in the shadows, the bright red spot of his cigarette burning in the darkness? A second ember rose. A second man. Damn it. "Pretty girls. Almost a shame." The first man laughed, the harsh hack of a longtime smoker. "Only a shame if he doesn't share." He kept laughing, joined by the other speaker. Callie looked over at Carrigan, but she couldn't see anything beyond the pale shape of the woman's face. Did she feel as sick as Callie did hearing that? Because, right now, she was torn between the urge to descend on these two monsters like an avenging Valkyrie, and the need to expel the meager contents of her stomach. She managed to resist both impulses. They needed to get out of here alive. That meant not attacking anyone unless there was no other choice. And throwing up was for the weak. If she got out of this, there would be plenty of time to be sick. Right now, she had to hold it together. So she waited and tried very hard not to listen to all the things Halloran had planned to do to them. It was cold comfort to know that Brendan-and apparently Ricky-came by his monstrous side honestly. Sins of the father and whatnot. Eventually the men finished their smoke break and wandered off. Callie counted to one hundred mentally before she moved. She touched Carrigan's arm and motioned to the same nook the men had stood in. Then she slid down the side off the roof and lowered herself to drop to the ground. She moved to the side as Carrigan followed her, once again scanning for someone who might catch them. Once the other woman stood, she leaned in. "I think we can get to the street around this corner. The lights are pretty bright, but there are trees that we can use as cover." "Works for me." Callie sidled along the edge of the house, took a deep breath, and leaned out a little to look around the corner. Nothing. She glanced back to nod the all clear. Her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest as she took that first step into the yard. Even though they'd been at risk before, she felt significantly more vulnerable without a wall at her back. Another step. When no one shouted at her to stop, she picked up her pace, aiming for the closest tree. She was almost there when a dark shape stepped into her path and a hand slammed down on her mouth, cutting off her scream. In "Accidentally Seduced the Billionaire Heir After Betrayal" by CrushReel, a tale of romance and revenge unfolds as our protagonist faces the aftermath of her husband's betrayal. After three years of separation, she uncovers a shocking truth: her estranged husband has fathered a child with his mistress. Despite the heartbreak, she navigates through the complexities with resilience and unwavering determination. Amidst themes of trust, resilience, and self-discovery, this modern romance delves into the intricacies of love and betrayal in the high-stakes world of CEOs and billionaires. The protagonist's journey is one of empowerment as she unravels the tangled web of deceit surrounding her past, all while navigating unexpected twists and turns in her pursuit of closure. What sets this story apart is its blend of sweet romance with elements of revenge and office politics, offering readers a captivating narrative that transcends traditional tropes. Explore the depths of love and loyalty in this ongoing saga that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Available to read at CrushReel for those seeking a compelling tale of love, loss, and redemption.