Chapter 5

The Maybach's engine let out a low, powerful growl as it pulled away from the Vance estate, merging into the dark Manhattan traffic.

With a soft mechanical hum, the privacy partition behind the driver's seat rolled up, completely sealing off the back of the car.

Aubrey pressed her back hard against the passenger door. She pulled her knees slightly toward her chest, trying to put as much physical space between them as the leather seat allowed.

The neon streetlights flashed through the tinted windows, casting harsh shadows across Callum's sharp jawline.

Callum reached up, his long fingers violently yanking his silk tie loose. He let out a dark, chilling laugh that made the hairs on Aubrey's arms stand up.

He suddenly lunged forward.

His large hand slammed against the window right next to Aubrey's head. His other hand gripped the edge of her seat. He trapped her completely in the cage of his arms.

The overwhelming scent of his cologne and the raw heat of his body sucked all the oxygen out of the small space. Aubrey couldn't breathe.

"Did you have fun?" Callum gritted out, his eyes burning into hers. "Hiding in Hollywood for four years? Playing your little games?"

Aubrey forced her chin up. She met his furious gaze, making her voice sound as bored as possible. "The weather in LA is nice. The parties are better."

The careless words snapped the last thread of his control.

Callum's hand dropped from the window, his fingers clamping around her jaw. He forced her face up, his grip bruising.

"Why?" he demanded, his voice cracking with a raw, violent pain. "Why did you drug me? Why did you throw me away like a piece of trash?"

A sharp ache pierced Aubrey's chest. She wanted to scream the truth, to tell him it was to save his life. But she swallowed the blood in her throat and forced a cruel smirk.

"It was a transaction, Callum," she whispered, making her eyes look empty. "We slept together. I used your family's name to get a few contacts. When I got what I needed, the transaction ended."

Callum's chest heaved. His eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a terrifying, primal rage.

He didn't speak. He crushed his mouth against hers.

It wasn't a kiss. It was an execution. His teeth scraped against her bottom lip, biting down hard enough to draw the metallic taste of blood.

Aubrey let out a muffled groan of pain. She brought her hands up, hitting his solid shoulders, trying to push him away.

Callum caught both her wrists in one hand. He slammed her arms up above her head, pinning them against the cold glass of the window. The old, faded white scars on his knuckles scraped roughly against her delicate skin, sending a sharp, grounding sting through her trembling pulse.

His mouth softened slightly, the brutal biting turning into a desperate, starving invasion. He kissed her like a dying man drinking water.

Aubrey felt the violent trembling of his chest against hers. The iron wall around her heart cracked. A single, hot tear escaped the corner of her eye, sliding down her cheek.

Callum tasted the salt.

He froze. His body went completely rigid. He pulled back just half an inch, his forehead resting heavily against hers. His breathing was ragged.

"Don't run again," he whispered hoarsely, sounding completely broken. "If you run again, Aubrey, I will burn your entire world to the ground just to keep you."

Aubrey turned her face away, breaking the contact. "It's over, Callum. There is no starting over."

Callum let out a cruel, breathless scoff. "In this game, I'm the only one who gets to say when it's over."

The Maybach glided to a smooth stop outside her luxury apartment building in Brooklyn.

Callum released her wrists. He sat back in his seat, instantly pulling the cold, untouchable billionaire mask back over his face.

"I'm sending a doctor tomorrow morning for your ankle," he stated, looking straight ahead. "Do not refuse him."

Aubrey didn't say a word. She shoved the door open and scrambled out of the car, limping wildly into the bright lobby of her building like a fugitive.

Inside the dark car, Callum watched her disappear through the glass doors. The obsession in his eyes was absolute.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his executive assistant.

"Helen," Callum ordered, his voice like ice. "I want a full background check on Aubrey. Every person she talked to, every place she went for the last four years. I want it on my desk by morning."