Dark Secrets

Romance

Theo’s mind wouldn’t stop racing.

His name was on a list of missing people. Not as a note, not as a coincidence—whoever had compiled that list expected him to disappear.

And now, Elliot was caught in this too.

The three of them walked in tense silence, the city’s neon glow casting long shadows as they moved. Callum led the way, his posture relaxed but alert, like he was always half-expecting trouble. Theo had no idea where they were going, but he trusted Callum enough to follow—for now.

Elliot, on the other hand, was barely holding himself together. His arms were wrapped around himself, his breath coming too fast. He wasn’t used to this, Theo realized. The fear. The feeling of being hunted.

“We need to stop somewhere safe,” Theo said quietly.

Callum didn’t look back. “We will.”

Theo huffed. “Maybe now would be a good time to explain where you’re taking us.”

Callum finally glanced over his shoulder, smirking. “Somewhere people won’t be looking for you.”

“Which is where exactly?” Theo pressed.

“A safe house.”

Theo’s brows furrowed. “You have a safe house?”

Callum shrugged. “I have a lot of things.”

That wasn’t an answer.

But Theo wasn’t in a position to argue. Not yet.

They turned onto a quieter street, slipping into an alley lined with old brick buildings. Callum stopped in front of an unmarked door and pulled out a key. With a quick glance down the alley, he unlocked it and stepped inside.

Theo followed, ushering Elliot in behind him before shutting the door.

The space was small but lived-in. A couch, a desk stacked with papers, a kitchenette in the corner. No personal touches. Just the bare essentials.

Theo turned to Callum, crossing his arms. “Okay. Enough games. Who are you?”

Callum raised a brow. “We’re really doing this now?”

Theo’s jaw tightened. “You have a safe house. You knew about Jesse’s disappearance before I did. And now you suddenly care about keeping me alive?” He took a step closer. “So tell me, Callum. Who the hell are you?”

For a moment, Callum just studied him. The air between them was thick with tension, crackling like static before a storm.

Then, finally, Callum sighed.

“You’re not the first person to go looking for answers,” he said. “And you won’t be the last. But most people? They don’t last long.” His gaze darkened. “I know because I used to work for the people who make them disappear.”

Theo’s breath caught. Elliot made a choked sound.

Callum met Theo’s eyes, unflinching. “I got out. And now I make sure no one else gets pulled under.”

Theo’s pulse thundered in his ears. If Callum was telling the truth, then he wasn’t just some stranger. He was someone who knew how deep this went—who knew exactly what they were up against.

Theo exhaled sharply. “So why help me?”

Callum hesitated. Then, quieter, “Because you remind me of someone who didn’t make it out.”

Something in Theo’s chest twisted. He didn’t know what to say to that.

Elliot was the one to break the silence. “So what now?”

Callum leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “Now? We figure out why your name is on that list.” His eyes flickered toward Theo. “Before it’s too late.”

The room felt smaller, the weight of that statement pressing down on all of them.

Theo had started this search looking for answers.

Now, he was trying to make sure he wasn’t the next one to disappear.

And Callum was the only thing standing between him and whatever waited in the dark.

Got it! Here’s the next part of The Heart of the City:

Theo sat on the worn-out couch, his knee bouncing. Elliot was quiet, staring at the floor like he was trying to process everything. Across the room, Callum leaned against the desk, arms crossed, watching Theo with that same unreadable look.

Theo hated the silence.

“So,” Theo said, voice sharp, “if you used to work for these people, what exactly are we up against?”

Callum exhaled through his nose, then pushed off the desk. He grabbed a file from a drawer, tossing it onto the coffee table in front of Theo. “Take a look.”

Theo hesitated, then reached for the file, flipping it open. His stomach twisted.

Photos. Reports. Names.

A list of people who had disappeared over the past few years. Some of them Theo recognized from his research. Others he didn’t. But there was one thing in common—none of them had ever been found.

He turned a page, and his breath hitched.

Jesse.

A surveillance photo, grainy but clear enough to see his face. It was dated a week before he disappeared.

Theo looked up at Callum. “Where did you get these?”

Callum didn’t blink. “I told you. I used to work for them.”

Theo clenched his jaw. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

Callum shrugged. “You never asked.”

Theo shut the file, his frustration boiling over. “You know things. You have connections. You could have warned me before my name ended up on that damn list!”

Callum’s gaze darkened. “I didn’t know they had their sights on you until tonight.”

Theo opened his mouth, but Elliot spoke first.

“Why are they taking people?”

The question hung in the air.

Theo turned back to Callum, waiting.

Callum sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “That’s the part I never figured out.” His voice was quieter now, less smug. “I did jobs for them. I tracked people down, gathered information. But I never knew why certain people were targeted. I only know that once someone was on their list, they didn’t come back.”

Theo swallowed hard. “And now I’m on that list.”

Callum met his eyes. “Yeah.”

A heavy silence settled over the room. Theo felt like the ground had shifted beneath him, like the city he thought he knew had suddenly become something darker, something alive.

Elliot shifted. “So what do we do?”

Callum didn’t hesitate. “We make them think Theo is dead.”

Theo blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

Callum smirked slightly. “It’s the best way to buy time. If they think you’re already gone, they’ll move on.”

Theo stared at him. “You say that like faking my own death is easy.”

Callum shrugged. “It’s not. But it’s doable.” His smirk faded. “And if we don’t do something soon, you will disappear. For real.”

Theo’s stomach twisted.

Elliot looked between them, wide-eyed. “Okay, but—what happens after that? We just let them keep doing this?”

Callum’s jaw tightened. “No.”

Theo met his gaze. There was something cold and determined in Callum’s eyes, something dangerous.

Faking his death might buy them time.

But it wouldn’t be enough.

They had to end this.

And if Callum knew more than he was saying—if he had ties to these people—then maybe, just maybe, they had a chance.

Theo exhaled, glancing at Elliot, then back at Callum.

“Fine,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

Callum grinned. “Good choice.”

Theo wasn’t sure if it was. But it was the only one he had.

Got it! Here’s the next part of The Heart of the City:

The plan was simple in theory. Make it look like Theo was dead, let the people hunting him move on, and then figure out who the hell was behind all of this.

Simple. Except for the part where he had to actually die.

Theo leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Callum pace the small safe house like he was piecing together a puzzle only he could see. Elliot sat stiffly on the couch, gripping his knees like he was trying not to freak out.

“How exactly are we supposed to pull this off?” Theo asked. “Because unless you have a spare corpse lying around, I’m not sure how convincing this is going to be.”

Callum smirked. “No corpse needed.”

“That’s not comforting.”

Callum ignored him. “We’ll stage it somewhere public. Make sure the right people see it.”

“The right people?” Theo repeated. “Who, exactly?”

Callum’s smirk faded. “There’s someone I used to work with. He’s still connected to them. If we can get him to believe you’re dead, the news will spread.”

Theo narrowed his eyes. “And you trust him?”

“No.”

Theo exhaled sharply. “Fantastic.”

Elliot, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up. “What happens to me?” His voice was small, uncertain. “They don’t know I have the list. Do I just… go back to my life?”

Callum and Theo exchanged a glance.

Theo sighed. “I don’t think that’s an option anymore.”

Elliot swallowed. “So what, I just disappear too?”

“No,” Callum said. “But you lay low.”

Elliot didn’t look convinced.

Theo ran a hand through his hair, trying to think past the weight of everything pressing down on him. “Okay. So let’s say we do this. We fake my death, your contact spreads the word, and they think I’m gone. Then what?”

Callum met his gaze, his expression unreadable.

“Then we go after them.”

Theo’s breath hitched.

Callum said it like a promise. Like a threat.

The idea of taking them on—the people who had made entire lives vanish—sent a chill down Theo’s spine. But at the same time, something in him wanted this. He’d started this search for Jesse, but now? It was bigger than that.

Bigger than him.

“Alright,” Theo said. “Tell me what I have to do.”

Callum’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

“This is going to be fun.”

A few hours later, Theo found himself in a dark alley behind a rundown club on the outskirts of the city. The neon lights buzzed overhead, casting strange colors over the pavement. The streets were quiet this time of night, the perfect place for something like this.

Elliot hovered nearby, arms crossed, still looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Callum stood in front of Theo, pulling a switchblade from his pocket. The blade gleamed in the dim light.

Theo took a step back. “Okay, let’s be clear—I’m not actually dying here.”

Callum smirked. “Relax. Just a little blood.”

Theo stared at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

Theo groaned. “Great. Love that for me.”

Callum stepped closer. The air between them suddenly felt charged, like a live wire humming just beneath the surface. Theo forced himself to hold Callum’s gaze, even as his heart thumped harder than it should have.

Callum reached for Theo’s shirt, gripping the fabric lightly. “We need to make it look real.”

Theo swallowed. “So what, you stab me lightly?”

Callum chuckled. “Not quite.” He pressed the flat of the blade against Theo’s side. “I’ll cut you, but nothing deep. Just enough to sell the story.”

Theo let out a shaky breath. “Remind me why I’m trusting you with this?”

Callum leaned in slightly, voice low. “Because I want you to live.”

Theo stilled.