Checkmate.
1257 Words
Chapter Nine – Checkmate
Theo’s blood turned to ice.
Callum was on his knees, wrists bound behind his back, his lip split and bleeding. Two guards flanked him, their grips iron-tight. But Callum’s eyes—defiant and burning with fury—never left Theo’s.
Elias leaned back against his desk, completely at ease. “Your friend is quite stubborn. He didn’t take kindly to being escorted here.”
Theo’s fists clenched at his sides. “Let him go.”
Elias sighed, swirling his whiskey. “Now, why would I do that? He was sneaking around my building, trying to interfere. A little paranoid, aren’t we?”
Theo’s heart pounded. He had told Callum to stay back, to watch from a distance. But of course, Callum had ignored him.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Elias continued. “You stop digging. You walk away from this little crusade of yours. In exchange, your friend walks out of here unharmed.”
Theo’s jaw tightened. “And if I say no?”
Elias set his glass down. “Then I’ll have no reason to keep him alive.”
Theo’s breath came faster. His mind raced through options, but there was no easy way out of this.
He met Callum’s gaze, searching for something—anything.
And that’s when he saw it.
The faintest twitch of Callum’s fingers. A signal.
He has a plan.
Theo took a slow breath, forcing his voice to steady. “You want me to stop digging?”
Elias smiled. “That’s all I ask.”
Theo nodded. “Fine.”
Elias raised a brow, as if surprised at how easily Theo had folded. He gestured to his guards. “Release him.”
The guards hesitated but obeyed, cutting the restraints from Callum’s wrists.
The second his hands were free, Callum moved.
In one fluid motion, he grabbed the gun from the nearest guard’s holster, flipped it, and pressed it against Elias Sinclair’s temple.
The entire room froze.
Callum’s breathing was even, his voice deadly calm. “Now you let him go.”
Elias didn’t flinch. If anything, he looked amused.
“You think this changes anything?” Elias murmured. “Go ahead. Pull the trigger. See what happens.”
Theo’s stomach twisted. This was a game to Elias. A test.
Callum’s grip on the gun didn’t waver. “I don’t hesitate, Sinclair.”
Elias’s smirk widened. “Neither do I.”
And then—
A sudden, sharp whistle.
The sound barely had time to register before a deafening BANG filled the room.
Callum staggered back.
Theo’s heart stopped.
Blood.
Not Callum’s.
One of Elias’s guards collapsed, a bullet clean through his head.
Theo spun toward the source of the shot—
Murphy.
Standing in the doorway, gun still smoking.
Chaos erupted.
Callum shoved Elias forward, sending him crashing against his desk. Theo grabbed Callum’s arm, yanking him toward the exit. Murphy fired two more shots, forcing the remaining guards to scatter.
They ran.
Through the hallway. Down the emergency stairs. Out the back entrance.
The cold night air hit them like a wave, but there was no time to stop. No time to think.
Only when they reached a darkened alley, breaths ragged and hands shaking, did they finally stop moving.
Murphy wiped his brow. “That was reckless.”
Callum let out a short, breathless laugh. “Yeah, well. Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Theo turned to him, voice sharp. “You almost got yourself killed.”
Callum met his gaze. “And I’d do it again.”
Silence stretched between them. The city hummed around them, but in that moment, nothing else existed.
Then—
Theo grabbed Callum’s face and kissed him.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful. It was desperate, fueled by adrenaline and fear and something much deeper.
Callum froze for half a second before melting into it, his hands curling around Theo’s jacket, pulling him impossibly closer.
When they finally broke apart, Callum exhaled, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Took you long enough.”
Theo shook his head. “Shut up.”
Murphy cleared his throat. “Uh, hate to break up whatever this is, but we just made enemies with the most powerful man in the city.”
Theo wiped a hand over his face, stepping back. “I know.”
Murphy nodded. “So what’s the next move?”
Theo glanced at Callum. Their hands were still touching.
He looked out toward the city, the neon lights flickering against the darkness.
“We finish this.”
Chapter Ten – No More Running
The city was louder that night. Sirens howled in the distance, neon lights pulsed like a heartbeat, and the air was thick with the weight of everything Theo had just done.
They had officially declared war on Elias Sinclair.
Murphy led them through the backstreets, his gun still drawn. “We can’t go back to your apartment,” he muttered. “They’ll be waiting.”
Theo wasn’t surprised. Elias wasn’t the kind of man to let an insult slide. He would retaliate. And fast.
“Then where do we go?” Callum asked, still a little breathless.
Murphy hesitated, then sighed. “I know a place. It’s not exactly a penthouse suite, but it’s safe.”
Theo glanced at Callum. “You good?”
Callum gave him a crooked grin, wiping the blood from his lip. “Better than ever.”
Liar. He looked exhausted, but there wasn’t time to argue.
Murphy led them to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the district—an old mechanic shop, judging by the rusted car frames and oil stains on the floor. It smelled like metal and dust, but it was dry and, more importantly, off the radar.
Murphy locked the door behind them and sighed. “You two should rest. I’ll keep watch.”
Callum raised an eyebrow. “You sure? You look older every time I see you.”
Murphy scowled. “Shut up.”
Theo ignored their bickering and sank down onto an old couch. His head throbbed from everything that had happened. But more than exhaustion, there was something else creeping into his thoughts.
The way Elias had looked at him.
You remind me of someone. My brother.
The words nagged at him. Elias Sinclair had a brother? And somehow, no one had ever mentioned him before?
Callum dropped down next to him with a groan, rubbing the back of his neck. “We should probably talk about that kiss.”
Theo stiffened. “Now?”
Callum smirked. “Unless you wanna make out again instead.”
Theo shot him a look. “Callum.”
Callum laughed, but it softened into something real. “Look, I know we’ve got bigger problems, but… I meant it. I’d do it again. I will do it again.”
Theo swallowed. He wanted to tell Callum that he wasn’t wrong. That maybe, despite all the danger, despite everything crashing around them, this thing between them felt inevitable.
But before he could say a word—
Murphy swore. “Shit.”
Theo jolted upright. “What?”
Murphy was staring at his phone. He turned the screen so they could see.
A breaking news alert.
BREAKING: SINCLAIR CORP. UNDER ATTACK – UNKNOWN GROUP BREACHES CORPORATE VAULT
Theo’s stomach dropped.
“What the hell?” Callum muttered.
Murphy’s expression darkened. “I don’t think we’re the only ones after the Heart of the City.”
And just like that, everything got worse.
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