Derek’s phone continued to buzz in his pocket, the vibration sharp and insistent. He pulled it out again glanced at the screen, and quickly slid it back into his pocket without reacting. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but his jaw tightened just slightly. He turned his attention back to Sebastian, who stood a few feet away, his arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips.
“Thank you, Sebastian,” Derek said, his voice calm but with an edge of finality. “I’ll always reach out if I need to.” But even as the words left his mouth, his mind was racing. *Why now?* he thought. *Why is this happening when I’m with him?* For years, he’d been digging into the mysteries of his past—his parents’ deaths, the sudden collapse of his family’s finances, the shadowy figures who seemed to vanish every time he
