REINA
Calestino leaving like that didn’t sit right with me.
He didn’t even try to hide it. One second he was squared up, ready to put Andrew in the ground or pull a gun from nowhere, and the next second he went stiff. Not alert. Not aggressive. Tense in a way that felt… controlled. Like someone had just walked into the room who outranked him.
Philip.
Calestino’s eyes had flicked to him, sharp and fast, then back to me. His jaw tightened. His hand loosened from my arm, but only slightly, like he didn’t want to let go yet but was forced to. Then he told me he had to leave. Said it like it was nothing. Like he hadn’t just been ready to ruin a man’s life for touching me.
I’d asked him if he knew Philip.
He’d said no too quickly.
“I’ll see you later,” he’d added, low and firm, like it w
