ONE-NIGHT EQUALS FOREVER

was small, with bare walls and a worn-out carpeting, yet it was mine. Every sm

quietly, wiping the sw

ankets held the little bit of my universe. My son's

t down to stroke a stray hair from

t beat loudly in the quiet. I wasn't r

nt in an abrupt and unexpected way.

ould

who looked too calm and polished. I couldn't read his face,

rib tighter. The baby moved

softly as I carefu

sked, their eyes sweeping the apartme

a slick, businesslike way

teeth. "What

elope out of his coat pocket. In the low

give this to yo

ope, the silence in the room grew deeper a

son's sweet whimper made my heart ache. He was wrapped up in a tattered blanket with his eyes

on his little chest. The beat of his heart b

ind me cleared his thro

mile that didn't reach

t the empty crib

eady but not rude. "Mr. Dane wants you to come." He say

the weak life he didn't kno

His tone made the

raid. Because

wered, "I have

on and on, weig

e identical envelope. "This is his invitation." He be

tly around the thick paper. The weight o

d carefully. "I'll

ded politely, and wa

cked behind me. Every nerve in my body w

he fading light touched Callum's gold-embossed symbol, which was crisp and imposing. I ran m

in a strange way. The air had a faint scent of

nside me said, both

y son was sleeping comfortably and didn'

t? Manage? Or was this just another gam

sat down. I opened the seal with a brea

f paper inside, and the in

Ms. B

International hotel in Chicago. This is your chance to take ba

ar. A branch of an olive tree? A tri

seemed to close in o

r months, I'd hidden from him,

ut design. It was a summons to go back

s full of both oppor

Should I go back to his world? Or s

o the envelope and swallow

idn't know what to do

ble. The words become blurry as tiredness and doubt mixed together. Callum's na

loudly, interrup

ll

ing around the gadget. I pondere

eager, and with something

voice was shaky. "You think a c

t's not about deals. It's all a

gh. "Trust? That ship we

m not ready to

y and something terrible, hope. "Workin

. "I'm not your enemy." I wan

ection feels

ange the rules

d say anything. His words had we

The name Callum flashed across the screen like a warning. My fingers hovered but didn't m

want to deal with. Then there was a knock that was h

was still crisp, but the face was illegible. The k

cking the door, every n

le room like a predator looking for prey. My attention raced to the crib b

pocket, thick and shiny, emboss

words plummeted betwe

down my spine.

t, and it was hard to tell what they

fe wasn't only about contracts and negotiations; it was al

tly, "Tell him

d once and walked

got softer, like he was

with my heart racing and the cold, hard truth that