𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛..

𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐑 of vision and a ringing in the ears takes over Vishal's mind set as he stumbles backwards, "That was a cheap shot, prick."

The smell of leather gloves, the rhythmic sound of Ransom's footsteps on the canvas filled the air along with low and raspy chuckle from the mobster, "What's wrong, Vish? That assistant filling that puny brain of yours, huh?"

"You're a real piece of shit. You know that, right?" Vishal bites back, always easily irritated whenever his out-spoken assistant is ever brought up. He scoffs stepping to the side of the boxing ring, "Leave Jen out of this."

A sly grin plasters against Ransom's face, "Oh, we're at nicknames now? That was fast."

It had been just over three months since Vishal hired a new assistant for himself as he worked as CEO of Callahan Security. It was family run and it had just been over twelve months since he took over from his father once he retired. They were known for being hot on people's tracks and leaving no stone unturned when it came to finding information.

It was a multi-billion dollar security company that had been operating since the late eighties. Clients ranged from high class members of society straight through to upper ranks of government. It was a competitive business environment and rivalries were common but Callahan Security was the most prestigious nationwide.

"Oh, don't twist my words, man." Vishal rolls his eyes towards Ransom who has been a good friend over years and more recently a business partner, "She told me she prefers to be called Jen so what am I gonna do? Say fuck that and stick to formality? Nah."

The head of the mobster arched back as laughter escaped him, it echoed through the built in gym within Vishal's office as his laughter increased seeing his friend's irritation continue to grow, "That'll never get old. Riling you up over that blonde."

"Shut the fuck up." Vishal scoffs, stepping back into the middle of the boxing ring, "Come on, I wanna hit you a few more times before I have to go."

Ransom's laughter dies down with a shake of his head before stepping back, bringing his gloves up in front of himself and continues sparring with Vishal, "More meetings?"

Vishal quickly dodges one of Ransom's blows, "Sister is back in town so there's this dinner.."

"Since when did you have a sister?" Ransom crooked a brow, as though this was brand new information.

The short moment of distraction flooding Ransom's mind gave Vishal the upper hand as he hits the mobster against the jaw, "Since I was adopted. Do you seriously ever listen when anyone fucking speaks?"

"Not really." Ransom says with a straight face and a simple shrug to the shoulders.

If it had nothing to do with him, Ransom never had any interest to pay attention. Unless it could be used to his advantage and as the head of the Boston mob, information on people was crucial. He would often be described as arrogant, cutthroat and a selfish bastard. But did that phase him? Not in the slightest, hell, he found it complimentary.

"Heard the Santiago deal fell through," Vishal blocks a blow from Ransom who immediately scowled at the conversation topic, "We feeling all nice and calm about that?"

"Don't say another word." Ransom bit back with a harsh stare, "The fucker deserved what he got so I don't give a shit if the deal fell through."

"Mhm," Vishal let out a small grunt from a hit to his ribs but didn't stop his eyes hinting with amusement at his friend's scowl, "So it's got nothing to do with him working alongside Marcetti?"

Marco Marcetti was a wannabe rival in the same line of work as Ransom, a sly bastard who tried anything to get one up on Ransom. But as most do, he underestimated Ransom and his ability in annihilating a problem without even blinking.

"Is this what you want?" Ransom's hands drop to his side, an exasperated expression on his face, "Do you have some praise kink or something?"

Ransom was always one step ahead of his competitors and it helped having someone like Vishal Callahan in his inner circle. He had eyes and ears everywhere and was a tech God. If you needed dirt on anyone, Vishal would find it no matter how hard people would try to hide their dirty secrets.

"Oh, come on." Vishal rolls his eyes, "My ego is big but not as big as yours, dickhead. Shoot me for wanting to make sure the stick up your arse wasn't pushed further up after this sidetrack."

A sly grin twitches at the corner of Ransom's lips as he steps out of the boxing ring, pulling the gloves off, "You know me, Vish. Always one step ahead. I've got another venture on the cards and actually as we speak.."

He reaches over to the side where his phone lights up as he speaks and the sly grin wides further, "You're looking at the new owner of that hotel on the corner of Sixth and West."

Vishal narrowed a stare at the mobster, leaning over the ropes of the ring, "Since when?"

"Twenty seconds ago." Ransom deadpans with a shrug. He points over to Vishal with a smirk, "And you my friend, are going to assist me in making it the best hotel on the god damn East Coast."

—✤—

"Absolutely typical," Victoria drawls, the lights of her car illuminating her glare towards her brother as she locks it, "You bring flowers and make me look like the shit one."

Vishal smirks with a shrug as he holds a ridiculously large bouquet of red roses, "Didn't need the flowers to make you look like the shit one."

Victoria only lasted a few seconds before she matched the same smirk as her brother as he closes the gap and pulls her in an embrace, "I've missed you, Vic."

"I've missed you too." She tightens the embrace before pulling away with a soft smile, "How've they been while I've been away?"

Vishal glances towards the centuries-old stone manor, adorned with ivy clinging to the walls, "Who, mum and dad?"

"No. Dumb and dumber." Victoria deadpans with a teasing eye roll, "Yes, mum and dad."

The mocking of Vishal's British accent was a usual thing Victoria did and she has ever since the day their parents brought nine year old Vishal home. The Callahan's always knew they would never be blessed with the gift of having children themselves but always longed for the laughter of children to fill the empty halls of their home.

It can be daunting for children to be taken into another home but Cece and Cal were warm from the very beginning when they adopted Victoria and Vishal. Victoria was four years old when she was adopted and was a very shy and reserved girl due to a distressing beginning to her life. It took a while before she came out of her shell.

"Dad is being really smug about his retirement still, even though it's been over a year," Vishal chuckles as the siblings walk towards their parent's home, "And mum, well.."

"No need to explain," Victoria stretches her arm out to stop Vishal from walking any further before she gestures towards the front of the home. The stain glass windows on either side of the entrance door were tainted with a shadow, "Mom's doing it again."

Vishal grunts in amusement, "For someone who writes thrillers, she isn't very discreet."

Cece Callahan was a number one selling author, specifically in the thriller genre. She thrived off the chase and the intensity that comes from a thriller. Cece had a high sensory and tactile approach when it came to her writing.

She excelled in providing detailed and immersive descriptions of the physical environment, textures, emotions, and sensations experienced by the characters. And if this meant scaring her kids whenever they visited home to get an accurate description on emotion..then so be it.

"Should we just–"

Victoria comes to a harsh halt in her words when a thud directly behind the sibling duo had them both whipping around in that direction. They both glance around into the night, looking around them on the porch and the surrounding areas, it was an eerie silence with the faint sounds of wildlife.

"Do you–"

"Feel like we're right in the middle of a Celine Callahan novel?" Victoria huffs out, eyes wide staring out in the darkness as she steps closer to Vishal's side, "Most definitely."

"I'm just saying if anything happens, I'm going to be putting–" Vishal's sentence was stopped abruptly and replaced with a mixture of curses and yells from the siblings when a hand grips their shoulders.

They turn back around, clutching hold of each other to see their father with a wide smile, almost doubled over with his laughter, "That was priceless." Cal rolls his eyes when his kids immediately start cussing him out in their states of horror and shock, "Alright, alright. Shut up, I was helping your mother. You get that, honey?"

An enthusiastic Cece walks out from the corner of the manor with a skip in her step, "That was exactly what I needed!"

"Fuck it," Vishal scoffs looking down at the tight grip he had around the bouquet of flowers, "Vic, get back in your car and run these fuckers over because they're not deserved anymore."

"Oh, hush.." Cece chuckles cupping her son's cheeks before taking the flowers off him, pressing them against Cal's chest. With a warm smile she pulls both Vishal and Victoria in an embrace and exhales a content sigh, "Now this place feels like home even more."

Once Cal and Cece both greeted their kids and were over the amusement of scaring the shit out of them, they stepped inside for the dinner. Just as Vishal was about to follow them inside, Victoria grabs a handful of his jacket and pulls him back.

His confused stare meets her death glare, "Continue what you were going to say before dad did that," Vishal remains silent but no regret is shown in his eyes knowing he would've protected himself first if danger did happen minutes prior.

"Son of a bitch." Victoria, being able to instantly read his expression, scoffs as she harshly punches him in the chest making him yelp out before pushing him to the side and stepping inside.

It was a rare occasion for the Callahan family to be around the same table at once, especially with Victoria living in New York. But whenever they did reunite, it was like no time had been spent apart. Shared laughter echoed through the halls as they gathered around the dinner table, each member bringing their unique experiences and perspectives to the conversation.

"Your father told me about your news," Cece pours Victoria some more wine as the two start their own conversation as Cal and Vishal start in a deep talk about the family business, "It's going to be so nice having you back in Boston, honey."

"It felt like the perfect time to move back." Victoria's voice was soft glancing over to her brother and father before smiling back towards her mother, "And besides, I can't leave you dealing with boring security talk from Vish and dad."

Cece chuckles, bringing her wine glass to her lips, "You're telling me. If I heard any more talk on this new FortiClient, I'd have joined you in New York. How's Amor?"

"Really good, I just finished up with the client I told you about before." Victoria's smile beams as she speaks about her interior design business. She always had an eye for detail in a lot of forms and interior design was the main from even from a young age.

Amor was only a few years old and was already a growing success, a multi-million dollar business she created from the ground up. With pride and satisfaction, she reflects on her journey, marvelling at how far she has come and eagerly anticipating the limitless possibilities that lie ahead as her business continues to soar to new heights.

Cece's face softens as she listens to Victoria speaking about a client she's just worked with, some high end broker and his wife. She could listen to both her kids speak about their ventures and companies until time ended, her pride knowing no limits.

"I'm really proud of you, Vic." She smiles, placing her hand over Victoria's hand, "I love that you're back here but this is what you want, isn't it? There's no other reason?"

Victoria tried to ignore her pulse drumming in her ears as she shakes her head, "I just felt home sick."

She glances over to Vishal who catches her knowing stare. The atmosphere builds between them both, oblivious to the parents speaking to them. With a subtle nod, they reaffirmed their unspoken pact, knowing that their bond was forged in the crucible of secrecy. And as quickly as it had begun, the moment passed, but the unspoken understanding lingered, binding them together in a silent alliance that transcended words.

—✤—

and here we go..my new child

as i said before, this will not pull me away from lola and updates for that book will still be happening!

hope you liked the start of the story and ending it with a little mystery, eheh.

please remember to vote and comment, ily all xo