Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

Chapter Forty Four
Calvin
I tried with Charity, I really did.
I wanted to play nice. She’s Hallie’s best friend, and I know Hallie loves her.
I also didn’t want to waste all of my goddamn time watching her. She’s not nearly as interesting
as my Hallie, and my time would be better spent observing her than her faithless cohort.
In a perfect world, that’s what I would be doing between meetings. Watching Hallie use her free
time to bring her little fly named Eli to life with little pops of color. Admiring the absent way she
brushes her hair out of her face when she’s trying to concentrate.
God, I love her.
But no, I don’t get to spend my work breaks enjoying my beautiful fiancée, because I have to
keep my eye on her goddamned nosy friend.
I suppose I should have known better than to have Nick and Arson at a party with one of the
“good guys.” It would’ve been more convenient for me—and more lucrative for her—if Charity had
gone the route of becoming a criminal defense attorney instead. Hell, maybe I could have gotten her
some work.
But given she’s the pain in the ass variety, she wants to separate us.
That’s never going to happen. It wouldn’t have happened even without a baby, but there’s no way
in hell she’ll be able to pull Hallie from my clutches now.
And if she tries, we’re going to have a very big problem.
I have a strong hunch she’s already trying. It isn’t easy convincing Arson to do this job—he can’t
even do it himself, he’s too recognizable to her. Luckily, he knows a girl who goes to the same salon,
and that provides the perfect opportunity. While Charity is getting lowlights put in her hair and
gabbing with the stylist under a heat lamp, Arson’s girl is able to get her hands on Charity’s phone and
swap out the SIM card for one of mine.
That in and of itself is very uncomfortable because this isn’t technology that even technically
exists, and I don’t want my equipment in the wrong hands, but it’s a calculated risk, and one I have to
make.
I have to know what Charity’s planning. It’s the only way to stay a step ahead of her.
I’d love to find out I’m wrong. For my clone of her phone to paint a different picture, that of a
vaguely alcoholic party girl who has her life slightly together and only pays enough attention to her
sweet friend’s life to pick out a wedding present for her.