into his office, and found him huddled down with John, talking strategy. He spoke with his hands, and though his expression was grim, he was more alive than she’d seen him in the months since the cops showed up to tell them her big brother had died.
I wish you were here, Ronan. Things would be so much simpler.
She’d had the thought more times than she could count, but it never brought him back. His loss was no longer an aching open wound in her chest, but it still smarted on days like this, when she was embroiled in the midst of things that never would have happened if she wasn’t the heir.
But she was.
So it was up to her to deal with it.
She moved past her father’s office and headed up to her room to change into running clothes. She had too much pent-up frustration after today. The feeling of being swept along with a current she couldn’t fight was stronger now than it had ever been, and what she needed more than anything was to regain some small bit of control. Running didn’t give her much—not in comparison—but it calmed her mind, and that was better than nothing.
The treadmill just wouldn’t do today, though. She felt like she’d been cooped up in this house for weeks on end, even though it’d been less than a week since everything went to hell in a hand basket. Micah looked up as she approached the front door. “Callie?”
“I’m going running.” She forced her voice calm. She was informing him of her intentions so he could best protect her—not asking permission. The whole respect thing wasn’t usually an issue with Micah, but he still answered to her father, and it was Papa who’d basically put her under house arrest. She didn’t like forcing him to choose between them, but the only alternative was losing her sanity by staying in this house for another minute.
“That’s a bad idea. Your father—”
“Micah, while I respect your opinion, I’m not asking for it.” She made a point of glancing at his Italian loafers. “I’d change your shoes if you’re coming along. It’s going to be a few miles at least.”
He sighed, looking like he still wanted to argue. She waited, letting him work through it. Papa might be angry, but Micah and she had spent enough time together that he had to know she’d go running with or without his permission. The only way he could stop her was by physically restraining her, and that was out of the question. She watched the thoughts flash across his face before settling into resignation. “Give me five minutes.”
“Happily.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and cued up her running playlist. By the time she’d warmed up a bit and stretched, Micah was back, now wearing a pair of basketball shorts and tennis shoes. He didn’t look any happier now than when he left, but he was here. She opened the door. “Let’s go.”
Before her world had blown up in her face, she had several routes around the neighborhood that she liked to take, depending on her mood. Today, she wanted to go through Cambridge Common. It never failed to lift her spirits, even if there was always a small tinge of jealousy since the people she saw there were from a completely different world than she was.
Micah easily kept pace, staying a few feet back where he could survey the threats to her before they got too close. They’d run together before, though not recently, so it was easy to fall back into the sound of his footsteps echoing hers. She pushed play on her phone and let the first strains of “Chasing Twisters” by Delta Rae roll over her. She wound through the streets. The heat of the day had given way to a slightly cooler evening, but the humidity made her clothes cling to her skin before she was through with her first mile.
She crossed the street to the common, slowing down so she could drink in the view. It was a strange comfort to know that her life might be falling apart in many ways, but the world kept on spinning. The huge, grassy field was broken up by a handful of trees and a scattering of summer students. It was nowhere near as busy as it’d be in the fall, but the normalcy she craved could always be found here.
She picked up her pace again, circling the block before heading back. It was