The night was quiet except for the low hum of the engine and the soft crunch of gravel beneath the tires as John drove us through the desolate outskirts of the city. Bella sat in the back seat, staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts. I turned in my seat to face her.
"Bella," I began, breaking the silence. "I have to ask… have you remembered anything? About our previous life?"
She blinked, as if coming out of a trance, and looked at me. "What do you mean?"
"You said earlier that you didn't remember anything until recently. How did your memories come back?"
Bella hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "It's… strange," she admitted. "I didn't remember anything until a girl approached me a few weeks ago. Her name was Selena. She asked me out for coffee, and she seemed nice, so I agreed. We talked about random things at first, but then she gave me this old book. She said it might 'help me understand who I really am.'"
I leaned forward, intrigued. "A book?"
Bella nodded. "It looked ancient—leather-bound with no title. But when I opened it, the words inside weren't normal. They weren't even written in any language I recognized. Then, before I could even process what I was looking at, the words started glowing. They turned into golden letters, floating in the air around me. It was… surreal."
John glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "And then what happened?"
"The letters flew into my head," Bella continued, her voice trembling slightly. "It felt like a lightning bolt had struck my brain. Everything—every memory from my past life—came rushing back. The hospital, the car accident, everything." She paused, her hands gripping her knees tightly. "When I woke up, Selena was gone, and so was the book."
I sat back, stunned. "Selena… she has the power to restore memories? Who is she? Why would she do this?"
Bella shook her head. "I don't know. She didn't explain anything. She just… disappeared."
I rubbed my temples, trying to piece it all together. Selena's involvement added another layer of mystery to an already convoluted situation. "This changes things," I muttered. "If she has the ability to unlock memories, she might be connected to the Syndicate—or maybe something even bigger."
Before Bella could respond, the SUV screeched to an abrupt halt. My body lurched forward, and I grabbed the dashboard to steady myself.
"John, what's wrong?" I asked, but then I saw it too.
A man stood in the middle of the road, bathed in the SUV's headlights. His posture was calm, but there was something ominous about the way he stood there, unmoving, as if he had been waiting for us.
"It's Callum," John said, his voice low and wary.
My heart sank. Callum wasn't here by accident.
We stepped out of the vehicle, keeping a safe distance from him. Callum's face was unreadable, his hands tucked into the pockets of his coat.
"You've been busy," he said, his voice carrying a hint of resignation.
"Callum, what are you doing here?" I asked, though I already had a sinking feeling about the answer.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "You've done enough, William. You and John. You need to stop this now, before it's too late."
"Too late for what?" John snapped, stepping forward. "We're not stopping until the Syndicate is destroyed."
Callum shook his head. "You don't understand what you're dealing with. You're poking a bear that's much bigger than you realize."
"Then help us understand," I said, my voice steady.
For a moment, Callum looked conflicted. Then he straightened, his gaze hardening. "I can't. I wasn't here to help you in the first place."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. "What do you mean?"
"I was sent here by Cassandra," Callum admitted, his tone cold. "I'm her spy. My job was to infiltrate your little team and report back everything you planned."
John cursed under his breath, his fists clenching. Bella gasped, stepping closer to me.
I felt a wave of anger and betrayal wash over me. "You were working for her this entire time?"
Callum nodded. "But you made it impossible for me to keep up. You're too fast, too unpredictable. By the time I could report back, you'd already finished the job."
I stared at him, trying to process everything. "So all those moments we fought together, all the plans we made… were they all fake?"
Callum hesitated, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw regret in his eyes. But then he pulled a gun from his coat and aimed it at me.
John immediately raised his weapon, but I held up a hand, stopping him. "Wait."
I took a step forward, staring Callum down. "Answer me, Callum. Was any of it real? The bond we built, the trust we shared—did any of it mean anything to you?"
Callum's hand trembled slightly, but he said nothing. The silence was deafening.
"Callum, if you're going to shoot me, do it," I said, my voice calm despite the storm raging inside me. "But if there's even a shred of truth in what we had, then put the gun down and help us."
The tension hung thick in the air, the night eerily silent except for the distant hum of the SUV's engine.
Finally, Callum spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't understand, William. I don't have a choice."
He tightened his grip on the gun, his finger hovering over the trigger.
"Then make one," I said, my voice firm.
For a split second, I thought he might lower the weapon. But instead, he steadied his aim, his expression hardening once more.
"John," I said quietly, my eyes never leaving Callum.
"On it," John replied, his gun already trained on Callum.
The standoff was on a knife's edge, and I knew the next few seconds would determine everything.
The silence was shattered when Callum fired the first shot, his aim precise and calculated. I dove to the side, the bullet narrowly missing me and embedding itself into the ground. John immediately stepped in front of Bella, his gun drawn, shielding her from the chaos.
"Callum, don't do this!" I yelled, rolling to my feet and drawing my own weapon.
But Callum wasn't listening. His expression was cold, devoid of any emotion. He fired again, forcing me to dart behind the SUV for cover.
John's voice cut through the tension. "Bella, stay down!" He unleashed a volley of bullets at the Syndicate's former spy, forcing Callum to retreat a few steps.
"This isn't personal, William!" Callum shouted, taking cover behind a nearby tree. "It's survival!"
"Then why are you pointing that gun at me?" I snapped, peeking out to return fire. My bullet grazed the tree, inches from his head.
Callum smirked, moving with the agility of a trained operative. "Because Cassandra made it clear—if I don't stop you, I'm as good as dead."
He lunged out from his cover, firing twice more. The first shot hit the side of the SUV, and the second ricocheted off the asphalt near my feet. I ducked low, flanking him as he moved.
Meanwhile, John stood firm, his attention divided between Callum and any potential reinforcements. Bella clung to his arm, her face pale but determined.
"William, he's fast!" John shouted, his eyes scanning the area.
"Yeah, I noticed!" I muttered, slipping behind another tree.
Callum and I circled each other, the space between us charged with tension. He moved with precision, his eyes scanning for weaknesses. But I wasn't the same William he had infiltrated. I had learned, adapted, and grown stronger.
"You don't have to do this," I said, my voice calm but firm. "Whatever Cassandra has on you, we can fix it together."
"You don't get it!" Callum barked, his voice cracking. "This isn't just about me. If I fail, everyone I care about is dead. Do you understand that, William?"
I did. More than he realized. But I couldn't let him win—not when so much was at stake.
Suddenly, Callum charged at me, abandoning his firearm and switching to close combat. I barely had time to react as his fist flew toward my face. I blocked it with my forearm, the impact reverberating through my body.
He followed up with a swift kick to my ribs, sending me stumbling backward. My breath hitched, but I managed to steady myself.
"You've been holding back all this time," I said, dodging his next strike.
Callum smirked. "You didn't think I'd show you everything, did you?"
His movements were fluid and unpredictable, a mix of martial arts techniques designed to overwhelm. I struggled to keep up, countering his attacks but unable to find an opening of my own.
"William!" John shouted, firing a shot that forced Callum to break his momentum and retreat a few steps.
"I'm fine!" I called back, my chest heaving. "Focus on Bella!"
Callum seized the distraction, rushing me again. This time, I was ready. I sidestepped his punch and delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs. He grunted, but the pain only seemed to fuel him.
"You've got heart, I'll give you that," he said, spinning around to face me. "But heart won't save you."
"Neither will betrayal," I retorted, ducking under his next swing and landing a solid punch to his jaw.
Callum staggered but quickly recovered, his eyes narrowing. "Not bad."
He lunged at me, and we collided with a force that sent us both to the ground. We grappled for control, the fight devolving into a brutal struggle.
"You're not walking away from this," Callum hissed, his hands closing around my throat.
I struggled, my vision blurring as I fought to pry his fingers loose. But then, a memory flashed in my mind—one of our training sessions where Callum had shown me his favorite grappling techniques.
I shifted my weight, using his momentum against him, and flipped us over. Callum's grip loosened, and I drove my elbow into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"Stay down, Callum," I said, my voice steady but firm.
He coughed, his hand reaching for his side. I noticed too late—he'd drawn a knife.
He slashed at me, but I rolled out of the way, the blade grazing my arm. Pain flared, but I ignored it, focusing on disarming him.
"Stop this!" I yelled, dodging another swipe and delivering a kick to his wrist. The knife flew from his hand, clattering to the ground.
Callum lunged for it, but I was faster. I kicked the blade away and pinned him down, my knee pressed against his chest.
"It's over," I said, breathing heavily.
For a moment, he looked up at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, his body relaxed beneath mine.
John approached cautiously, his gun still raised. "You good?"
I nodded, my eyes never leaving Callum. "Yeah. I'm good."
Bella stepped forward, her voice shaking. "Callum… why?"
He didn't answer, his gaze shifting to the sky above.
I stood, pulling him to his feet. "You're coming with us," I said.
Callum didn't resist. The fight had left him—not just physically, but emotionally.
As we loaded him into the SUV, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over. Callum had been a spy, but deep down, I knew there was more to his story. And I intended to find out.