Chapter 10
JULIAN
Idon’t like coincidences.
They’re sloppy. Lazy. The kind of thing amateurs lean on when they don’t want to admit they missed a variable.
And yet here I am, standing in the middle of a jungle villa owned by a former CIA contractor with a talent for plausible deniability, listening to a secure phone line crackle while two American brothers with a private army worth of tech toys and weapon argue with Lucien about how to best extract Iris. My Iris.
Because, and here’s the twist, they already fucking know Lucien. They’ve done business with him in the past.
The universe has a sense of humor. I’ve never appreciated it.
Lucien leans against the stone counter like this is a cocktail party and not a fuckup of epic proportions. This whole time, he could have called these guys and gotten Iris out.
He pours himself coffee, unhurried, while I stand rigid a few feet away, jaw tight enough to ache, as I listen over the speakerphone that Lucien engaged when Iris handed him the phone.
Nick’s voice comes through first. Sharp. Controlled. The voice of a man who has learned how to turn rage into logistics.
“You want to repeat that,” he says, “slowly.”
“Iris is with me,” Lucien says evenly, sipping his coffee. “She’s safe for now.”
“For now,” Jay cuts in, warmer but no less dangerous. “You want to explain why my wife’s best friend is at your house and you’re just now calling us?”
Lucien shrugs. “I didn’t know she was connected to you.”
“She’s not just connected to us,” Nick says. “She’s family. If anything happens to her. You’re on our hit list. Understood?”
Lucien lifts his cup in a mock salute. “Absolutely.”
“Are you okay, Iris?” Nick asks. “I need to hear you say it.”
“I’m fine,” Iris says. “Lucien’s been a wonderful host.”
Someone swears in the background. I think it’s Jay.
“I already told you that,” Lucien says mildly. “Why wouldn’t you believe me?”
Nick doesn’t hesitate. “Because we fucking know you.”
Lucien leans closer to the phone, voice smooth, infuriatingly calm. “And I know you, Nicholas and Jameson. It’s been a while.”
Jay exhales sharply. “Jesus Christ. Of all the places.”
Nick’s voice hardens. “What the hell is Iris doing with you?”
Lucien’s smile turns faintly reproachful. “Sheltering from a violent overthrow of government. Try to keep up.”
I cut in. “Enough. We’re arranging extraction.”
“Who the fuck is that?” the brothers ask at the same time. “You got the Brits involved?”
Lucien cuts in. “It’s an interested party who prefers to be anonymous for now.”
There’s more swearing on the line. “Is that party friendly?”
“Very friendly.” Lucien looks at me. “Especially when it comes to Iris.”
Silence crackles over the line.
Then Jay speaks carefully. “Is she hurt?” I’m insulted he asks, but understand he’s feeling protective of Iris. Which bothers me more than it should. I know Jay is married to April, but what’s Nick’s role in Iris’s life? He called her family.
“I’m fine, Jay.” Iris says. “If it wasn’t for…the third party and Lucien, I wouldn’t be though. They’ve protected me.” She looks at me and smiles, but there are tears in her eyes.
“We’re going to get you out,” Nick says. “Immediately.”
“That’s the plan,” I reply.
Lucien tilts his head. “With respect, gentlemen, the rebels have cut off the primary routes. Helicopter extraction is… delicate.”
Nick snorts. “Everything’s delicate until it isn’t.”
Lucien smiles. “You two, you’re so very,” he pauses and then settles on, “American.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Nick,” I say, “there’s an underground tunnel. It leads to a landing pad beyond the perimeter. We can move her tonight.”
A pause, and then, “you sound very sure.”
“I am.”
Jay exhales. “Okay. Lucien, thank you for taking care of our girl. We owe you.”
Lucien’s eyes gleam. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I have no doubt you will.” Nick’s voice is hard.
We settle logistical details and locked timelines before ending the call. When we click off the speaker, my pulse pounds hard.
Lucien sets his cup down. “Well,” he says lightly. “That went well.”
“You enjoy this,” I say.
“Of course,” he replies. “It’s not every day my past and present collide so neatly.” He turns to Iris. “How interesting that you know two of my former…colleagues.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t even know where to begin with all the questions I have.”
“Probably best to save those for now,” Lucien says. “Our priority is to get you out as soon as possible.”
“But what about Julian?” she asks and turns toward me. “How will you get out safely?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure out a way.”
“The rebels don’t know he’s here,” Lucien interjects. “And we can disguise him as a San Isidran. He speaks the language fluently enough.”
Relief floods her face. She crosses the space between us in three quick strides and wraps her arms around me.
I freeze, but then I wrap my arms around her too.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I swallow. “It’s not done yet.”
Lucien clears his throat.
I turn back to him, already irritated. “What.”
“There is,” he says, “one minor complication.”
Every instinct in my body goes on alert. “No,” I say flatly.
Lucien’s lips curve. “You don’t know what it is yet.”
“I don’t care. There’s no room for complications in this plan.”
He steps closer, lowering his voice. “Before she leaves, there is something you both should understand.”
Iris frowns. “Understand what?”
Lucien looks at her with something like genuine sympathy. Then he looks at me. “You’re not just guests here,” he says. “You are legally recognized occupants under the trust. It’s the only way two guests of opposite sex are allowed to be under this roof.”
I frown. “We know this, that’s why we signed a continuity accord.”
“Yes,” Lucien agrees. “A marital continuity accord.”
The words hit like a physical blow. “What the fuck?” I ask softly.
Lucien doesn’t blink. “Under San Isidran emergency civil law, the document you signed constitutes a legally binding marriage.”
The world narrows. “That’s not possible,” I say.
“It is,” he replies. “You’re married.”
Iris’s face has gone pale. “You said it was procedural,” she whispers.
“It was,” I say sharply. “Lucien—”
“Julian,” Lucien cuts in gently, “read the fine print next time.”
Anger surges, hot and vicious. “You did this on purpose.”
Lucien shrugs. “I ensured my land remained protected.”
I step toward him, fists clenched. “You manipulated us.”
“Yes, because I can’t afford anyone to challenge this land trust.”
Iris’s breath catches.
I turn back to her, words tumbling out too fast, too raw. “I honestly didn’t know. I would never have signed it if I knew we’d be married.”
Hurt flashes in her eyes. “Of course. You’ve said several times that you’re not the marrying kind. And that our lives don’t mesh,” she says quietly. “I understand why you’re angry.”
“I’m angry because—”
“Because you’re stuck with me,” she finishes, voice trembling. “Because now I’m your problem.”
“No,” I snap. “Because now you’re in even more danger.” Fuck. If she’s tied to me, there’s now a big target on her back. “Nobody can ever find out about this.”
She laughs, but it’s a broken sound. “Of course not. Your dirty secret is safe with me.”
“Iris—”
She steps back, palms facing me. “It’s fine. I get it.”
“I don’t want you shackled to me,” I say, desperate to make her understand. “This isn’t a life I would ever choose for you.”
Her eyes glitter with anger. “You don’t get to choose how I live my life.”
The jungle sounds hum around us, merciless in their relentless cacophony. I don’t know what to say to her. What words can make this right? How can I make her understand that I just want her to be safe and being associated with me is the opposite of that.
Lucien clears his throat again. “We should move. Time is not our ally.”
Iris nods, turning away before I can stop her. “I’m ready,” she says.
I reach for her, but she gracefully sidesteps me.
Lucien gestures for her to walk toward the back of the house, and she does, without a backward glance.
“For what it’s worth,” Lucien murmurs as he passes me, “you should have told her sooner.”
I glare at him. “How the fuck was I supposed to tell her we were married when I just now found out?”
“No,” he says quietly. “Not that you were married. That you love her.”
I gape at him as he follows Iris. My Iris.
And as he and the woman who I don’t know how to live without disappears from my view, the villa feels crushingly empty.
Just like my heart.