57. Archer
Chapter fifty-seven
Archer
S itting at the edge of the bed, I sighed deeply as the morning light shone through the window. Glancing behind me, I gazed at Delilah, sleeping peacefully. Was this impulsive of me to be in here? Yes. Is her father capable of tearing us, or rather, tearing me apart if he finds me here? Most definitely. But at this moment, I almost didn’t care anymore, wanting nothing more than to express how much I love her to both her and her family. If Killian couldn’t accept it, then so be it. It’s not like he can keep me away from her. She owns me.
She stirred slightly in her sleep, and her eyes opened slowly. “Good morning, Princess,” I said, and she sighed.
“Good morning. What time is it?” she asked, looking around for the clock.
“It’s almost seven, meaning I should be making my way to my room right about now.”
She nodded her head with a slight pout. I grabbed her hand, and a small chuckle escaped my mouth. I rubbed the back of her hand soothingly. However, my cheerfulness went away as I returned to my earlier thoughts.
“When are we going to tell your father about us?” I questioned.
She hesitated for a moment.
Taking that as an opportunity to continue, I spoke once again. “It would be better if we were the ones to tell him rather than him finding out on his own.”
Delilah nodded, sitting up. “It would, and you’re right; we do need to tell him. But I don’t think now is the right time.”
I nodded as I was reminded that my father and her uncle had just been arrested… so tensions were already a bit high.
She crawled over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist from behind as she laid her head on my back. I caressed her hands slowly and sighed, feeling at peace. Killian wouldn’t be able to tear us apart. I wouldn’t allow it.
Soon, I made my way back to my room, unnoticed by the rest of the house, and got ready for the day, deciding on a simple white button-down, black slim-fit pants, and brown Chelsea boots. Eventually, I heard a few voices coming from downstairs, and I decided to make my way toward them.
Upon entering the kitchen, I noticed Brielle and Vivienne sitting at the island, as well as Maia and Hana. After greeting them, I made my way to the den to see Killian, Blaine, and Shin sitting together.
“It doesn’t make any sense... The police are trying to make things more complicated than they have to be. There’s no need to involve the press,” Shin muttered.
Killian sighed. “They will not be involving the press, or any news outlet for that matter. Calvin’s bail is two million total in cash, and Eugene’s has not yet been decided. Still, I estimate it is close to ten million, especially to keep the news about the situation quiet.”
Shaking my head, I went to walk away when Killian spoke.
“I’d assume you’d want to talk more about your father’s situation, Archer,” he muttered, although he’d never faced me once.
Blaine had a look of surprise on his face as he looked at Killian. “You’re literally a magician. How the hell did you know he was here?”
Ignoring Blaine, I walked over to the three of them and crossed my arms.
“My father has lawyers. He dug himself into this grave. He should be able to pull himself out.” I shrugged.
Killian nodded. “Fair enough. Nevertheless, we still need to figure out what to do with the two of them after they’re out.” He looked over to Blaine and continued, “Once he’s released, cancel whatever business you were trying to conduct with him. As for Eugene, we need to have a word with him. I need to know what he’s been doing with Lockwood after so many years, as well as why he murdered the remaining Newman family.”
Blaine raised his hand in the air. “Permission to express utter pride in the fact that I told you so ?” he asked.
Killian glared at him. “No.”
Blaine lowered his hand with a pout, and I held back a chuckle as I heard him whisper, “ Told you so.”
Killian most definitely heard it as he launched out of his chair in an attempt to tackle Blaine, who in return screamed as he got off the couch and ran behind Shin.
As I said... literal toddlers.
I heard the clicks of heels, and I discreetly looked over my shoulder to see Delilah and Kimiko walking down the stairs as they spoke to one another. I did a once-over of Delilah’s outfit, which consisted of a simple long-sleeve turtle neck, a plaid skirt, and a pair of white strapped heels. My mind was stirred by the endless possibilities of what fun we could have.
As if saving me from my trance and the risk of getting killed by her father, who was simply a few feet away, Sterling ran over to me and placed his arm around my shoulder.
“Good morning, future uncles and father-in-law,” he said, beaming.
I looked over to see Shin with a blank face, but I could tell he wanted to let out a smile. We knew he was hesitant about Kimiko dating Sterling initially, but it seemed he quickly warmed up to Sterling, even if he didn’t want to show it entirely.
“I’m not exactly sure if I’m in favor of someone so close to Lockwood infiltrating our family,” Killian muttered, and I felt a bit… anxious at that moment.
Blaine sighed as he took a seat beside Shin. “Oh, Kiki... you should warm up to them a bit. The Lockwoods are closer to us than you think, almost family even—” he began, and Shin sent him a slap to the back of his head. He whined in protest, and I sent him a glare as he was clearly going on about my relationship with Delilah.
“Owwie!” He pouted again.
Killian nodded to Shin. “Thank you.”
Shin nodded wordlessly.
Having had enough of these men, I looked around the home to find my princess, and I held in my smile as she was again in the garden with Kimiko. Walking into the garden, I chuckled as Kimiko ranted about the academy and her responsibilities as president. Delilah looked over at me discreetly, and I ignored Kimiko as I grabbed Delilah’s chin and leaned down to kiss her lips.
Kimiko glared at me as I pulled away, and I tilted my head at her. “I never liked you, Lockwood,” she muttered, and I sighed.
“Kimiko. It’s Mr. Lockwood to you.”
Her eyes widened, and Delilah giggled as her friend looked on the verge of exploding in anger.
Sterling made his way over, and Kimiko turned to him angrily. “I hate your friend,” she muttered.
Noticing the game we were playing, Sterling made a face. “Eh, he’s more of an acquaintance.”
I bellowed a laugh as Kimiko pushed him away from her as he moved to embrace her in a hug.
Sitting beside Delilah in a “friendly” manner to be cautious, I said, “We’re going on another date, Princess.”
Kimiko’s face dropped. “I didn’t approve of this!” she yelled.
“Kimiko, darling, I will lock you in the trunk of my car if you keep this up—” I started.
Delilah shook her head as she blocked my view from her crazy friend. “Yes... okay. We can go on another date.”
I bit my lip and rubbed my hand over her knee, giving Kimiko a look. “I always win, Masahiko.”
She simply glared at me as I chuckled, deciding to stop my teasing.
“Pardon me. I do hope I’m not interrupting the young couple’s morning,” Luca muttered, walking over.
I sighed as I pulled my hand away from Delilah and tilted my head at him.
“Luca, you seem to be involved in everyone’s business but your own. When do you think you’ll keep to yourself for once, hmm?” Sterling asked, causing Luca to glare at him.
“If I were you, Little Red, I’d watch what I say.”
“And if I were you, I’d take a hike... maybe jump off a bridge, too,” Sterling suggested. I nodded, as the idea seemed reasonable.
Luca chuckled and locked eyes with Delilah for a moment, giving her a glance from head to toe.
“My, my... you look absolutely delicious today, doll,” he said, smiling.
I stood up slowly in an attempt to control my growing anger.
“Walk away, Crawford,” I advised.
He tilted his head. “Oh yes, that’s right. You two are still in a relationship. Well, not for long,” he muttered, shrugging.
“Luca, you won’t say anything; you can’t say anything... your silence for mine. That was the deal.”
Luca nodded, but sucked in a breath. “I understand… and I thought about it, I really did. Then it came to me. You have nothing that points to me involving Michael in your lives. It’s just the word of a child who heard more than she needed to. So overall, nothing . You should’ve learned from your father, Archer... you should never get too involved in dirty business. Otherwise, it comes back to you. Meanwhile, I have everything that points to the two of you being in a relationship. Papa Bear needs to learn the truth... then who knows? Maybe then I’ll take my chance and finally get a date with the one and only Delilah myself.”
I couldn’t reply. It felt like we were stuck and simply waiting for Luca to make his move and ruin everything.
He looked at his watch, then back to us.
“Well, it seems as though I have to get going... I do hope we can meet more often together like this. It’s rather enjoyable,” he said, and he walked away.
I felt compelled to turn around and embrace Delilah; however, Killian and the others were starting to migrate outside. I simply glanced back at her for a short moment to see her with the same look in her eyes before reluctantly tearing my eyes away from her and making my way inside.
I had mixed feelings about this entire situation regarding Killian finding out, Luca’s plans, and our relationship overall. On one hand, I wanted to rip it off like a Bandaid; on the other, I knew if I did, we’d be in a bigger shithole than we already were digging ourselves into.
Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I opened it, and a smile immediately made its way to my face.
Princess: I hope we’re still on for our date.
You know we are, Princess… you can’t get away from me that easily.
Eugene
“So, how long are you going to be in there?” Juliet asked over the phone, and I sighed heavily as I stared at the grey, dull, lifeless walls of the jail holding cell through the bars. I could hear Melanie’s voice in the background as she giggled and played with her toys.
“Just a little while...” I muttered as Killian had already made bail. However, to make it seem like these officers were doing their jobs, they weren’t letting us out until the following day.
“We miss you. You haven’t been home for some time, you know.”
Running my hand down my face, feeling stressed, I groaned internally. Knowing I’d been rather busy with Michael and the others crushed my heart.
“I know, my love. I’ll be home soon. Tell Melanie I said hi. I love you,” I said.
She responded softly, “I love you, too.”
I ended the call and rolled my eyes as I looked over to Calvin, who was swinging his feet from the top bunk. “When am I going to be done with you?” I muttered, more to myself.
Calvin shrugged. “When Delilah and Archer get married. I’d say around that time.”
“Still on that, I see? I’ve got to hand it to you, though. Your plan was absolutely brilliant.”
Calvin nodded, got off the bunk, and leaned against the wall.
“I know. It’s going just as planned. The only problem is we’re in here. You need to find out who gave this anonymous tip that alerted the police.”
I gave a slight shrug. “My only guess would be Crawford’s son. He’s been playing this game, trying to disrupt our families.”
Calvin nodded. “For now, let him.”
“Why?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“I know Luca’s game… and he’s ahead for sure. But he’s emotional and reckless. Soon, the truth will be revealed, but when we reveal the truth about him... he will retaliate. I’d rather prepare for how we’re going to approach this than worry about why he’s doing it in the first place. With the Newmans officially out of the picture, our prime focus is on Delilah and Archer.”