Chapter 36 #2
The thought made me want to hit something.
“Or you marry the girl. Put her under our protection officially. Make it clear to Hayes and anyone else that touching her is an act of war.”
I let that settle.
“I never thought I’d put a ring on a woman’s finger,” I admitted.
Nik folded his arms. “You never thought you’d be taken down by eight federal agents either.”
That pulled a deep laugh out of me. “It took eight of them just to get me off my feet. And that’s with me running straight at them.”
Nik shook his head. “You’re an idiot. I’m surprised they didn’t shoot you as trigger-happy as they are these days.”
“True,” I said. “But the thought of another man touching her…” My jaw tightened. “It makes me reckless—violent.”
“That’s what love does to you,” he said. “It changes you, and there’s no going back.”
“I’m hearing you,” I replied. “Every man who laid a hand on her—every person who thought they could sell her—has an early expiration date they don’t even know about. I’ve already got blood on my hands for the worst of them in Spain, but I’m not done. Andrew Hayes is going to pay long and hard.”
“We’ll have to take our time with him. You know how much I want to peel his skin off for what he did to Lacey. We can use Luca’s basement—draw it out for weeks.”
“Once I get Scarlett settled into my place, we’ll make that happen,” I said, forcing the thirst for immediate retribution back down in my gut.
Nik clapped a hand against my shoulder. “Sounds like your decision’s already made. You just haven’t said it out loud.”
I looked down at the scar across my palm, the line that would never fully fade.
“You know Luca will insist on a church wedding,” Nik added. “He’ll want to walk her down the aisle himself. He lives for that old-world ritual nonsense.”
I exhaled. “Yeah. Luca and his obsession with oaths. Binding names in ancient books like it means something to the universe.”
“I think it might,” Nik said with a smirk.
Lacey’s voice carried from the kitchen. “Nik, I need you!”
He glanced over his shoulder.
“Think about it,” he said, turning back to me. “Husbands and wives don’t testify against each other. With as many bodies as you left in Madrid, that might come in handy.”
I held his gaze.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He nodded. “Let me know when you’re ready to make it official.”
Then he left me alone with the view.
I scrubbed a hand over my jaw and winced when my fingers brushed the bruise from yesterday’s takedown. Eight of them, guns drawn. And they still struggled to hold me.
For all the money this administration was pouring into its new task force, you’d think they’d train them better.
So far, that didn’t appear to be the case.
Good for us.
Because if they thought they could intimidate me into silence while they protected a global cabal of sex traffickers, they were in for a rude awakening.
I stared out at the skyline and let the truth of Nik’s words settle.
Scarlett wasn’t leverage anymore.
She was mine.
And anyone who wanted to test that would learn exactly what that meant.
Lacey’s voice carried into the living room.
Loud. Animated. Every word pitched as if she were on stage.
I turned from the window and followed the sound.
Nik’s kitchen sat open and bright, the espresso machine hissing. Lacey stood in front of it, waving a hand toward the polished steel.
“I swear this thing requires a PhD,” she declared. “Nik loves fancy equipment.”
Scarlett laughed casually.
The sound hit me square in the chest.
She stood at the island in one of Lacey’s T-shirts and sweatpants, her red hair loose down her back, her shoulders relaxed and her eyes bright.
Just a couple of girls hanging out.
Lacey would be good for her.
Lacey had come into this world wide-eyed and had adapted without losing herself. Scarlett would need that kind of ally. Someone who understood the rules of the underworld but still remembered who she was before it claimed her.
Just then, Scarlett glanced up and caught me watching.
She smiled.
I stepped into the kitchen.
Lacey turned and thrust a cup toward me. “Coffee. Strong enough to bring the dead back.”
“Perfect,” I said, taking it.
Scarlett studied me. “What’s got you all broody over there by the window, mister?”
“Not brooding,” I replied. “Just tired. No sleep. And a room full of amateur detectives asking me the same questions all night.”
Scarlett leaned her hip against the counter. “I think he needs food and a nap.”
I smirked. “You’re not wrong. Let’s go.”
I turned to Lacey. “It was good seeing you. Thanks for taking care of my girl.”
I slipped an arm around Scarlett’s waist.
Lacey’s eyebrows shot up. She looked at Scarlett and bounced her brows. “Your girl, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said, tugging Scarlett closer. “My girl.”
Scarlett didn’t protest.
Lacey grinned. “Well, it was nice meeting you, hun. You’re always welcome here. I’ll have Nik add you to the security profile so you can drop in whenever you want.”
Scarlett’s smile widened. “Thank you.”
“And you have to meet my friends Nat and Jae,” Lacey continued. “They’re my theater crew. You’ll love them.”
“That sounds fun,” Scarlett said. “We’ll have to do dinner and a show. I’ll invite my friend Sofia. She’s a riot. You’d love her.”
I guided her toward the foyer with a hand at her back. “We’ll see about that,” I muttered.
Lacey laughed behind us.
I pressed the elevator button.
Before the doors opened, Ana came down the hallway, still pulling her hair into a loose bun.
“What?” she said. “You’re here and leaving without saying hello?”
I stepped forward and kissed her cheek. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t want to wake you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How long are you in the city?”
The elevator chimed open.
“Conan and I were heading back to Tacoma today,” she said, stepping closer. “But with everything going on, we weren’t sure what would happen with you.”
“You should stick around,” I said. “I’ve got things to update you on about Xyst. There’s a private party I need your opinion on.”
Her expression flickered with confusion. “Private party? Since when do we—”
I leaned in slightly.
Her eyes sharpened.
“Oh,” she said quickly. “Right. Baby brain. Of course. I’d love to help with that. I’m sure Nik won’t mind if we borrow his jet a few days from now. I’ll tell Conan when he wakes up.”
“Good,” I said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Right now, I need a shower and something solid in my stomach.”
Ana turned to Scarlett. “It was nice meeting you. I know the last few days have been a lot, but you handled it like a champ. You two should come back for dinner. Lacey’s the best hostess. Her Southern cooking will ruin you.”
“Scarlett here makes one hell of a plate of fried eggs and hash. She and Lacey will have to trade notes,” I said.
Ana laughed. “I’ve gained ten pounds since we arrived. I don’t know if I need anyone else cooking for me.”
I stepped into the elevator and pulled Scarlett in with me.
“I’ll call you later,” I told Ana.
The doors slid shut.
For a moment, it was just the two of us.
Scarlett tilted her head toward me. “Your girl?”
I held her gaze. “Yeah.”
The elevator began its descent.
One of Nik’s DarkMatter security team met us in the garage below and drove us across the city to my building.
We stepped into my private elevator in the lobby, and it carried us up without a sound. Both of us were lost in our thoughts.
The elevator doors slid open onto my floor.
Scarlett stepped out first. I pulled out my phone instead of pressing my palm to the scanner beside the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
I tapped into the security app and created her own personal profile. Then I took her hand and pressed her palm flat against the glass panel.
The scanner hummed, followed by a soft beep and the flash of a green light.
Scarlett pulled her hand back slowly. “What was that?”
“I just added you to the system,” I said. “You have full access now to the penthouse and the elevators.”
Her brows lifted. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” I pushed the door open. “You’re living here now. I want you to feel at home.”
I stepped inside and shrugged off my jacket, rolling up my sleeves as I walked.
“Oh,” she said lightly behind me. “So I’m living here? As in…no expiration date?”
I turned, catching the hint of uncertainty beneath the humor.
“Scarlett,” I said, “I told you that you were mine. I meant it.”
I crossed the space between us and took her hand, guiding her farther into the space.
“Do you want to live somewhere else?” I asked.
She shook her head immediately. “No. I want to be here. With you.” She hesitated. “It’s just…you told me you don’t do relationships. I assumed you’d want me to find a place. Maybe stay with Sofia for a while. I thought that we’d, you know..date, like normal people.”
I let out a low chuckle.
“By now,” I said, “you should know I’m not a typical man. When I decide what I want, I don’t negotiate.”
Her eyes searched my face.
“Come with me,” I said. “There’s something I’d like to show you.”
I led her down the hallway and into my bedroom. Without pausing, I slid open the pocket door to my walk-in closet.
She gasped.
Rows of dresses, tailored jackets, blouses, sweaters, and denim lined the walls. Shoes were arranged by color and style. Drawers beneath held jewelry, scarves, and pieces Aria had selected with surgical precision.
“This is for you,” I said. “My little bird deserves more than scraps.”
Scarlett stepped inside slowly, turning in a circle.
“This is too much,” she murmured. “I don’t even know what to say. How did you—”
“I had Aria work her magic.”
She ran her fingers over the fabrics as if afraid they would dissolve. She opened a drawer and found velvet boxes and delicate jewelry. She closed it carefully, almost reverently.
At the far end, she stopped in front of the mirror, racks of heels off to the side. Her reflection stared back at her, stunned.
Watching her was worth every dollar.
She didn’t understand yet that this was permanent. She would never have to worry about rent, or bills, or scraping by. She would never have to sell anything again. Not her body. Not her dignity. Not her time.
Scarlett had been broken by the people meant to protect her. Lied to. Used. Traded.
And the man who should have shielded her had betrayed her.
She walked back to me and placed her palms flat against my chest.
Rising onto her toes, she kissed me softly.
“This is the best surprise I’ve ever had,” she said. “No one has ever pampered me like this. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I thank God for it. Maybe He was listening to my prayers on Christmas night after all.” Her eyes welled with tears. “I love you, Lucian.”
Something in my chest cracked so hard it knocked me back on my heels.
It was a place I had sealed off years ago.
Men like me didn’t expect love. We expected loyalty and respect.
Scarlett offered devotion without condition.
It changed something fundamental within me.
“I love you, Scar,” I said.
The words came without hesitation.
I kissed her again, deeper this time, then slid an arm around her waist and lifted her, bracing for the pain I refused to show her.
She laughed, wrapping her legs around me as I carried her into the ensuite.
I set her down on the vanity, stepping between her knees. My palms braced on the counter on either side of her hips, caging her in.
I leaned forward and brushed my nose against hers.
“After a night in a holding cell that smelled like piss and desperation,” I murmured, “I need a shower.”
My gaze dropped to her mouth, then lower.
“And I need your body in my hands until we’re both too exhausted to think about anything else.”