45. Lula
45
LULA
S ecurity at the hospital is the tightest I’ve ever seen. Scar made sure of that. The men stationed at every entrance and exit aren’t just guards—they’re ex-Navy SEALs, trained to eliminate threats before they even materialize. I see the way their sharp eyes scan every person, every shadow. We’re not just being watched. We’re being protected. And once we leave here, we won’t be going to the Moreno estate. Scar won’t allow it. Instead, we’ll be taken straight to the Gatti estate, where we’ll be under strict orders to stay put. No leaving. No unnecessary risks. Scar is making the decisions for all of us now.
I don’t mind. Not really. The thought of being anywhere else—alone, vulnerable—makes my stomach twist. Alone is the last place I want to be right now.
When the door eases open, my heart stutters. And then he’s there—Kanyan, filling the room with his presence, his quiet intensity. He’s changed into fresh clothes, though his signature all-black attire remains. I’ve come to recognize it as his war cry, his armor. His wounds have been cleaned, the cuts and bruises no longer smeared with dried blood. But there’s something about him—something raw still lingers in his gaze, something restless in the way his fingers flex at his sides.
Without a word, he crosses the space between us and folds me into him. The warmth of his body surrounds me, and I breathe him in, grounding myself in his scent, his strength. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I close my eyes, letting myself lean into him.
“I missed you,” I whisper, almost afraid to say it out loud. Afraid it will make me seem fragile, or worse—needy.
He surprises me with his reply, as unexpected as it is. “I missed you too, baby.” His voice is low, rough around the edges. And then, softer, like he’s speaking a prayer. “Thank God we found you.”
He pulls back just enough to look at me, his dark eyes searching mine. Checking. Making sure I’m okay.
I manage a small smile. “I’m fine,” I promise. “Just glad that Allegra’s okay.”
His jaw tightens. “Where is she?”
“In her room, resting. The doctor put her on bedrest.”
His gaze flickers with something—relief, maybe—but it’s gone too fast to be sure. “You shouldn’t have run the way you did, Lula.” The words are firm, but not unkind. There’s something else beneath them. Worry. Frustration. “But thank you for looking out for her. I know Scar is very grateful.”
“We looked out for each other,” I say, because it’s the truth. Because neither of us would have made it alone.
I pause, swallowing against the weight pressing at my chest. This isn’t over yet.
“What happens now?”
Kanyan exhales, his hand still resting on my waist, his fingers tightening ever so slightly. “We’re going back out.”
A chill snakes through me. “To find Kadri.” It’s not a question. I already know the answer.
His expression hardens. “Yes.”
“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “It’s too dangerous, Kanyan.”
He cups my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. His thumbs brush over my cheekbones, a contradiction—gentle, yet unyielding. “What’s more dangerous,” he murmurs, “is Kadri on the loose. We can’t risk whatever he’s planning. We’re going to put this to bed once and for all.”
The finality in his voice makes my stomach drop. Because I know Kanyan. When he makes a promise like that, it’s not just words. It’s a vow. And once he sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him.
I just pray he comes back to me.
Allegra lies propped up in bed, a blanket pulled up to her waist. She looks tired, pale even, but her eyes sparkle with something warm—relief, gratitude. Around her, Mia, Jacklyn, Tayana, and I hover like mother hens, adjusting her pillows, making sure she’s comfortable, fussing in ways that make her roll her eyes.
“Okay, okay,” she huffs, swatting at Jacklyn’s hand as she tries to smooth her hair. “You guys do realize I survived, right? Not, like, on my deathbed?”
Jacklyn smirks, flicking her fingers through Allegra’s curls anyway. “Barely.”
Allegra grins, but then her gaze lands on me, and her expression shifts. “Speaking of survival…” She clears her throat dramatically and points at me. “Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present our resident badass—Lula, the girl who literally sliced Derin Kadri’s face like a freaking action movie hero.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands as the others laugh. “It wasn’t that dramatic,” I mumble.
“Oh, but it was.” Allegra presses a hand to her chest, feigning deep emotion. “There I was, scared out of my mind, convinced we were done for. And then BAM! Out of nowhere, my girl Lula goes full warrior mode. She slashes my choker across his cheek and Kadri screams like a little bitch?—”
Mia bursts into laughter. “Oh my God.”
“—And suddenly, we’re not the victims anymore. We’re the ones making him run.” Allegra wipes an imaginary tear from her eye. “Truly, the adrenaline was something else.”
My cheeks burn, but I can’t help but smile. “Until we get away from Derin and walk right into Altin Kadri’s wide open arms,” I point out. The room fills with laughter, the kind that shakes away the darkness of what we went through.
Then Allegra’s expression softens. Her fingers toy with the edge of her blanket, her gaze dropping for just a moment. When she looks up again, there’s something raw in her eyes.
“Lula,” she says, voice quieter now, more real. “I mean it. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
Something tightens in my throat. “Allegra?—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I was scared. I thought—I thought I was going to die in that place. But you didn’t let that happen. You stayed. You fought. And I—” Her voice wavers, and she lets out a soft laugh, blinking fast like she’s trying to chase away tears. “I just… thank you.”
I swallow hard, my chest aching with something too big to name. Instead of words, I reach for her hand, squeezing it tight. She squeezes back, and in that moment, nothing else matters.
We survived. Together. And that’s all that matters.