33. Emily
33
EMILY
T he penthouse is quiet, the only sound the faint hum of the city far below as I sit up. But even as I lean into Lucas, soaking up the warmth and comfort he offers, I can’t shake the nagging sense of dread that’s been building in the back of my mind.
Why am I awake? I was asleep next to him, held close, feeling safe. What woke me?
I find out a moment later. A knock on the bedroom door. “Boss?”
Lucas is up an instant later. “Stay there,” he says to me, reaching for his gun.
I shake my head. “Whatever it is, I’m better off with you.”
“What do you want, Jake?” Lucas shouts through the door.
“Important.”
“We’ll get dressed.”
Jake is waiting for us in the living area when we’re dressed, his expression serious. There’s something about the way he’s standing—tense, alert—that makes my heart skip a beat. I know this look. It’s the look of a man who’s about to deliver very bad news.
“Boss,” Jake says, nodding at Lucas. His eyes flick to me for a moment, and I can see the flicker of concern there, but it’s gone in an instant, replaced by the steely resolve that comes with being Lucas’s right-hand man. “You weren’t answering your phone.”
Lucas’s arm tightens around me, almost imperceptibly, but I feel it. “What is it, Jake?” he asks, his voice calm, controlled. “It’s late.” But I can hear the underlying tension, the edge that tells me he’s already bracing for whatever’s coming.
Jake doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. “We need to talk about Albrecht,” he says, his tone clipped. “There’s been a development.”
The name sends a shiver down my spine, cold and sharp. Albrecht. The man who seems to be at the center of every threat, every danger that’s been closing in on us.
I don’t know much about him, but what I do know is enough to make my blood run cold. He’s ruthless, powerful, and from what Lucas has told me, he’s not the kind of man who lets go of a grudge easily.
“What kind of development?” Lucas asks, his voice hardening. I can feel the shift in him, the way his body tenses, his grip on me loosening as he shifts into his role as the crime lord, the man who runs this city with an iron fist.
Jake glances at me again, as if weighing whether to speak in front of me, but Lucas doesn’t give him a choice. “Say it,” he orders, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“He hit two of our warehouses, burned them to the ground. Ratted out the card game to the cops. Now he wants to meet. He’s sending his consigliere to meet with us.”
“Peter? Didn’t you go to school with him?”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Where’s the meet?”
“He’s at the derelict science museum now. Says you need to come alone and be there in the next hour or he walks.”
Lucas is quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on Jake, his expression unreadable. But I can feel the tension radiating off him, the way his mind is already working, calculating the risks, the potential outcomes.
“Fine” he finally says, his voice cold, detached, as if this is just another business transaction. “Let’s get this over with.”
My heart sinks. I don’t know much about Lucas’s world, but I know enough to understand that nothing good ever happens in a derelict building. The thought of him walking into a potential trap, of facing off against a man like Albrecht, fills me with a dread so intense it’s hard to breathe.
“Lucas, no,” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them. I don’t care if it makes me look weak, if it shows just how scared I am. The thought of losing him, of him getting hurt—or worse—because of this feud, is more than I can bear.
He turns to me, his expression softening, but there’s a stubborn set to his jaw, a determination in his eyes that tells me he’s already made up his mind. “Emily, this is something I have to do,” he says, his voice gentle, but firm. “Albrecht’s not going to stop until we settle this. I can’t let him think he has the upper hand.”
“But what if it’s a trap?” I argue, my voice trembling with fear. “What if he’s just waiting for you to show up so he can?—”
“What do you think, Jake?” Lucas asks.
“Peter’s always been honorable but Albrecht might try something, I guess.”
“He won’t,” Lucas interrupts, his tone confident, unyielding. “And even if he did, I’d be ready.”
I want to believe him, want to trust that he knows what he’s doing, but the fear won’t go away. I’ve seen what Albrecht’s capable of, the lengths he’ll go to get what he wants. And the thought of Lucas walking into that building, surrounded by enemies, makes my blood run cold.
“Please, Lucas,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “Be careful. I can’t lose you.”
His expression softens, and he reaches out, cupping my face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears I didn’t even realize I’d shed. “I know,” he says quietly, his voice filled with a tenderness that takes my breath away. “I’ll be careful, I promise. But this is something I have to do.”
I nod, even though every instinct is screaming at me to beg him to stay, to find another way. But I know him well enough to understand that once he’s made up his mind, there’s no changing it. He’s going to meet Albrecht’s consigliere, and all I can do is hope that he comes back to me in one piece.
Jake clears his throat, breaking the moment between us. “Boss, we need to finalize the details.”
Lucas nods, his gaze lingering on me for a moment longer before he turns back to Jake. “Go ahead,” he says, his voice back to that calm, commanding tone I’ve come to know so well.
As they start discussing the logistics, the tension in the room thickens, the reality of what’s about to happen sinking in. I stand there, feeling helpless, my heart pounding in my chest as I listen to them talk about contingencies, backup plans, all the things that could go wrong.
The discussion between Lucas and Jake feels like it goes on forever, each word pulling me deeper into the pit of anxiety that’s been growing in my chest since Jake mentioned Albrecht.
I try to stay calm, to keep my fear from showing, but it’s impossible. The more they talk, the more real this becomes, and I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
Eventually, Jake leaves, his footsteps echoing in the hallway as the door closes behind him. The penthouse falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the soft hum of the city outside.
Lucas stands there for a moment, his back to me, his shoulders tense, as if he’s carrying the weight of the world on them. And maybe he is.
I want to reach out to him, to hold him, to beg him not to go. But I know I can’t. He’s made up his mind, and nothing I say will change that. The man I love is also the man who has to face Albrecht, who has to protect everything he’s built, even if it means putting himself in danger.
Finally, he turns to me, his expression softened but still guarded, as if he’s trying to protect me from the reality of what’s coming. “Emily,” he says, his voice low, almost tender. “I need you to trust me.”
The words hit me harder than I expected, and I feel a lump rise in my throat. “I do trust you,” I reply, my voice trembling with the effort it takes to hold back my emotions. “But I’m scared, Lucas. I’m so scared.”
He crosses the room in a few quick strides, pulling me into his arms, holding me close. His embrace is strong, reassuring, but it doesn’t chase away the fear that’s settled deep in my bones.
“I know,” he murmurs against my hair, his voice a rough whisper. “But I promise you, I’m going to come back to you. I’m not going to let anything happen to us.”
His words are meant to comfort, but they only make me hold him tighter, as if by sheer force of will I can keep him here, keep him safe. “Just be careful,” I whisper. “Please.”
He pulls back slightly, just enough to look into my eyes. The intensity in his gaze is almost too much to bear, like he’s trying to memorize every detail, like he’s afraid this might be the last time he sees me. “I will,” he promises, his voice firm, unyielding. “I’m not going to let Albrecht win. Not now, not ever.”
I nod, but the fear doesn’t go away. How could it? This is the man who has become everything to me, and I’m about to watch him walk into the lion’s den. The thought makes my stomach churn, but I push it down, trying to be strong, trying to be the woman he needs me to be right now.
Lucas leans in, his lips brushing against mine in a kiss that’s both tender and possessive, as if he’s staking his claim, reminding me that I’m his.
And in that moment, I don’t care about the danger, the risks, the fear that’s been gnawing at me all night. All I care about is this—him, us, the life we’re trying to build together.
When he pulls back, there’s a softness in his eyes that I haven’t seen before, a vulnerability that makes my heart ache. “I love you, Emily,” he says, the words coming out like a vow, like a promise he intends to keep no matter what. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you and our child are safe.”
I swallow hard, my throat tight with emotion. “I love you too, Lucas,” I whisper, my voice breaking on the last word. “Just come back to me.”
He nods, a small, almost imperceptible gesture, and then he’s pulling me back into his arms, holding me so tightly it feels like he’s trying to fuse us together. And maybe he is. Maybe we both are, knowing that the world outside these walls is waiting to tear us apart.
After what feels like an eternity, he finally lets me go, stepping back, his eyes lingering on mine for just a moment longer before he turns and heads toward the door.
I watch them go, my heart pounding in my chest, every instinct screaming at me to stop him, to hold on to my husband, to do anything but let him walk out that door.
But I don’t. I stand there, rooted to the spot, watching as the man I love disappears into the darkness, leaving me alone with my fears and the gnawing uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring.