44. Chapter 44
Wren
Movement beyond the glass catches my eye—Theo, returning to where he left me, his expression shifting from confusion to panic when he realizes I'm gone. His head whips around, searching the crowd frantically.
"Theo!" I scream, though I know he can't hear me through the soundproofed glass. "THEO!"
Levi follows my gaze, his lips curling into a smile when he spots Theo. "Ah, your knight returns. Let's give him a show, shall we?"
He spins me around again, one hand fisting in my elaborately braided hair, the other at my throat. The position forces me to face the glass wall, giving me a perfect view of Theo as he continues searching for me.
"They can't have you," Levi continues, his grip tightening painfully in my hair. "No one can. You're mine. You've always been mine. You think they love you? They don't even know you. Not like I do."
His eyes finally lock on the office entrance.
Through the glass, I see the exact moment he spots me—his entire body going rigid, his face transforming with a fury I've never witnessed before.
He charges toward the door, only to find it locked.
His fists pound against the glass, his mouth forming my name over and over.
"Your brother thought he could protect you from me too," Levi says conversationally, as if we're having a pleasant chat while my boyfriend tries desperately to reach me. "He learned his lesson. Just like they will, and just like you will."
"My brother would kill you if he knew you were here," I spit out, still struggling against his grip.
Levi laughs, the sound devoid of humor. "Your brother is locked away, little Lily. He can't save you now. No one can."
Theo and Jace are both at the door now, pounding on the glass, trying the handle repeatedly. The presentation must be concluded now, but the volume of the music has only increased, drowning out their shouting.
"You're done running," Levi says, his fingers digging into my scalp. "It's time to come home."
"I'd rather die," I hiss.
Jace has his phone out, frantically calling someone—police, security, I don't know. Theo continues to pound on the glass, his face contorted with rage and fear.
Levi uses his grip on my throat to turn me back towards him, the grin that curves his lips promises violence. "That can be arranged. But not before I've had my fun. We have so much time to make up for, after all."
Suddenly, Levi's body jerks forward, his eyes widening in shock. His grip on my neck loosens as he looks down in confusion. I follow his gaze to see the pointed tip of a blade protruding from his chest, glistening red with blood.
"What—" he gasps, but the word cuts off as the blade withdraws, only to reappear through his throat a moment later.
Blood spurts from the wound, spattering my face and dress. Levi's eyes meet mine one last time, filled with disbelief and fury, before the light in them fades. His body crumples to the floor in front of me, revealing the figure standing behind him.
My brother, Lucien, stands there, knife still in hand, blood dripping from the blade onto the polished floor. His expression is eerily calm as he looks from Levi's body to me.
"Do you realize how long I've been hunting that fucker?
" he says, sounding more irritated than anything.
"I tried taking him out two goddamn years ago, but then he forced my hand and made me go underground.
Then he disappeared." He gestures at Levi's body with the knife.
"I figured he would stay close to you, but then you disappeared too.
After over a year of searching, I ended up having to fucking surrender to the FBI just to try to find you so I could find him. "
I stare at my brother, completely dumbfounded. The last time I saw him was on a tv screen being led away in handcuffs.
"I thought you were in FBI custody," I manage to say, my voice barely audible.
Lucien wipes the blade on Levi's suit jacket before sliding it back into a sheath at his waist. "Yes, well, once I knew where you were, courtesy of Juliette, I wasn't staying with the FBI. Not much intelligent conversation to be had from most of the feds."
I suddenly realize the pounding on the door has stopped. Through the glass, I see Theo and Jace frozen in place, their faces white with fear.
"Agent Voss told me I have to let her know if I see you," I say automatically, still struggling to process what's happening.
Something shifts in Lucien's eyes—a softening that seems out of place given the circumstances. "Don't worry about Juliette," he says, a strange intimacy in the way he says her name. "I'll deal with her."
When I see movement at the glass door I notice that security has arrived now, attempting to override the door lock.
"Your boyfriends seem concerned," Lucien observes dryly. "Protective. That's good."
"You just killed someone," I say, the reality of the situation finally hitting me. "In front of witnesses."
Lucien shrugs, unconcerned. "The only witness who matters is you, and I know you're not going to turn me in.
" He glances at the glass door where security is working on the lock.
"They'll have this door open in about thirty seconds.
You need to decide—are you going to scream about the big bad man who killed your stalker, or are you going to let your brother disappear before they get in here? "
I stare at him, my mind reeling. Levi's blood is still warm on my face, the metallic scent filling my nostrils. My brother—my brother who I thought was locked away—is standing here like some avenging angel, having just butchered the man who's terrorized me for months.
"How did you even get in here?" I ask, wiping blood from my cheek with a shaking hand.
"Service elevator. Kitchen staff entrance. Amazing what a catering uniform and confident attitude will get you." He glances at the security team still struggling with the lock. "Twenty seconds now."
"You can't just leave," I say desperately. "I haven't seen you in almost two years.”
Lucien shrugs, his eyes flicking to the security team now inserting an override key into the lock.
"Everyone said you were a serial killer," I whisper, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. "The FBI, the news... even Levi said you were the one who—"
"I am," Lucien interrupts, his voice matter-of-fact. There's no remorse in his expression, no attempt to deny it. Just a simple acknowledgment that chills my blood despite everything.
I stare at him, this stranger who shares my blood, who just saved my life by taking another's without hesitation.
"I have to go," he says, glancing at the security team still working on the door. "But I'll catch up with you soon, little sister. We have a lot to talk about."
"Wait—" I reach for him, but he's already stepping backward through a door I hadn't noticed before—some kind of maintenance access hidden in the wall paneling.
The security team finally overrides the lock just as the panel clicks shut behind Lucien. The office space is suddenly flooded with noise from the party—pounding music, excited chatter, the sounds of celebration creating a surreal backdrop to the horror before me.
Theo and Jace burst through the door first, security personnel right behind them. They freeze momentarily at the sight of Levi's body, blood pooling on the pristine floor, then rush toward me.
"Wren!" Jace reaches me first, his hands hovering over me as if afraid to touch me. "Are you hurt? Did he—"
"I'm okay," I say, my voice surprisingly steady despite the chaos inside me. "He didn't have time to—"
Theo pulls me into his arms, cutting off my words. His body is trembling, though whether from fear or rage, I can't tell. "I shouldn't have left you," he whispers against my hair. "I'm so sorry. So fucking sorry."
I cling to him, inhaling his familiar scent, letting his warmth chase away the chill of Levi's touch. Jace moves behind me, his arms encircling us both, creating a protective cocoon around me.
"What happened?" A security guard asks, his radio crackling with activity as he stares at Levi's body. "Who did this?"
I pull back slightly from Theo's embrace, though I keep my hands firmly in theirs. "I don't know," I say, the lie coming easily to protect my brother. "Someone came from behind. I couldn't see who it was. They were gone before I could turn around."
The guard's eyes narrow skeptically. "You didn't see anything? The attacker just vanished?"
"It was dark," I insist, gesturing to the dimly lit office space. "Everything happened so fast."
He turns to Jace and Theo. "What about you two? Did you see the attacker?"
Jace shakes his head, his expression perfectly neutral despite the lie. "The lighting in here is terrible. All I could see was Wren and... him." He nods toward Levi's body without looking at it.
"Same," Theo confirms, his arm tightening around my waist. "Too dark to make out anything but shapes. We were focused on getting to Wren."
The security guard doesn't look convinced, but before he can press further, the door bursts open again as police officers stream into the room. The launch party is effectively over, the celebration transformed into a crime scene in minutes.
They separate us for questioning, despite Jace and Theo's protests. I repeat my story over and over—how Levi dragged me into the office, how he threatened me, how someone intervened before he could hurt me. Each time, I maintain that I never saw my rescuer's face.
"So you expect us to believe that someone just happened to follow you in here, killed your stalker, and disappeared without a trace?" Detective Rivera asks hours later, her eyebrows raised in obvious skepticism.
I meet her gaze steadily. "I don't expect you to believe anything. I'm telling you what happened."
Hours pass in a blur of questions, evidence collection, and statements. By the time they finally allow us to leave, the rooftop is nearly deserted, the elaborate decorations looking sad and abandoned in the harsh light of police work.
As we wait for the elevator, I lean heavily against Theo, exhaustion seeping into every cell of my body. Despite everything, a bubble of hysterical laughter escapes me.
"What?" Theo asks, looking down at me with concern.
"I was just thinking about your headline," I say, my voice raspy from hours of questioning. "Remember what you said earlier? 'Developers so passionate they murdered a colleague at launch party'?"
Jace's lips twitch despite the gravity of the situation. "Except it wasn't us who did the murdering."
"No," I agree, sobering slightly as the elevator arrives. "It was my serial killer brother who's supposed to be in FBI custody."
The doors close, sealing us into the small space together. Theo's arm tightens around me protectively.
"Thank you," I say quietly, looking between them. "For backing me up. For protecting him, just on my word."
Jace takes my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "We trust you. If you say your brother deserves protection, that's good enough for us."
"Even knowing what he is?" I ask, the question that's been haunting me since Lucien's casual confirmation.
"Even then," Theo confirms without hesitation. "He saved you. That's all that matters to me."
The elevator reaches the ground floor, the doors sliding open to reveal a lobby still bustling with police and confused party-goers. Before we step out, I stop them both with a hand on each of their arms.
"I love you," I say, my voice stronger than it's been in years. "Both of you. So much."
Their expressions soften in unison, identical looks of devotion that make my heart swell despite the horror of the night.
"We love you too," Jace says simply.
"Always," Theo adds, pressing a kiss to my temple.
As we walk through the lobby toward the exit, I can't help glancing back at the elevator, wondering where Lucien is now. My brother, the killer. My brother, my savior.
He said he'd find me again soon. Despite everything—the blood, the casual admission of murder, the years of absence—part of me hopes he keeps that promise. There are so many questions I need answered, so many gaps in my understanding of what happened two years ago.
But for now, I have Jace and Theo. I have my voice back. I have my life, free from Levi's shadow at last.