Chapter 12 Calm Down, Darling
Nial pulled the car to a stop outside Licius. It was already dark, but the café was still lit up as the staff finished closing for the night.
Lucius remained in the back seat, waiting patiently. He had told himself he would simply pick Stella up and take her home. He didn’t want to ask her questions she wasn’t ready to answer. He only wanted to see her and spend whatever time she was willing to give him.
He watched through the window as the café gradually emptied. Eventually, the lights inside were switched off, leaving only the glow of the streetlights outside.
About a minute later, Stella finally walked out of the café.
Lucius immediately reached for the door, ready to step out and go to her.
Then Stella suddenly smiled at something.
She lifted her hand and waved.
“Sorry for the wait! I’m coming!” she called out before jogging toward the left side of the street.
Lucius frowned.
His hand paused on the door handle as his eyes followed her. Something about the sudden smile and the enthusiasm in her voice made him look in the direction she was heading.
A car was waiting there.
He hadn’t noticed it before.
And standing beside it was Shane.
Lucius’s entire expression changed.
The warmth that had appeared on his face when he saw Stella vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, dark look. His fingers tightened around the door as he watched her approach Shane, his jaw clenching harder with every step she took.
“So is our dinner date still on?” Shane asked.
Stella smiled at him.
“Of course it is.”
Lucius released the door and leaned back into his seat instead.
He remained perfectly still, his gaze fixed on Stella and Shane through the window. He reached for his cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it. Then he took a long drag, watching them through the smoke.
“She used to smile at me this sweetly for three years, and now she smiles at this fucker the same way,” he muttered, his voice low and bitter.
His fingers tightened around the cigarette as jealousy burned through him.
He took another drag, his gaze never leaving Stella and Shane.
“Was the only reason you returned to Manhattan to be with Shane?”
Stella climbed into the car with Shane, while Lucius watched from across the street. He remained motionless as the car pulled away, his eyes following it through the traffic until it vanished from sight.
A disbelieving scoff escaped him.
He flicked his cigarette onto the pavement and muttered through clenched teeth, “You got dumped by your ex-girlfriend, and now you’re stalking her on dates with her new man. Lucius Frost, how much lower are you willing to sink to get her back?”
He shook his head, visibly irritated, then turned toward Nial.
“Follow the damn car.”
Nial pulled away immediately.
Half an hour later, Lucius sat in the back seat, watching in silence as Stella and Shane settled at a dinner table inside a restaurant on the ground floor of a building in the middle of the city.
Shane had clearly spent money on the evening. The table was beautifully set, and everything about the arrangement made it obvious that he had put effort into the date.
Lucius was fuming.
His jaw clenched as he watched them through the glass partition from across the restaurant. He had followed them only because he wanted to know where Stella was going, but now he was paying attention to every little thing they did.
They talked. They ate. They laughed together.
And the longer Lucius watched, the worse his mood became.
There was an ease between them that drove him fucking crazy. They seemed familiar with each other, comfortable in a way that made something bitter twist inside his chest.
Then Stella pushed her chair back.
She said something to Shane before standing and excusing herself to use the restroom.
Lucius watched her walk away.
He waited until she had put enough distance between herself and the table before following her.
Stella had just reached the restroom when a hand suddenly covered her mouth.
She barely had time to react before Lucius pulled her aside and pinned her against the wall beside the entrance. The wall concealed her from the rest of the restaurant, even though the dining area was only a few feet away on the other side.
Stella gasped, her eyes flying wide as her heart began to pound.
For one terrifying second, panic took over.
Then her vision adjusted to the dim light, and she recognized the man standing in front of her.
Lucius.
The tension in her body eased slightly, though confusion quickly replaced her fear.
Lucius finally lowered his hand from her mouth, but he didn’t let her go.
“What are you doing here?” Stella demanded, her brows drawing together as she stared at him in confusion.
She tried to push him back, but he didn’t even budge. Instead, his hold on her tightened as he lowered his head and fixed his intense gaze on hers.
A dangerous fire burned in his eyes, the same fire that had been eating away at him for far too long.
“Did I interrupt your perfect little evening with him?” he asked, his mouth twisting bitterly. “You looked like you were having the time of your life before you saw me.”
“Lucius—”
Before she could finish, several loud bangs suddenly echoed through the restaurant.
Stella jerked toward the sound.
Lucius reacted instantly. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her behind him as his entire body shifted between her and the restaurant.
“What the hell was that?” she hissed, her voice tight with alarm.
Lucius’s eyes narrowed as he listened, his attention fixed on the direction of the shots.
“Gunshots.”
The next second, Stella shoved his arm aside and dashed back into the restaurant.
“What the fuck? Stella?!” Lucius snapped.
But she was already gone.
He cursed under his breath and immediately ran after her.
Stella hurried toward Shane, who had ducked beneath the table. She reached him with her breathing coming in sharp, uneven bursts and dropped down beside him, anxiously looking him over.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Shane glanced at her, his expression tense. “Why did you run out here? It’s dangerous.”
Before Stella could answer, Lucius reached them.
He seized Stella by the arm and pulled her to the side, his patience completely gone.
“Go back there,” he ordered.
“But Shane—”
“I’m bringing Shane. For fuck’s sake, Stella, get the fuck out of here before I lose my mind.”
The fury on Lucius’s face stopped her cold.
She had never seen that look in his eyes before. He was absolutely furious, and there was something so dark in his expression that she didn’t dare argue.
Stella immediately hurried away from them.
Another burst of gunfire echoed through the restaurant.
This time, the shots sounded much closer to Lucius and Shane.
Lucius ducked instinctively and turned toward Shane. Their eyes met beneath the table.
“These are a gift for you, pretty boy?” Lucius gritted out, his voice thick with anger.
Shane narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t need your help, Mr. Frost. Leave.”
“Do you think I give a fuck about you?” Lucius shot back. “But that woman is already making my life hell, and if something happens to you, she’ll make it even worse.”
He grabbed Shane by the arm and hauled him out from beneath the table.
“Come with me. Stay behind me.”
Lucius immediately moved him along, keeping his own body between Shane and the direction of the gunfire.
Another few rounds rang out across the restaurant, but Lucius kept moving until he finally pulled Shane behind the wall where Stella was waiting.
The restaurant had already fallen silent.
The few guests still inside the restaurant had rushed out the moment the gunshots began. Judging by the direction of the bullets, it was clear that the attack had been aimed specifically at Shane’s table.
Lucius pressed his back against the wall, his breathing controlled despite the fury burning through him. His gaze moved toward Stella, briefly taking in her shaken expression before shifting to Shane.
Stella turned to Shane and began checking him over. Her hands moved anxiously across his arms and shoulders as she searched his face, desperate to find any sign of injury.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Did the bullet touch you?”
Shane shook his head. “I had bent down to pick up my phone when it fell on the ground. That’s when they fired the shot. I got lucky.”
A shaky breath escaped Stella as some of the tension left her shoulders. Only then did she look toward Lucius, who had been standing a short distance away, watching her concern for Shane with a hard, wounded expression.
For a moment, she hesitated, before finally murmuring, “Are you all right?”
Lucius’s jaw tightened. The question came too late, and the reluctant concern in her voice did nothing to ease the bitterness twisting inside him.
“Thank you for remembering that I still exist.”
He reached for his phone, already preparing to call the police, but before he could make the call, Shane caught him by the hand.
“Help is already here. The shooter is a sniper. The police won’t help.”
Lucius tore his hand free, his eyes flashing dangerously.
“You can die for all I care. But I won’t let Stella die for you.” He pulled out his phone, his jaw clenched as he unlocked the screen. “I’m calling the goddamn police force—and anyone else I need to—to make sure neither Stella nor I end up dead because of your fucking mess.”
The words had barely left his mouth when sudden movement across the restaurant caught their attention.
Several men dressed in black appeared out of nowhere, rushing toward the attackers and forcing them to the ground.
Their movements were swift and precise, as though they had been waiting for the right moment to intervene.
Within moments, one of the men approached Shane.
“Are you all right, sir?”
Shane nodded.
Once the man had confirmed that he was unharmed, he straightened and glanced briefly around the restaurant.
“I’ll inform Mr. Black.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, behaving as though the shooting had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.