Chapter 27
Shannen
How many stages of grief are there?
Because I’m pretty sure I’ve torn through all of them and invented a few new ones.
I feel like I’m losing my mind.
Where the fuck is everyone?
No cops have shown up today. No calls. No questions. Nothing. Just silence, which somehow feels worse than being interrogated.
Lianna is dealing with some kind of crisis at the club, and then she’s coming back, but where are Lucien and his brother?
The ones who are supposed to be fixing this?
They’re meant to be these fucking… I don’t even know what they’re meant to be.
Hackers? Fixers? Involved in some dangerous shit?
I don’t know, and it’s heading into the evening now, and there’s still no word on Phoenix.
Before I can spiral completely, there's a knock at the door. I’m moving before my brain catches up, my heart lodged in my throat, while hope hits me stupidly fast. I wrench it open, but it’s not Phoenix.
The guy standing in front of me could pass for him at a glance, if you weren’t looking too closely.
Same height, same solid presence that fills the doorway.
Dark hair, though not as dark as Phoenix’s.
It’s more mid-brown, sun-kissed just the tiniest bit.
Tattoos creep out from under his shirt sleeves, winding up his forearms, and a nose ring glints under the hall light.
He’s definitely not police, and definitely not someone who knocked on the wrong door.
“Who the hell are you?”
He tilts his head, looking me over with an intensity that should make me uncomfortable but somehow doesn’t.
“I’ve heard so much about you, Shannen.” That raspy voice is unmistakable. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Lucien?”
He smiles, just a little, and whatever fear I had drains out of me. I don’t know why, but I know if Phoenix trusts him, then I do too.
“Can I come in?” I nod and open the door wider.
I didn’t imagine him looking like this. He has that classic all-American boy look about him—strong jaw, perfect bone structure—but there’s something about him that doesn’t match the packaging.
Pretty face or not, this is the kind of man mothers warn their daughters about.
“Where’s Phoenix?”
“Not with me.”
“Clearly,” I bite back, and he spins to look at me. I sigh, drop onto the couch, and curl in on myself, pulling my knees tight to my chest. “I’m sorry. I haven’t slept, and no one’s telling me anything.”
“We found him, and he’s okay.”
That’s all it takes for my chest to cave in on itself, my breath hitching as I fight the urge to break down in front of him. He doesn’t exactly look like the kind of man who’d know what to do with a woman’s tears.
“Where is he?”
“Thankfully, he was banged up where we knew people who owed us a favor.”
“Have you seen him?”
“No, not yet.”
“Okay, well, let’s go.” I shoot up from the couch, adrenaline replacing logic, but Lucien’s already stepping into my path like a wall.
“Not necessary.”
“What?”
“We’re staying here.”
“We’re absolutely fucking not.” I try to step around him, but he doesn’t budge.
“We’re waiting here until I hear from my brother.”
I want to tell him to go fuck himself.
Instead, I slump back down on the couch, pissed off and completely powerless. He has the information, and all I have is this desperate need to see Phoenix with my own eyes.
I can feel Lucien’s eyes on me, but I refuse to look up until I watch him drop down onto the couch across from me.
“So… you’ve known Phoenix for a long time.”
“Not as long as you have. But yeah.”
“He told me about you and your brother. He said you’re the closest thing to family he’s had all these years.”
“He’s as much a brother to me as Cain is. I’d trust him with my life.”
“And he trusts you with his.”
“Correct.”
The front door suddenly flies open with a bang, and Lianna storms in, kicking her heels off and shrugging her jacket down her arms when her eyes land on Lucien sprawled on my couch. She stops mid-strip, one arm still caught in her sleeve.
“Who the hell are you?”
Lucien stands, letting out a quiet chuckle as he closes the distance between them.
“I’m the guy with his finger up his brother’s ass.”
“Lucien.”
“Lianna Monroe…” He draws out her name once again, rolling it around on his tongue like he's testing how it sounds.
“Can you stop saying my name like that? It’s weird.”
“No. I like it.”
Her eyes narrow into slits, looking like she’s two seconds away from slapping the pretty right off his face. But I know her. I know her type, and an annoyingly perfect face with a dangerous confidence that only comes from being too fuckable for his own good is absolutely it.
“Okay, whatever. You do you.”
She brushes past him and sits down beside me on the couch while Lucien tracks her movement the way a wolf watches a rabbit that doesn’t know it’s already been marked for the kill.
“They found Phoenix,” I tell her, and the shift in her is immediate. She sits forward, spine straight, every ounce of that fuck-you attitude twisting into something lethal.
“Where is he?”
“We’re waiting,” I say, widening my eyes in a silent Don’t look at me. I’m just as in the dark as you.
“Waiting for what? The other brother to show up with his fingers up his own ass? No, fuck that. I want to know where Phoenix is right now.”
Seconds pass as they lock into this silent stare-off, neither willing to back down, neither willing to look away first, when more knocking cuts through the tension brewing between them.
I sigh and resign myself to not knowing a goddamn thing about what’s happening or whether Phoenix is really okay when Lucien stops me from answering it by moving toward the door himself.
Is he serious?
I’m two seconds from saying something when the door flies open, and I hear three words that kick my heart back into rhythm. “Where is she?”
Phoenix.
He bursts through the door, and I’m in his arms in under a second. The impact nearly sends us both crashing to the floor, but I don’t care. My arms wrap around him, holding him so tight I can’t breathe, can’t think, or do anything but pull him deeper into my body.
“Baby,” he whispers into my hair, and I completely fall apart in his arms, not caring who sees, because right now, all that matters is that he’s here.
I pull back, my hands gripping his face, and anger surges through me. Not anger at him, but at the gun pointed at his head and the way those bastards dragged him away from me while I stood there helpless.
“Don’t ever fucking do that to me again,” I choke out, tears streaming down my face faster than I can stop them. “Jesus Christ, I was so scared. You don’t ever do anything that takes you away from me again. Do you understand?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m right here.” His hands frame my face, his thumbs brushing away my tears. “I’m not going anywhere. I swear to god, I’ll never leave you again. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Somewhere in the background, I hear Lianna’s voice: “Did you know he was on the way here?”
She’s speaking to Lucien, but all I can do is stare at Phoenix.
“I knew Cain was getting him,” he replies calmly.
“Well, I had no fucking idea you’d be here playing babysitter.” A new yet familiar voice cuts in from the doorway.
I turn and immediately have to do a double take.
Identical.
Not similar.
Not brother-ish.
They’re identical, down to the tattoos and piercings.
“Hey, Shannen, it’s nice to finally meet you away from a surveillance camera.”
“Seriously, Cain?” Phoenix bites back, his arms tightening possessively around my waist.
“It’s nice to meet you too. But you’d better not have watched me in my home, or I swear to god, I’ll kick your creepy little ass.”
He holds both hands up in surrender and winks at Phoenix.
“Never done that, I promise. Besides, I’m pretty sure I’d be dead and buried six feet under, with my dick shoved down my throat, courtesy of your boyfriend, if I had.”
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“See? He’s very particular about who gets to stalk you.”
“Cain,” Phoenix warns, but it’s clear there’s no real heat behind it, and this is just how they are with each other.
“What? We’re bonding, right, Shannen?”
Before I can even think about answering, his eyes slide past me, like I stopped existing entirely, and land on Lianna.
“There she is,” he says. “The feisty one.”
“Jesus Christ, there really are two of them,” Lianna mutters, looking between Cain and Lucien.
Phoenix starts laughing, full-on, his shoulders shaking as he watches her. She flips him off, pins him with a death stare, then walks straight over and clips him on the head.
“Fucking—ow.” Phoenix’s laugh cuts off, his hand flying up to rub the back of his skull, even as he’s still grinning. “What the hell was that for?”
“Don’t ever do that again.” She’s glaring at him like she’s considering a second hit before marching straight up to Cain, who’s clearly enjoying Phoenix getting whacked way too much. “Are you as annoying as your brother?”
Cain bends forward, lowering his face to hers. “I’m actually a fucking delight.”
Phoenix’s hands haven’t left my body, not once, and now I really want everyone gone. I need him alone. I need it to be just us because the last twenty-four hours have shredded me into something unrecognizable, and the only thing anchoring me to earth is his touch.
I’m drawn back to him while the three of them mumble around us, their voices fading into meaningless noise.
His face is inches from mine, his silver eyes drifting from my mouth to my eyes and back again, like he’s already halfway to devouring me.
If they don’t leave soon, I’m going to kiss the life out of this man so recklessly, so inappropriately, and with so little care for our audience, that they’ll wish to hell they’d left the second Phoenix walked through that door.
A hand drops to Phoenix’s shoulder.
Lucien.
I only know it’s him because the twins aren’t wearing the same outfit. Otherwise, I’d have no fucking clue which identical psychopath just interrupted us.
“We’re going to give you two some space.”
“Are you leaving the city?” Phoenix asks.
“No, not yet.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Not far from here.”
“Thank you for bringing him back to me,” I say, looking between both brothers.
“Okay, this is getting way too fucking cute for me. I love you both, but I’m getting out of here before someone starts crying or dry humping.” Lianna gives me a wink and a smile that says I’m so happy he’s back and you’re together again. “Come on, you two giants. You can walk me down to my car.”
She steps out first, and the twins follow one by one, the door closing behind them. Only then do I allow myself to relax, my entire body sagging with relief as the tension bleeds out of me.
He's here. He's safe. He's standing right in front of me and he's okay.
Phoenix’s lips are on mine instantly, like he’s been holding this in since the second they pulled him away from me.
His tongue pushes past my lips, and I let him take whatever he wants.
His grip is bruising—one hand fisted in my hair, pulling my head back at the angle he wants, the other wrapped around my waist so tight I can barely breathe.
It’s animal.
A kiss born of rage and fear, and every second we thought we’d never get back.
He lifts me into his arms and carries me to the kitchen island, setting me down on the cold surface as he continues to kiss me.
“You left me.” I gasp against his lips. “You promised me you wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t have a choice, baby,” he says, already tugging my sweats down, along with my underwear. “You know that.”
My bare ass rests against the marble, and my whole body shudders.
“Leave my shirt on,” he mutters, pushing the material up. He exposes my body and latches onto my nipple, sucking it into his mouth before switching to the other and giving it the same torturous attention.
His gaze lifts to mine as he licks the valley between my breasts. “I’m so sorry you had to see me like that, baby.”
I grab him by the jaw and drag his mouth back to mine, shaking my head and kissing him to say that wasn’t it. That none of it mattered.
“I don’t care about that. I know you, Phoenix.”
He’s already at his belt, his fingers rough and impatient, while I rip his shirt open like I can’t get to him fast enough. Buttons fly across the kitchen, pinging off counters and scattering across the floor, but I don’t care. I need his skin beneath my fingers.
“I was so scared. I thought you were hurt. I wanted to kill every single one of them—especially the prick with the gun.”
“My crazy girl,” he growls against my throat. “God, I love you. You’re everything. You hear me? Every fucking thing.”
His fingers move between my thighs, stroking my clit while he lavishes me in kisses—soft ones along my jaw, desperate ones crushing against my mouth, gentle ones on my forehead.
My need for him takes over everything as he starts whispering in my ear—telling me how much he loves me, how beautiful I am, how he’ll always protect me and how my cunt is his and will always be his, because it wouldn’t be Phoenix if he didn’t claim every single inch of me with words, touch, and his absolute possession.
“I’m gonna marry you one day, baby.”
“Then do it… Marry me.” His fingers stop moving instantly, and he lifts his face to mine, storm-gray eyes going wide with shock as they lock onto mine—the same eyes that have owned me since I was fourteen. “I want to be Shannen Cassidy, so do it. Marry me. Be my husband.”
“When?”
“Today. Tomorrow. I don’t fucking care.” My hand lifts to his jaw, my thumb brushing the slight stubble there. “I just know I want you.”
He kisses me hard, claiming my mouth the same way he’s about to claim everything else.
“I need to fuck you now, baby. Because the next time I have you like this… it’ll be with my ring on your finger, with you looking at me while I call you my wife.”