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Should I open it? Should I call someone first? The cops?
Clearly a glutton for punishment and against my better judgment, I slide my shaky fingers under the seal. Bits of paper tear, sticking to the glue. Gooseflesh races up and down my spine with every ripping piece.
A sharp sting zips through my pointer finger, and I jerk my hand away from the envelope. Red liquid pools inside a thin pink line running through the center of my fingertip. I shake my hand to dispel the pain, my attention once again focused on the object in my other hand.
A smiling picture of Cole greets me as I pull out the paper from inside. His eyes are bright, and his smile is wide. He looks so much younger, so much happier. In the midst of the chaos around me, my heart breaks for the man. What happened in the last year that he now holds the weight of the world on his shoulders? To make him cold and distant?
I unfold the accompanying note and tears fall unchecked down my cheeks.
Stay away from Cole Spencer, or else these damning photos of you will be leaked all over the internet.
And don’t even think about running to the police, unless you want said photos and a detailed account of your filthy night at Club Rapture to be emailed to your boss.
Test me, and I will ruin the happy little life you’ve built and leave you with nothing.
I shake my head and watch absently as the letter slips from my numb fingers and glides to the floor, landing soundlessly atop the photos. White noise is all I hear as my mind goes blank, and I sit, staring at the letter on the floor. The world slowly grows hazy and dark.
Lucian
“I don’t know, Nyx,” Devin sniffs.
I shouldn’t be listening. I shouldn’t be doing a lot of things when it comes to this girl, but I just can’t seem to stop myself. She penetrated my soul with her first moans of pleasure and branded me as hers. Now that we’re all together again, I’ll fight to keep us that way.
“T-the door was open, and there were p-pictures of me and the guys everywhere. But it was the-the note … it—" She swallows hard and covers her mouth as she tries to stifle her sob. “I don’t feel safe there anymore.”
The fear lacing her tone combined with the tears tracking down her cheeks and pale complexion sparks an endless void of anger deep within me. A desire so strong to find the source of her anguish has my hands shaking at my side, but I check my emotions and force myself to remain in control. I need more information before I can act. I move in closer, staying out of sight, not wanting to disrupt her conversation but needing to stay close, to protect her in her vulnerable state.
“The last thing I remember was sitting in my apartment, and then I was sitting at the table I’m at now in the café. I don’t know, maybe it’s shock?”
My fingers twitch to wrap around someone’s throat and squeeze. An overwhelming need to watch as the light in their eyes dims and the fog of death rushes in. Someone hurt my little lamb. Someone has to pay. I close my hands into fists, stuffing them in my pockets.
Maintain fucking control. I remind myself. What she needs is safety. Wrathful vengeance can come later.
She’s silent for a long moment, pressing the phone to her ear so tightly her knuckles are white. Her only movement is the nearly imperceptible nod of her head, up and down, silently agreeing with whatever Nyx is saying on the other end of the line.
“I can’t go to the police. They’ll release the photos over the internet and send them to my boss. I’ll lose my job. Worse, the guys were in many of the photos Who knows what the backlash would be for them. I can’t risk it.” She sniffs back more tears, and her spine straightens. “I’ll keep my distance. It’s as easy as that. No interaction.”
She quiets again as she listens to Nyx. A small smile, one that doesn’t reach her eyes, spreads across her face. “I promise I will. Thanks for listening, and I can’t wait to see you again … Right, I’ll talk to you later.”
She pulls the phone away from her face and presses something on the screen. Gingerly, she uses two shaking hands to place the phone on the table before breaking into hiccupping sobs.
I step out from behind the retaining wall and slowly approach her table on the outside patio. The young male waiter from the other afternoon warily approaches from the other side. His gaze meets mine, an unsure look in his eyes. I shake my head, silently telling him to hold back. He sidesteps Devin’s table and tends to another couple a few tables away.
I pull out the seat across from Devin and sit down. Her head snaps up from where she was hiding her face in her hands. Watery, red-rimmed eyes meet mine.
Her brows pinch together, creating three crease lines between her eyes. The confused expression on her face makes me want to lean over the table and kiss the adorable wrinkles along her nose.
“Lucian, what are you doing here?” she asks, wiping her face quickly and sitting up straighter, offering me a watery smile with a snort, trying for an air of lightheartedness. But I’m not letting her off that easily.
“It’s going to be okay, little lamb.” I keep her gaze locked with mine and soften my voice and posture, wanting her to know that she can trust me. That she can confide in me. That she’s safe with me.
Whatever she finds in my eyes cracks the wall she was trying to hide behind. “I’m scared, Lucian.”
I stand and come around the table and kneel beside her seat. I grip the armrests and turn her chair to face me. Reaching up, I pinch her chin between my thumb and forefinger, making sure she meets my eyes before I speak, needing her to see the truth there.
“I promise you; I will not let anyone hurt you. I will kill anyone who dares come near you with the intent to harm.” I tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear and cup the side of her face. “You’re safe with me.”
Her shoulders drop and face goes lax, and she falls into my arms, silently crying into my shoulder. Wrapping one arm around her waist, I use the other hand to rub soothing circles up and down her spine.
