“Thank you,” I add, more firmly this time.
Because that matters. Because he needs to hear that I understand. He nods once. That’s it. That’s all either of us says.
Lucian watches the entire exchange with quiet interest, his gaze moving between us like he’s cataloguing it, filing it away for later.
Killian shifts slightly beside him, cracking his knuckles once like he’s ready to move on.
And that’s exactly what happens. Christian straightens.
“All right,” he says. “We move.”
Just like that. Back to it. Back to the job. Back to finishing this. I follow them out, the cool night air hitting my skin as we step outside, engines already running, men moving into position.
We’re still in suits Like we never left the gala. Like we never stepped out of one world and straight into another.
And as I slide into the car, as the engine turns, as we start moving toward Vargas, there’s only one thought that stays with me.
This ends tonight. It has to.
sixty
Liana
Waiting is unbearable.
It sits under my skin, restless and sharp, like something constantly shifting without ever settling. Every second stretches too long, every small sound pulling my attention toward it like it might mean something, like it might be him.
But it never is.
The apartment stays quiet.
Too quiet.
Zach breaks it, gently.
“How’s your writing going, baby?” he asks, his voice calm, steady, like he’s placing something in front of me to step into instead of the spiral sitting in my chest.
I recognize it for what it is.
A distraction.
But I take it anyway. Because I need it.
I shift slightly on the couch, my body tucked between them, Jackson’s hand already at the back of my neck, working slow, grounding pressure into the tightness there.
“I’m… still working with the Highlands idea,” I say slowly. “The darker romance. That whole atmosphere.”
Zach nods slightly, watching me.
“And?” he prompts.
I exhale.
“It’s changed a bit,” I admit. “Not the setting. Not the plan. Just… the way I’m writing it.”
Jackson’s thumb drags slowly along the base of my neck, anchoring me.
“How?” he asks softly.
