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As I feel myself start to come undone again, I cry out, my limbs shaking as I throw my head back in ecstasy. Just as I do, a hand slips over my mouth, and I look down to see Liam's eyes darken as he leans in to murmur in my ear. “Shhh. Don't wake the innkeeper.”
I nod, my body trembling as I try to keep my sounds to a minimum. Theo's hand moves from my hair to my breasts, and his fingers find my nipple as he caresses it in time to Tristan's thrusts. I'm about to bite my lower lip for good measure when Tristan lets out a groan, his hand tightening on my thigh. Theo grunts in pleasure as my hand picks up its pace, and I feel Tristan shudder behind me as he too finds release.
Soon I’m losing control again, and by then I’ve also lost all sense of time, and I couldn’t care less. The danger is at our doorstep, the city’s underground is in chaos, and come tomorrow, we may be fighting for our lives… but tonight, this night, is just for us. I'm lost in an ocean of bodies and lovemaking, and as the guys’ hands explore my body, their lips leaving marks on my neck as they explore every inch of me, I can't help but wonder whether there's a future for us after all.
ChapterForty-Eight
It was going to have to end sooner or later.
As I shower the next morning, deliciously sore from the sex and basking in their love for me, I can't shake a mounting sense of dread. My suspicions are confirmed when there's a knock at the door just as I'm finishing getting dressed, and I open it to see the three of them in the hallway, their expressions somber. "What is it?" I ask, my eyes widening. "What's happening?”
"I just got word on Lucas," Theo says. "He's been operating out of our dad's old office building downtown. It's well-fortified, but I've got people on the inside. People who he hasn't turned yet.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, already knowing what's coming. "Are you saying…?"
Tristan nods. "We're taking the fight to him, hitting him where he's vulnerable.”
"Won't that get you in trouble?" I ask, glancing from him to Liam. "Storming an office building?”
"Maybe," Theo acknowledges. "But the building is owned by the Emmericos, and there are a few loyalist holdouts there, waiting for this to blow over. They can help us get in, but we have to move now if we want the opportunity. They won't hold out for long if Lucas has anything to say about it; from what I've heard, he's already purging the ranks.”
"This might be our only chance to get him without an entire army of men coming down on us," Liam agrees. "Once he's solidified his hold on the city, he'll be out of our reach, and the first thing on his to-do list will be eliminating any threats to his power—including your family.”
“We have to strike while the iron’s hot,” Tristan affirms. “Every hour that goes by ups the stakes that much more.”
My throat has gone dry, and all the ruminating I was doing yesterday comes back in full force. "What..." I manage. "What do you have in mind?”
Theo and Tristan exchange a look. "Lucas will think twice about being in the same room as any of us," Tristan says finally, and the sudden reluctance in his tone is alarming. "If we want to catch him-off guard, we need to send someone he doesn't perceive as a threat. Someone he has a vested interest in finding.”
"Me," I whisper. "You're talking about sending me.”
Theo's jaw clenches. "We wouldn't do this if there were another way, but we need someone to distract Lucas, and you're the only one who can do it. He's a psycho, but he's a smart psycho.”
I wrap my arms around myself. "Won't he get suspicious that I suddenly want to see him again?”
"We have an idea about that, too," Liam interjects. "We'll fill you in if you want, Vivi, but we're not going to push this if you don’t—”
But I'm already holding up a hand. "If it means ending this," I say, "then I'm in. I don't care what it takes." I take a shaky breath, pushing back my fear, the guys’ words of faith and encouragement from last night ringing in my mind. It might not be enough to make the terror disappear… but it’s enough to keep it at bay. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
The Emmerico office building overlooks the river, as ominous in broad daylight as I'm sure it is at night. Just stepping through the doors is enough to make me shiver, and as I glance around the nearly deserted lobby, my stomach churns. If Theo's contacts didn't run security, I'd be completely at Lucas's mercy right now.
"You all right, kid?" Theo's voice comes through the earpiece I'm wearing.
"Just peachy," I gripe, nodding wordlessly to the security guard, who buzzes me up with a heavy look. If this goes down badly, he's apt to get killed—along with me, my family, my best friend, and the men I love.
It's all falling on me.
"Just breathe," Tristan advises. "We're right behind you. You'll never be alone.”
"If you get into any trouble, we'll be there," Liam affirms. "Just stick to the plan, and we'll be fine. We're not going to let anything happen to you.”
Their words give me a flash of confidence, and I hurry across the lobby to the elevators. I check my watch, biting my lip as I wait for the lift to arrive.I can do this,I tell myself. All I have to do is get to the penthouse and buy them an opening. They've got eyes on me, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. I just have to hope it's enough.
The ride up to the penthouse floor feels like it takes a hundred years, and as I smooth my skirt and fix my hair, I glance at my reflection in the mirror, trying to calm my heart.
"I love you guys," I whisper into the earpiece. "If this goes badly, I just want you to know that.”
There's a long pause. "We love you too, kid," Theo replies.
