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But that’s not what makes adrenaline and fear rush through me. It’s the look of smug triumph in his eyes.
“Hello, Brother,” Lucas says, flinging the door shut behind him, and I notice that he’s making a point to stand between us and the exit. That, and the sidearm on full display at his hip. “Fancy running into you here.Again.” The smile he gives me is positively menacing. “Vivian, darling. You seem well. You’ve got that look about you... What do you call it?Afterglow? I guess fucking each other blind all month will have that effect on you, yeah?”
Theo’s expression is cold and hard, the exact opposite of Lucas’s, as he reaches a protective arm out in front of me. I instinctively scoot closer to him, my eyes on Lucas’s gun, my hand inching towards my cell phone on the table. “I take it you know,” Theo says, not taking his eyes off his younger brother. “Who told you? Dad? Had to be. No one else knows.”
“You know, it’s funny,” Lucas says as he advances on us, edging Theo back toward the kitchen table. “I had a feeling something wasn’t right when I first got back from my trip.” His eyes snap from Theo to me. “You’re not fucking subtle, I’ll give you that.”
“Lucas,” I say, “please—”
“Shut up, Vivian,” he snaps. “The big boys are talking.” He fixes Theo with a stare. “You thought you were going to get away with it, didn’t you?”
“Get away with what?” Theo asks, his voice steady.
“You know what,” Lucas replies. “Lyingto me. Do you really expect me not to find out eventually?” He shakes his head slowly. “No way. I heard it from Dad. And according to him, you were seriously smitten. Fuckingpathetic,” he spits, and I notice his hand creeping steadily toward his pistol.
Fear taking hold of me, I risk making a grab for my phone, but in one smooth movement, Lucas has whipped out his gun and aimed it at me. “Don’t even think about it,sweetheart,” he says. “It would be a shame to have to put a bullet in your pretty little head, but, well... we all know how it goes. Don’t we, Theo?”
“Don’t you dare,” Theo growls. “I swear to god, Lucas, if you put one finger on her, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Lucas interrupts. “Kill me? In cold blood, right in front of her? Has Vivian seen what you’re capable of, Brother? Should I tell her about that guy in Kent, who couldn’t keep his mouth shut? Or the other one in Oxford, who was skimming off the company books? Should I tell her what you did to them?” He sneers. “You’re no saint, Theo. None of us are.”
I suck in a breath, ready to intervene, but Lucas gestures at me with his gun. “Sit down, Vivian, and keep your mouth shut. You were never very good at that, but maybe this time you’ll get with the program. This is between me and Theo here. Isn’t that right, Theo?”
Theo’s jaw clenches as he stares him down, no doubt wondering whether to make a move for his own gun. Slowly, I sink back into my chair, my heart racing.
“You’re making a big mistake, Lucas,” Theo says, his voice hard as steel.
“Think so, huh?” Lucas replies. “As big a mistake as fucking my wife?”
“Dad knows.” Theo’s fingers twitch as his hand moves an inch closer to his belt. “He knows he can’t make me go through with this. So whatever bullshit you’ve been filling his head with—”
“Oh, Dad knows all right,” Lucas interrupts, and the look of triumph on his face makes my stomach drop. “And is it bullshit?” He smirks. “I’m not so sure. I prefer to think of it as... additional context.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Theo demands. His hand is almost on his holster.
“You don’t know as much as you think you do,” Lucas tells him cryptically. “Hell,” he continues, sounding almost thoughtful, “sometimes I wonder whether you’ve got your head screwed on straight. You’ve been away for a long time, Theo. What sorts of ideas did you get while you were gone?”
“Lucas,” I dare to interject, trying to meet his eyes, “can we talk about this? Please? Look, I...” I swallow hard. “I know you’re mad, and you have every right to be, but don’t blame Theo for this. Blame me. I was the one who—”
“Oh for the love of god, shutup!” Lucas roars, his black eyes fiery with an anger that verges on insanity. Before I can react, he’s closing the space to me and grabbing me by the arm, wrenching it behind my back. The pain is sharp and immediate, and tears spring to my eyes as I cry out.
“Vivian!” Theo shouts, starting forward, but then Lucas has his gun trained on his chest, and it’s all I can do to watch in horror and pain as he bores his finger into the trigger. “Get back, Theo,” he says, his voice low and tense. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, you goddamned interloper. First you sleep with my wife, and then you think you can come into my home? Runmybusiness?”
“You’re not the one in charge,” Theo spits, seething. “You never were.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lucas hisses, and I realize in that moment that my husband isn’t just cold-blooded, or ruthless. He’s a full-blown psychopath.
“Lucas, stop!” I shout, and despite the pain shooting through my shoulder, the anger I’m feeling—at Lucas, at my father, at Victor—comes through loud and clear. “I’m not your perfect little wife, and I never will be!”
And something about that must push him over the edge, because he yells with rage and disgust and flings me away from him with his full strength. There’s a loud snapping sound in my upper arm, and pain shoots through my body as I slam against the wall, knocking the air from my lungs. Is it dislocated? Broken? I don’t know, but it hurts like hell, and for a moment, I can practically see stars.
“No!” Theo yells and charges forward, grabbing his sidearm, but Lucas has beat him to it, and even with his eyes still on me, those few seconds are all he needs.
Time seems to slow down as I stare, paralyzed, my eyes wide and brimming with tears of pain and terror—not for me, but for Theo. I watch as Lucas steadies himself with a couple of plodding steps, turns around, and aims his gun at Theo’s chest. The world is moving in slow-motion, like it does in all those bad action movies, and my heartbeat is all I can hear in my ears as his finger drops to the trigger.
I don’t even realize I’m moving until I’m already in motion, the pain in my arm only a distant throb in the background as I lunge across the space with everything I have, throwing myself between my sociopathic husband and the man I’ve fallen in love with, against all odds. On some level, I’m aware of the shot going off with a loud pop, and then pain, even worse than in my arm, floods through my chest.
I crash to the floor, warm blood soaking through my shirt before I even hit the ground. The room spins, and I close my eyes, trying to focus—to call out to Theo, make sure he’s okay. But the world is getting hazy, and the pain in my chest is so intense that it seems to drown out all my fear and panic. The last thing I’m aware of is the sound of Theo’s screams in my ears. After that, everything goes black.
