AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No rain, just me trying to wake you up.”
She blinked at me, her eye mask up over her head where I’d pushed it earlier when I tried to pry her eyelids open.
Her eyes honed in on my clothes. “Why are you dressed?”
She was a freak and normally woke up fully alert. It usually took me a while to get my bearings in the morning. Not Thea. She was ready for a marathon five minutes after she woke.
I bit my lip, knowing she wouldn’t let me leave without a fight. “I have to go.”
She sat up, nearly headbutting me. “The hell you do.”
“It’s important.”
With a dramatic flair, she flipped the covers to the side and got up. “What’s so important that you have to leave in the middle of the night?”
“Lucius.”
Thea’s stance relaxed, resignation replacing her anger. She was probably the only person who understood. “What happened?”
“Santino found me. And Lucius is about to do something stupid. I have to stop him.”
She put her hands on her hips. “And why does it have to be you?”
“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. But the promise of seeing Lucius again was enough for me to come along.
“There’s no way to talk you out of this, is there?”
I cringed, hating that I was leaving again already. “Absolutely none. I’m sorry, Thea.”
“Fine. But keep your phone on you and call me. Or at least text. I need to know you’re safe.”
The list of people demanding I contact them regularly seemed to grow. I wasn’t used to checking in with anyone. My parents had been mostly absent my whole life, leaving Archer in my care since I’d been twelve. They dedicated their lives to work and social events, their kids an afterthought.
“Promise. And we’ll go on that wine tour when I get back.”
She pulled me into her arms and hugged me to her so tight, I squeaked. At least I didn’t feel like a burglar stealing out into the night when she turned on all the lights and opened the gate for me. I shot her a tentative smile. “I’ll see you when I get back. And can you call a doctor? Your security guy is knocked out in the backyard.”
Thea’s mouth gaped open as she watched me walk down the driveway.
I made it to the gate without her tackling me to the ground and demanding more answers. Santino was waiting next to his car, silently getting in as soon as I was within sight.
He didn’t explain things further, and we made our way to the airport and left for Chicago an hour later. He must have been pretty sure I’d come with him to have booked a flight.
I texted Gunner because this called for reinforcements. I knew he’d help, just like I knew Lucius might never forgive me for this. But I’d rather have him alive and not speaking to me than dead.
Once in Chicago, Santino took me to a motel that resembled the after picture of a hurricane. Parts of the roof were missing, and the paint had mostly peeled off. There was debris and unidentifiable brown sludge in a pool off to the side.
Ignoring the cockroaches and trash littering the hallways, I followed Santino to a room in the darkest corner of the place. He knocked with three quick raps and then opened the door.
My breath faltered, and then I glimpsed movement past Santino’s bulky form.
“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours,” Lucius ground out.
Unperturbed, Santino shrugged. “I brought you a present.”
He stepped to the side, and I was finally looking at Lucius. But he didn’t resemble my Lucius. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days—not that this was unusual, but he had a haggard appearance he’d never had before—and he hadn’t shaved in days. His eyes were dull, his clothes wrinkled. Gone were the suits, replaced by shorts and a T-shirt.
I think he must have forgotten what the weather was like in Chicago. Or maybe he didn’t care.
