“Oh, hey… I didn’t expect you to come by.” Steven steps to the side, and Lucca’s face comes into view. My blood runs cold, and it’s not only because Lucca is here.
The way Steven opened the door and allowed him to walk inside… like he has been here before. There is a familiarity between them, as if they talk regularly. I can tell just by their body language, something I’ve become very good at reading over the years.
I don’t know why I didn’t piece it together before.
“Evening,” Lucca greets, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket that’s molded to his body like a second skin. His presence makes the room feel small.
A gasp builds in my throat, but I swallow it down. All I can do is stare. Absorbing every inch of the man before my eyes. It’s like I’m looking at a different person. I never remember him being like this. He’s huge, taller, and his body is filled out. Broad shoulders and a tapered waist give him the lean but athletic look. His amber eyes are very much the same, reminding me of a time when things were different. The contours of his face are angular, with sharp edges that could cut you with a single turn of his head.
His full lips press into a hard line, intensifying his darkness. There is an edge to him that terrifies me.
“How… how do you know him?” My voice wobbles, and my eyes dart between my parents. This is worse than I thought. The apologetic look that overtakes both their faces confirms my suspicion.
Tracy exhales. “We were going to tell you. I…”
My mind shuts down, and all I can feel is the heavy thump of my heart in my chest. Betrayal slices through me and the sharp dagger of it seems to get lodged in my chest.
“I should’ve known.” Disappointment bleeds through me like ink on a piece of paper, and I whirl around, rushing up the staircase to my bedroom.
I make it up three steps before Lucca is trailing me up the stairs. It’s stupid, but as soon as I reach my bedroom door, I slip inside and whirl around to slam it shut. That would work if I weren’t going against such a brute of a man. Placing his foot between the door and the jamb, he makes it impossible for me to lock him out.
“A flimsy wooden door will not stop me, butterfly,” he grunts as I push against the wood, willing the door to close.
My hands ache where I grip the wooden frame. I don’t know why I’m trying to stop him from getting in here. Just like that, I let go of the door and stumble backward. He advances, tugging the door all the way open before marching inside like a soldier heading to battle.
For every step he takes, I take two back, and I don’t stop until my legs hit the edge of the bed. It’s impossible not to cower when facing a man as lethal as him. A man that kills with his bare hands.
My body trembles, and I suck my bottom lip into my mouth to stop myself from crying out. I’ve seen this man kill. I know the power he had years ago, and now he’s bigger, stronger, and ten times more intimidating.
Like a wolf stalking its prey, he moves closer to me, and I startle, crab walking backward on the bed. He must read my features because a second later, he stops, his features soften, and the dark glint in his eyes disappears. For a moment, he was that man that I didn’t know, the man that he is around everyone else.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice is soft, giving off the alluring charm that everything is going to be okay, but it isn’t. I know better. If he is here, it isn’t going to be okay.
He looks away, running a hand through his dark blonde hair. It’s a little longer than it was the last time I saw him.
When he speaks again, our gazes collide. “I’m not going to hurt you. I would never… I wish I were here under different circumstances, but…” He pauses as if he’s trying to keep his frustration in check.
“But what?” I croak.
“I need you to leave for a while.” His voice is so low, I have to read his lips, but there is no mistake in what he just said.
My eyes widen, and my mouth pops open. “What do you mean you need me to leave for a while? I don’t understand.”
Lucca steps closer, his eyebrows drawn together, and he looks like he wants to apologize but presses his lips together to stop himself. That’s fine. I don’t want his apology. I want nothing from him.
“It’s temporary. I’m sending you and your parents on a mini-vacation until it’s safe to come back.”
“Safe to come back?” My lip curls with anger.
“Yes. I’m doing this to protect you. It’s the only—”
“I don’t care what you want,” I yell, cutting him off mid-sentence. “I’m not leaving. I can’t. Steven has to work, and I have school. We can’t just get up and leave whenever we want.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. It’s all taken care of. Money is not an issue. It hasn’t been for a long time.”
His words trickle into my brain, and slowly I’m seeing everything around me with new eyes. It all makes sense now. How I could have anything and everything I wanted. How Tracy and Steven adopted me. It wasn’t because of fate or because my parents were working overtime to make ends meet. No. It was because of him. Lucca.
Another wave of betrayal hits me. This one bigger than the last. I thought they loved me. I thought they actually cared about me.
Was it all just a show? Did they only care because Lucca paid them to?
Disappointment, dread, and anger hit me all at once. I let the anger rise because the other two are simply too hard to deal with right now.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I scream, taking all my frustration out at him.
In a second, he is on me, his huge frame caging me in, and I flinch, afraid of what might happen next. He said he wouldn’t hurt me, but I don’t trust him. I don’t trust anyone, and especially not someone who does the things he does.
Pinching my chin between two fingers, he stares down at me with disappointment and a low simmering rage in his eyes.
“You will pack a bag, and you will get on that plane with your parents because if you don’t, I’ll have to do something you don’t want me to do.”
My bottom lip trembles. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
His amber eyes become luminescent. “I won’t, but there are other ways of getting to you that don’t directly inflict pain on your body.”
I want to hit him; I’ve never wanted to hit someone as bad as I want to right now. I want to hurt him like he hurts me. Maybe even more so.
Turning my head, I break his hold on my chin and lean back, so I can see his face.
“You might be able to get me to do what you want now, but it won’t be like this forever. Someday, I’ll fight back. Someday, I’ll escape you,” I grit each word through my teeth, letting him know I will break free of this prison he has me trapped in.
He smiles, and a row of perfectly straight white teeth appear from behind his lips, and I swear it’s the most lethal smile ever, like a serial killer smiling before he murders you and your entire family.
“You can try to run, Claire, but I’ll always find you. You’re mine, and I protect what’s mine.” The possessiveness in his voice is frightening.
I am his?
What does that mean? I don’t get the chance to ask him because he flees from the bedroom and disappears out into the hall, leaving me more confused than ever.