LUCAS
“You know, I did tell you—”
“I don’t want to fucking hear it, Nic. Yes, you told me, but how could I have known he has a goddamn contract.”
Nic leans back in his chair with a deep sigh while I continue pacing in front of his desk. I haven’t sat still since I left that place a few hours ago, and I don’t think I will until I have her with me again.
“Lucas.” Celia’s concerned voice meets my ear. “Why don’t you sit and let me get you a drink?”
A part of me knows she’s only trying to help, but the bigger part of me is irritated that she can’t actually help, so I snap at her. “I don’t need a drink. I need to get her out of there.”
“We’re almost ready to go. My men are loading up as we speak,” Nic tells me for the third time in the past thirty minutes.
What the fuck is taking so long?
Just as I’m about to demand to leave and not waste any more time, a voice booms through the intercom. “Sir, we are ready to go.”
“Finally!” I throw up my arms. My legs are already carrying me out. I don’t even wait for Nic to get up. “Let’s go, or I’m leaving you behind.”
“So you can get in more trouble,” my brother fires back. He is a few years older than me but still in better shape than most men half his age, so it’s not surprising that he has no problem keeping up with my fast pace down the stairs.
“Be careful!” Celia yells before the door closes behind us, and we’re speed walking outside to where four SUVs are waiting for us.
Nic and I slide into the back seat of the second SUV, which is the only one that doesn’t have at least five people inside already. All my brother’s men are dressed in black from head to toe and armed to the teeth.
Brookshire’s goons won’t stand a chance. Nathaniel is stupid enough to hire the biggest and most scary-looking guys he can find to guard his place. Ten of his men would not stand a chance against five of these guys. My brother makes a point of hiring the best of the best. He has three Navy SEALs on his team, two Special Ops Marines, along with CIA-trained snipers and a few former FBI agents.
It turns out that when you offer people double what they are making, without the political bullshit attached to their job, they are very eager to switch to the other side of the law.
“Do me a favor.”
Nic’s voice shakes me out of my dark, troubled thoughts. I can’t help but imagine smashing Nathaniel’s face into his desk, balling up that contract, and shoving it down his throat. The thought of watching his eyes go glassy the longer he chokes is almost as satisfying as the most erotic fantasy I’ve ever had.
I look at Nic. “What’s that?”
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks in there.”
“What? You’re going to parent me all of a sudden? Where is this coming from?”
“We both know I understand how you’re feeling right now.”
“You don’t have the first fucking idea.”
“In general, yes, I do. Let’s not pretend this is anything it isn’t. Kid yourself all you want, but don’t kid me. This is personal for you.”
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? I told him I wanted her, and he refused me. Didn’t give me the chance to negotiate.”
“Right.” He shakes his head, snickering softly while tucking a Glock into his ankle holster. “That’s all it’s about.”
“She’s mine to punish, Nic. Only mine.”
“I understand that.” He adjusts his earpiece, and I do the same with mine. “So long as it stays there, and you don’t let your personal feelings about her get in the way.”
He’s not going to let it go until I admit I care about her. It’s not going to happen. “What’s your point?”
“The point is, I understand the temptation to say fuck it and be reckless. But we both know we can’t forget who we’re dealing with here. I want to cut that piece of shit’s dick off and dangle it in front of his face, but we can’t always do what we want in these situations.”
Suddenly, he wants to talk about diplomacy. “I know what I’m doing.”