Chapter 217
“Z p>
My heart jumps straight into my throat.
“You think this is funny?” he says, his voice low, rough, nothing like the calm control from earlier.
“I didn’t p>
His fingers shift slightly against my neck not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me I’m not going anywhere.
“You’ve been pushing me,” he continues, quieter now but heavier somehow. “Since you walked into that office p>
“Maybe you needed to be pushed p>
“Careful,” he murmurs.
And before I can even think His lips are on mine in a hard kiss. There’s nothing gentle about it, nothing soft.
Then my body catches up before my brain does and my hands grip his shirt, pulling him closer instead of maybe pushing him away. Because I should stop this, I know I should but I don’t.
God, I let him.
When he finally pulls back I’m actually dizzy, like I might lose my balance if the wall wasn’t behind me.
He’s still close, close enough that I can feel his breath and close enough that if he leans in again i don’t think I’d stop him.
Hus eyes drop to my lips for a second, thn back to my eyes and something in his expression tightens like he sees it too and he knows.
I suck in a breath, trying to steady myself, trying to get my head back on straight as he steps back puutting space between us.
His voice is back to being controlled now, like he’s locking everything back up, like none of that just happened.
He runs a hand through his hair, looking away for a second before his eyes snap back to mine.
My brows knit.
“Back to our room,” he repeats. “You’re not staying separate anymore p>
He doesn’t wait for me to respond, doesn’t ask if I agree he just turns And walks away, leaving me pressed against the wall with my vreath uneven and lips still tingling, completely thrown off.
I don’t remember falling asleep, i just remember lying there… staring at the ceiling, my lips still tingling, my chest still tight from everything that happened.
The sound of my phone ringing drags me out of sleep. It’s loud, too loud enough that I flinch, my brows pulling together as I reach blindly across the bed.
I finally grab my phone, squinting at the screen through half-open eyes.
That wakes me up a little more as I push myself up, my head pounding faintly as I swipe to answer.
“Finally,” Lucas mutters on the other end. “You sleep like the dead or what p>
“I just woke up,” I mumble. “What time is it p>
“I’m fine,” I say, even though my throat still feels dry. “What’s up p>
“I don’t have much,” he starts. “But I’ve got a little update p>
“About what we talked about?” I ask.
My grip on the phone tightens slightly.
I swing my legs off the bed, my feet touching the cold floor as I stand slowly, pacing without even realizing it.
Mia…Just hearing her name still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
“She still had some of it,” he says.
My stomach twists, even now, even after everything, it still doesn’t feel real.
“She said she didn’t want to throw it away,” Lucas answers. “Didn’t want anyone finding it, didn’t want it traced back to her. So she kept it hidden p>
“Okay I say, trying to stay focused. “So what did you do with it p>
“You what p>
I nod slowly, even though he can’t see me.
There’s a small pause. Then p>
“What do you mean p>
A chill runs down my spine.
“Hard to source,” he explains. “Expensive. And not something you’d use unless you knew exactly what you were doing but it’s very good because it’s slow and nearly untraceable p>
“So… someone planned this,” I say quietly.
I start pacing again.
“I’m trying to track where it came from,” he says. “If I can find the source, I can find who had access to it. And from there maybe the buyer p>
“That’s good,” I say. “That’s really good, Lucas p>
“I know,” I say quickly. “But it’s something. It’s more than we had before p>
“I’ll keep digging,” he says. “I’m not dropping this p>
And I mean it Lucas doesn’t let things go, not when it comes to family.
“Hey,” he says.
“Yeah p>
My stomach drops.
“It’s grandpa,” he says.
“What about him p>
I stop moving completely.
“He collapsed last night,” he continues. “They rushed him in. The doctors are saying it’s not looking good p>
Lucas exhales.
“No,” I say immediately. “No, that doesn’t he was fine. The last time I saw him he was fine p>
I shake my head, even though he can’t see me.
“I know,” Lucas replies. “But this time… it’s different p>