Chapter 539
Chapter 539:
“Semantics.” Lucian stood up. He walked over to the small bar cart in the corner. “You look tense. Relax. We’re partners now, aren’t we p>
He picked up a silver pot and poured two cups of coffee. The aroma filled the room—rich Colombian roast, dark chocolate, and something else. Something chemical.
Skye watched him carefully. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs, but she kept her face impassive. While Lucian’s back was turned, focused on the precise pouring of the liquid, Skye’s hand hovered over the tablet he had left on the edge of the desk. The screen was dark, but a notification light blinked, a soft, insistent blue.
She tapped the screen. It woke up. The passcode was still 1013.
She didn’t open the browser. She opened the secure messaging app running in the background. A new message had just arrived, encrypted but visible in the preview pane.
Sender: Unknown.
Message: Target acquired. Tracking signal live. Approaching Pier 3, Warehouse 7. ETA midnight.
Skye’s breath hitched. It wasn’t a message to Lucian; it was an intercepted frequency he was monitoring. Someone was coming. Someone knew where the drop was.
Pier 3. Warehouse 7. Midnight.
She glanced at the map pinned to the wall. That was only three miles away. It had to be Liam. Or Alistair. They were closing the net.
She quickly swiped the notification away and locked the screen just as Lucian turned around.
Lucian picked up a small, silver vial from his pocket. He held it up to the light. The liquid inside was clear, viscous.
“Do you know what this is?” he asked conversationally.
Skye shook her head, her heart hammering.
“It’s called Blue Velvet,” Lucian said. He unscrewed the cap. “It’s a refined version of the neurotoxin Beatrice used on you years ago. My chemists cooked it up. It’s… persuasive. It strips away anxiety. Fear. Resistance. It makes the world soft p>
He tilted the vial over one of the coffee cups.
Drip. Drip.
Rеad 𝗐𝗂𝘵h𝗼𝘂𝘵 c𝗎𝘵𝘴 оn 𝘣еl𝗻𝗈𝘷еl𝘀.𝖼о𝗆
Two drops fell into the dark liquid, disappearing instantly.
“It doesn’t kill you,” Lucian said, swirling the cup. “But it makes you mine. Completely p>
He walked over to her, holding the cup out.
“Drink p>
Skye stared at the cup. “No p>
Lucian smiled. It was a sad, terrifying smile. “I wasn’t asking, Skye p>
He set the cup down on the shelf and took a step closer, invading her personal space. His eyes bored into hers, searching for the lie she was hiding.
“You checked the tablet,” Lucian said. It wasn’t a question. “While I was pouring. You saw the interception p>
Skye went cold. He had seen her reflection in the glass of the bar cart.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she lied, backing up until her spine hit the bookshelf.
“Pier 3,” Lucian whispered, trapping her with his arms on either side of her head. “You think they’re coming to save you? Liam? Or Alistair? They’re walking into a kill box, Skye. I set that frequency as bait p>
“No,” Skye breathed.
“Yes,” Lucian hissed. “And if you don’t drink this, right now, I will detonate the charges I planted at Pier 3 the moment their signal crosses the perimeter p>