[CONTENT TEMPLATE HERE]

Chapter 739:

“Good.” Cole hung up.

He set the phone on the couch, rose, and crossed to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the glittering city below. His right hand throbbed, blood dripping from his fingers onto the carpet. He didn’t care.

For the first time in his life, he had found a way to love her without hurting her. A way to protect her without smothering her.

He would be her shadow. Her guardian angel in the dark. He would weave a net of money and power around her, thick and strong enough that nothing could ever touch her.

And she would never know.

In the control room of The Velvet Room, Lucas hung up the phone. He stared at it for a long moment, slowly shaking his head.

𝖴𝗽𝖽𝖺𝘁еѕ е𝘃𝖾𝗋𝘆 𝗐𝗲𝖾𝗄 𝘰ո ѕ.𝘤o𝘮

“Fucking crazy,” he muttered. He picked up the walkie-talkie. “Send Lexi to my office. Now p>

Joan sat alone in the darkest corner of the bar, staring at the untouched martini in front of her. Her ankle throbbed with a dull, constant pain that reminded her of how close she had come to being caught earlier that day. She had been following Richard Beasley for three weeks, and this was the first chance she had gotten to get close to someone who might talk.

Lexi. Richard’s favorite. The woman who spent every night with him, who heard everything he said when he was drunk and bragging.

Ten minutes ago, Joan had cornered her in the bathroom and pulled out fifty thousand dollars in cash, demanding that she wear a listening device. Lexi had laughed in her face, told her to get lost, and warned that if she ever dared approach her again, she would have security throw her into the Hudson River.

Joan sighed and pulled out her phone. She typed a message to Easton: It’s a no-go. She won’t talk. I’m coming out.

Just as she was about to hit send, a cloud of expensive perfume settled over her.

Joan looked up.

Lexi was standing in front of her, leaning against the bar. The usual arrogant, bored expression was gone, replaced by something that looked almost like fear. She kept glancing over her shoulder, as though she was afraid someone was watching.

Joan’s hand moved immediately to the pepper spray in her purse. She tensed, ready to fight or run.

But Lexi didn’t call for the bouncers. She slid onto the bar stool beside Joan and signaled the bartender. “A glass of ice water p>

The bartender nodded and set one down in front of her.

Lexi took a long sip, then turned to Joan, lowering her voice until only Joan could hear. “I thought about what you said,” she began, staring at her glass. “Richard’s an asshole. Last night, he hurt one of my girls. Broke her arm. Didn’t even apologize—just threw a couple hundred dollars at her and told her to shut up p>