Lucas nods. “Only one.”
He looks so hopeful, I almost feel guilty that his excitement won’t last long. But I need to keep him calm until Brax shows up. “Fine. One night and then I never want to see you again.”
“Thank you,” he breathes.
“The spare bed is made up. I don’t want to see you until the morning.”
He stands, wiping his palms against his pants. “Got it. I’ll get out of your hair.”
“And I want you gone before I get up,” I tell him, trying to play along and make this as believable as possible.
He nods. “I’ll be gone at sunrise.”
“Good.”
“It was nice to see you, though, Iris.”
“I can’t say the same, Lucas.”
It feels empowering talking to him in this way. There’s no softness to me. No hurt left. No tears of sadness for the ways he hurt me. He no longer means anything to me, and he can finally see that.
He gives me a sad, one-sided smile before heleaves me standing in the living room and heads into the spare bedroom, closing the door.
I immediately text Brax.
Me: Lucas is here.
Brax: WHAT?
Me: He was in my apartment waiting for me. He wanted a place to stay. I told him he could use the spare bedroom because I was too scared to kick him out, and I knew you were on the way. He’s in there now, and I’m by the door with my boots on, waiting for you.
Brax: I’m parking now. Don’t go near him.
He didn’t need to add the last part. I’m not about to go into the bedroom and continue having a conversation with Lucas.
The few minutes it takes Brax to park and come upstairs feel like hours. My heart leaps as I hear the ding from the elevator a few doors away.
I press my ear to the wood, listening for his footsteps, and as soon as he’s close, I open it. “Hey,” I whisper.
His face is nothing short of rageful, but I know it’s not aimed at me. “Is he in there?”
I nod. “Back bedroom.”
“Go down the hall or to the lobby. I’ll deal with him,” he demands in a tone I’ve never heard from him before.
I’m not about to argue. I want to be as far awayfrom Lucas as possible because I know this will turn physical, given that Lucas is fighting for his life.
“Be careful,” I tell Brax.
He wraps his hand around the back of my neck, hauling me forward for a kiss. His eyes search mine for a brief second before his lips crash down on mine. “Go,” he murmurs against my mouth as soon as he breaks the too-short kiss.
I hate to walk away and leave Brax alone with Lucas. I have full faith that Brax can handle him, but what if Lucas has a weapon? It never even crossed my mind because the man I was engaged to never would’ve carried a gun. But this version of him may very well be willing to do the unthinkable to keep himself alive.
I don’t bother with the elevator, opting for the stairwell again. I haul ass down the steps to the lobby, coming to a stop when I rip the door open.
“Hey there, Ms. Iris,” the doorman says as his eyes study me longer than normal. “Something wrong?”
“No, Mr. Williams. I forgot to get my mail earlier,” I lie, and it slides off my tongue like warm butter.
