“We can't leave the estate open to attack—”
“We don't need an estate without a Don in it.” There's no hesitation in my voice as I stop to meet Tobias’ eyes. He blinks once and I ignore the pride in mother’s energy as I continue, “If August has the balls to try to put down the Taiga’s head, then we need to shut him down. Now.”
My feet are moving again down the stairs and before I know it a crowd of men are already falling in line behind me. “Find Dahlia and Rosabella. Every member of the family should hide in the escape route. Tobias will stay. Pick out a handful of trusted men to lead them there—”
The moment I step out the front door, I stop dead.
“Lucia?” A scowl comes to my face almost by instinct when I meet her eyes, “What are you—?”
“I received a text saying you need men,” She cuts me off with a look that says she won't be turned away this time, and when I look behind her I see them.
Ten men. Armed. Trained.
“This was all I could do.” She walks up to me until she’s barely a full step away; her glare is so scathing, if I put a knife in her hands I think she might actually cut me.
“If, after all this, Christian doesn’t come back, it won’t just be August after your head.” Her words are poisonous—coated with promise—and there’s a darkness in her eyes I never noticed before. A darkness I didn’t think she had.
But it’s the mention of Christian that makes my pulse quicken.
That makes me realize why she’s here.
A sound draws my attention away, and when I turn my head, a familiar figure is stepping into the light and onto the gravel of the driveway—a tall, tank of a man with white streaks in long brown hair, a permanent scowl and five men behind him.
“Olsen?” I blink because I admit, I need sleep. I wouldn’t put it past me to be seeing shit.
Olsen’s scowl only deepens and he clicks his teeth, as though he hates the very notion of being here. “My guys and I will help you keep intruders off the compound.” He walks until he’s stopped next to me, watching me with a sharp glare, “Some prick didn’t end me when he should have. After this, I don’t owe nobodynothing.”
I bark a laugh. Now it finally feels like someone with a decent hand is holding the cards on my life.
I’m able to organize the men into two teams; one will head out with me to go after August, and the other will stay with Tobias, Dahlia and Rosabella to hold the fort and keep out unwanteds.
But the whole time, my heart is pumping endorphins through my blood.
The whole time, I’m thinking abouthim.
We’re seconds away from heading out when something catches my eye, a flash of movement… When I look up, a small black cat is watching me, sitting at the top of the inner wall.
It’s itching for a fight, and its eyes are locked on me, ready to follow behind the moment I leave to go after August’s head.
After this is over...
Baby, please get down from there.
If you won’t, then I’ll just climb up and drag you down.
And if you don’t have a name… then we’ll work on one together.
“Let’s show August we aren’t that easy to put down,” I promise.
Chapter 30
‘Christian’
August’s rendezvous with the Don is at least an hour and a half away from the city, but Reuben cuts it down to an hour by speed alone. It’s a large construction site for a mall in a small town, one that’s bound to generate new business for the residents, but although the structure is near completion, the deforestation around the area still has a way to go.
It is there that Reuben hesitates, on the border between the trees of the compound and the main road—as if he can sense them, hiding in the trees, like I do.
It’s a trap.
