He tries to steady her, but it doesn’t matter. He’s irrelevant. The only thing that matters right now is Zoe, and the way she’s reacting to me.
She mumbles something to him—something I can’t hear—and without missing a beat, she turns and starts weaving her way through the crowd, desperate to get away from me.
But I don’t move. Not yet.
I stay where I am, watching her every step, my eyes never leaving her. She thinks she can disappear. She thinks she can run from me, but I know better. And I know she won’t get far. Not after I’ve made my final decision. No more being a good guy. I will chase after what’s mine and keep her.
Chapter Seventeen - Zoe
I stand beside Jason, my laugh forced and hollow, as he talks animatedly about the latest art deal he’s just won. He’s clearly trying to impress me—and everyone else around us—with his business acumen, with how much money he’s made and how important he’s become.
“I closed the deal last week. It’s worth millions,” he says, grinning as he gestures toward the group of people who are now listening intently, hanging on every word he says. “It’s going to change everything for us. Huge move in the art world. You won’t believe the offers I’m getting.”
I laugh when it seems appropriate, nodding in all the right places, but it doesn’t matter to me. Not really. I’m not paying attention to the details of his success, not truly listening.
I’m just here for the distraction.
This gala, this event—it’s a break from the suffocating silence I’ve been stuck in. It’s a chance to pretend I’m not caught up in my own mess, to forget about the chaos in my life, if only for a few hours.
I’m grateful to Jason for this—grateful that he’s giving me the space to breathe, even if I’m not as interested as he probably thinks I am. His hand rests on the small of my back, his fingers warm through the fabric of my dress.
I’m uncomfortable with the touch. I don’t like it. It feels too possessive, too familiar, but I don’t shake it off. Not here. Not in front of all these people.
They’re watching us. Watching him.
I can’t make a scene. It would raise too many questions. I don’t want the attention, don’t want the pity, don’t want anyone to know what’s really going on inside me. So, I let him keep hishand there, the weight of it a reminder that I’m here with him, pretending everything’s normal.
But it’s not.
None of it is.
I try not to think about Lukin, but my mind keeps returning to him. To that dark, dangerous man in my head that keeps bothering me. Ugh. I hate him. I do! Gosh. I wish I never went to the club that night.
“Are you okay, Zoe?”
“Yeah.”
“What?’ He leans close, and I raise my head to whisper in his ear because the noise in the gala is a little high.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks, Jason.”
As Jason nods and rubs my back gently, I feel it. That dark, disturbing pressure on my neck. It’s the familiar tingle I always feel whenever someone’s looking at me. Whenever he’s watching me. I pull away from Jason, lift my head and look across the room. The moment my gaze lifts, I see him.
Lukin.
Standing tall, his figure cutting through the crowd like a shadow, his tailored suit a perfect fit, every detail screaming danger and control. He doesn’t have to do anything—he doesn’t have to say a word—and yet, he commands the room. He stands there, unmoving, a presence that demands attention.
He’s looking right at me.
But that’s not what makes my heart beat faster than a drum.
It’s the grin.
His gaze drops to Jason’s arm on my back and then slides back to me, slow and dangerous. Then he grins.
It’s a lazy, dark thing that stretches across his face, predatory. It’s the kind of grin a hunter gives its prey before catching it.
My breath catches, and I swear my heart stops for a moment. Every part of me freezes, but I can’t tear my eyes away from him.
