“He really went after my parents?”
“Yeah, we figured it was a possibility, but something changed with him this evening. Do you have any ideas?”
“The party was to celebrate a new company he purchased. They just got a huge contract for something.”
“What kind of company?” Hammer sits up in the back seat. “Do you remember what it did?”
That’s when the puzzle pieces begin sliding into place. “Hammer, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yep.”
“What?” she asks, but we turn down Main Street, and I watch as Evie combs the darkness, with only the streetlights from the core part of our small town. My chest constricts with worry until she turns to look at me and gives me a gentle smile. The tightness eases, and when we pause at the club’s gate, I turn in and wave to the prospect guarding the entrance.
Pulling forward to the front of the clubhouse, I look over to Evie and say, “Stay there.”
She nods, and Hammer slips out the back with her cat kennel.
Evelise
* * *
On the drive here, not only did I realize I want this thing with Lucian to work, but also just how serious Justin is. I’m scared and worried about what this could mean. Even if I had succeeded in killing myself tonight, my family would have been injured, or worse, killed, according to Ridley. That’s terrifying.
As Lucian comes around from his side of the truck to mine, opening my door, I push the thoughts away and unbuckle my belt before he wraps his hands around my waist and lifts me out of the truck.
Taking off his vest, he cloaks me in it, and I slip my arms into the holes. “Wear that whenever you are walking around here. Got it?”
“Yes, but why?” I look around, having a hard time seeing things in this darkness. The streetlights aren’t bright enough this far from the main street. I really want to get a look at the building where Lucian spends so much time.
“Because this shows you are mine.” I glance down at the vest, then back up to him.
“I don’t understand.”
“Come on, we’ll discuss it in my room.”
Lucian clasps my hand, and we walk up some stairs. Men stand around watching us. Some of them I recognize, others I don’t.
We walk through humongous ornate doors into what must have been a guest vestibule at one point. I remember Ruby mentioning that this place was an old family camp back in its glory days. That her father bought it at auction after it was shut down. There are decorative pillars, but the wallpaper has all been switched to dark woods, and before I know it, we’re walking down a hallway past a large staircase, then Lucian turns us through another room that looks like a small-scale clinic.
“My office is right through those doors.” He points to two closed, heavy wooden doors towards the back of the building. “If I’m not in our room with you, I’ll be there. If I have to leave, I’ll let you know, but I won’t go anywhere without you for a bit.”
“Okay.”
A man not quite as large as Lucian approaches us. He looks as if he could be related to him, with the same dirty blond hair, though longer and drawn into a short ponytail at the back of his head. He has brown eyes, with a trim, maybe week-old scruff on his face, and is slender yet muscular.
“This is Lach. He’s my cousin. Ruby might’ve mentioned him.” I do remember her saying she had a cousin from Norway who moved here. He’s a doctor. “Lach, this is my Evie.”
He reaches out a large hand with long fingers, and I hold out mine. “I see you have some injuries that need looking at. Come this way.”
I follow, and he points to a table, then walks over to close the door. Peering around the room, I imagine this was the formal library, given all the shelves. They are not only stacked with books but also with medical equipment.
I go to climb up onto the exam table, but Lucian lifts me up. When he told me to let him do everything, he obviously meant it. I sit there twiddling my fingers until Lucian takes my hand.
“It’s okay, baby. He’s just going to check you over, especially that ear.”
I tell him, “Sound has been muffled as if I’m listening through a tunnel or with cotton in my ear.”
Lach comes back over with his exam coat now covering his vest. I think they are called cuts, at least that’s what I’ve read in my romance books. He has me turn my head and uses one of those scopes to look in my ear. He moves on to examine my face, lip, and then my back before saying anything more.
