"She wants to go back home to her family," Jax further explains.
I think about her request. I killed her husband, after all. It's not like I could sleep at night knowing that I had one vengeful employee who might try to enact her revenge on me…or what's mine.
"Give her a severance and send her packing then," I tell him simply before turning on my heel and walking way.
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Jackson hisses as he follows close behind me. "She could cause problems later on," he says quietly.
I stop walking and turn to him. "Then give her just enough to live on."
Jackson seems unsure, but he nods in agreement. "Fine. I'll send her back to the mainland tomorrow." He spouts off some Spanish to the woman, and she's escorted outside by Wraith.
The woman goes without so much of a peep, of course. Wraith can be quite intimidating just in stature alone since he tops out at six feet, five inches and has more muscle mass than most professional wrestlers.
"I need to get back to Adeline," I tell Jackson in a rush. Every second away from her feels like fucking torture, and I don't even want to analyze the reasons behind that. I just need to see her. "Where is she?"
"Oh, shit," Jax hisses. "I left her in…your office."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Youwhat?"
CHAPTER 20
ADELINE
THE DOOR TO the office bursts open. I jump, startled and still shaking from everything I've uncovered since Jax left me alone.
I look up to see Luc and Jax standing in the doorway with apprehensive expressions on their faces. The moment my gaze locks with Lucien's, I run to him and straight into his open arms.
I grasp onto him tightly, sobbing. His strong arms wrap around me, and he shushes me, stroking my hair. "I'm here," he whispers against my ear. "I'm here."
I learned a lot while he was gone. I learned that he was protecting me from the truth. He knew the entire time that Giovanni was the one who sold me, but he didn't tell me because he knew I would have been devastated. Even though it would have made Lucien's life a hell of a lot easier, he was protecting my feelings.
Who would have thought that Gio could do something like that to me — his boss's daughter and the woman he was supposed to marry?
But now that I know the truth, it only reaffirms my feelings for Lucien. He's always protecting me and putting me first. Lucien would never hurt me. He could have returned me to my father and Gio and, thus, putting me back in harm's way. But he didn't. He didn't send me away.
He has saved me time and time again and proven his love for me even if he'll never say the words out loud. But none of that matters, because I love him. I love him more than anything in this world.
"I know about the emails…about Giovanni," I confess.
He grimaces at Gio's name coming from my lips. "Adeline…" he starts, but I don't let him finish.
Reaching up, I sink my fingers into Lucien's hair and tug his mouth towards mine. His lips meet mine in a bruising kiss. I know he's probably furious at me for being in his office and looking through his files, but I don't care.
None of that matters in this moment. It's only him and me right now.
And I want him.
Now.
I never wanted him more than I do in this exact moment.
Pulling back for a moment, I meet his dark eyes and whisper, "I need you."
With a deep growl that reverberates through me to my very core, he claims my mouth again, kissing me with a fury and frenzy I've never experienced before. Our tongues battle with one another, trying to gain control, and he ultimately wins, thrusting his into my mouth and devouring me in an all-consuming kiss that makes my knees weak.
"You realize he was only gone for, like, six hours, right?" Jax says from the doorway.
"Fuck off, Jax," Lucien hisses, and I snicker when he slams the door in Jackson's stunned face.
