CHAPTER FIVE
LUCAS
Lucas stepped off the elevator and walked toward Victor’s penthouse apartment. He was greeted by Gregor.
“What’s up, big guy?” Lucas greeted, even though he was almost as big as the bodyguard.
“Same song, different key. How are you, Mr. Creed?”
“Lucas. Please call me Lucas.”
Even though Gregor nodded, Lucas knew that he wouldn’t comply. He’d insisted on the informal greeting many times before. Lucas just shook his head and chuckled as he entered his brother’s apartment. He crossed the foyer and walked straight to the bar.
“Victor!” he called out as he poured himself a glass of cognac.
“You need a bullhorn?” Victor grumbled as he entered the room.
“Naw, I got the result that I was looking for. What’s up, bro. Why I have I been summoned?”
Before Victor could respond, his brother’s fiancée entered the room. She walked over to give him a hug.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Hey, Lucas. Thanks for coming.”
“Anything for you,” Lucas responded with a mischievous grin.
He knew all too well just how possessive his big brother could be over his fiancée. And Lucas couldn’t blame him. Taylor was a drop-dead gorgeous, powerhouse of a woman. She was tough, intelligent, funny, and built like a goddess. Lucas respected his big brother and his relationship with Taylor, but no heterosexual male could help himself from admiring her curves for a second or two. And admiring was exactly what he was doing until Victor slapped him upside his head.
“What the fuck?!” Lucas barked. His natural reaction would have been to knock the shit out of his brother, but he restrained himself. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself!” Lucas barked.
“Keep your fuckingeyesto yourself!” Victor retorted.
“I didn’t—”
“I see nothing’s changed around here.”
Lucas was interrupted by an amused female voice from behind. He turned toward the source and lost his footing when he realized that the voice had come from his dead sister-in-law. “What the…how...how can this be?” he stammered.
“Divine intervention,” Rosemary jested.
She walked over and gave Lucas a hug, but he was too shocked to return her affection. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy to see her alive. He was simply stunned by her presence. Lucas stepped back and grabbed her by the shoulders. He stared deep into Rosemary’s blue eyes. Lucas needed to make sure that he wasn’t imagining her presence. Once he was satisfied that she was real, Lucas pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. He was aware that she and Victor had never loved each other the way a married couple should have, but he’d always liked Rosemary.
Lucas stepped back and turned to Victor.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s a long story,” Victor responded in a weary tone. “Let’s talk about it over lunch.”
Lucas nodded and followed his brother into the dining room. There was never a dull moment in the life of a Creed.
