Lucas knew that even though Daniel’s weapon was out of sight, he had one weapon hidden that he could pull out before he could take a step to disarm him. Knowing that he was still healing there was nothing he could do but hope that Tucker got there quickly.
“Am I allowed to go downstairs?”
“Yeah,” Daniel said and stepped aside for him to get out the door.
Daniel followed right behind him to the kitchen and watched his every move, not giving him the chance he was hoping to get a weapon.
“What do you mean you saw people for who they are? And that you now know the truth about yourself, what truth is that?” Lucas asked while he made the two bottles he needed. He was wondering why Daniel was pretending to be so nice considering he was there to kill him.
Daniel smirked. “For someone who’s about to die, you have a lot of questions.”
“If you knew me well enough, you shouldknow I would be curious.”
“Let me ask you something,” Daniel said staring at him. “Did you enjoy being pregnant? What about when you experienced their first kick? What about when you found out you were having twins? How did you feel?”
What the hell does any of that have to do with my question?“I had different emotions for all those questions you just asked. It’s hard to describe what I felt when I found out I was pregnant, it’s hard to put in words the first time I felt them kick, and it’s hard to say what my emotion was when I found out I was having twins.”I need to find a way to defend myself.Lucas kept thinking to himself.
“Try,” Daniel said.
“Confused, elated, scared out of my damn mind. How’s that for an answer? Now, I answered your questions will you answer mine?”
Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “You were always a man who never beat around the bush, you always go straight to the point. And all in good time, Lucas, I promise I won’t let you die not knowing why. Go spend your last few minutes with your boys.”
Lucas glared at Daniel trying to understand what the hell happened to his friend from who the stranger was standing in front of him. Realizing that he wasn’t going to get an answer to his questions, he grabbed the boys' bottles, went back to their rooms and did what Daniel suggested which was spend his last moments with his sons.
Thirty minutes later, both boys were changed, fed, and burped. He stood at the window holding Wyatt, rocking him to sleep and his heart felt heavy.
“Don’t worry, I promise, Tucker will find them, and he will find you.”
Maybe I’m really going to die if I’m seeing and hearing dead people?
“I hope you’re right,” he whispered.
“I am,”Rochelle told him.
“It’s time to go, Lucas,” Daniel said behind him.
He turned, and his vision became cloudy, his lips started to tremble, and he turned his head kissing Wyatt to hide his fear. “I can’t just leave them.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Why . . . Daniel, why are you doing this? I don’t understand.”
Daniel walked over to him and took Wyatt from his arms before he could say anything as two men he’d never seen before walked into the room. One grabbed him and he tried to fight him, but a pillowcase was jammed over his head then a punch to his stomach caused him to double over screaming in pain. One of the men dragged him and his head bounced off the stairs making his world go black.
* * *
Tucker staredat the file in front of him. It was from the day Alfonso Gianni was shot. They needed him to sign off on the case since it was supposed to be closed. But Tucker felt that something was off, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He snapped his head up when the silver-framed photo of him, Lucas, and their kids fell off his desk onto the floor. Creasing his brows together, he looked at the window that was closed wondering how that could have happened. Shaking his head, he got up and walked around his desk picking up the frame checking to make sure it was intact. Setting it back down on his desk, he was about to step back around to his desk when the frame fell off his desk again.
“All right, who the fuck is trying to prank me?” he asked looking around his empty office.
His guys loved playing games on each other, and they are not above playing one on him, boss or not. He picked up the frame and walked over to his door, snatching it open glaring down into the bullpen noting everyone was busy working. He looked down at the frame in his hand and stepped back into his office closing the door.
“Maybe I’m still tired.” He was still trying to adjust to being at work after being home with his family. Sitting back down at his desk, he set the frame face up and looked back down at the file he was reviewing. His eyes widened when he heard a yell in his ear.
“Tucker, you need to go home, now!”
He looked around his office again and prayed it was a fucking prank and he wasn’t going out of his mind. He started when the phone on his desk rang. Reaching out, he snapped it up answering, ignoring the thumping in his chest.
