I could hear Diem inside my head, lecturing me about footwear and cardio.
The whole thing would have been funny if I hadn’t taken the skin off my palms and torn a hole in my five-hundred-dollar trousers, but I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I would wallow in self-pity with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s and reruns ofThe Bachelorlater while recounting this tale to Memphis because my best friend would understand and commiserate.
I peeled myself off the ground and continued running—carefully—in the direction Lukyan had fled.
The guy was as inappropriately dressed as me but clearly spent time honing his athletic skills. By the time I vaulted the stone barrier and hit the dock, he was gone. I aimed in the direction he’d taken, hoping I could catch up.
A short distance away, beyond the marina boundary, a network of buildings lined the boardwalk. Marine shops of every variety, all closed for the season. More gravel parking lots. All empty.
I checked between each building as I passed, figuring Lukyan would have ducked out of sight as soon as he was able, aiming for the main road. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I caught up, not that it seemed likely.
My poorly formed plan was no clearer now than it had been in the car. I was starting to understand what Diem meant when he constantly said I raced into things hotheaded and without thinking. He would use this against me. It would be one more grievance to keep me pinned behind a desk.
God, I wish I was behind a desk right now.
It turned out that an elaborate plan wouldn’t have mattered. Nothing could have prepared me for the fist that connected with my face when I rounded a corner to check the next alley between buildings.
Lukyan hadn’t run far. He hadn’t fled. The bastard hid out of sight until I showed my face, then acted.
I’d never been punched in my life. For a kid who grew up in a conservative house with a homophobic father and a string of bullying cousins, who dodged harassment like it was his full-time job all through high school, who worked in the police department where toxic masculinity still reigned despite the changing times, it was a wonder that I’d never once experienced a full-throttle punch to the face.
Being shot in the chest hurt, but this was a whole different level of pain I wasn’t prepared for.
Lukyan’s fist stopped me dead in my tracks. I rebounded like I’d gone nose-first into a brick wall. A nauseating crunch. An explosion of white light. The world shattered. I staggered a few times before my legs buckled and I collapsed to the ground, a coppery wetness coating my lips. My vision dimmed, then darkened.
I wasn’t cold anymore.
I wasn’t anything.
The last thought that ran through my mind before I passed out was,Diem is going to be pissed I broke my glasses again.
34
Diem
We arrived at the lakeside cottage shortly after twelve thirty. Since there was no car in the driveway, I suspected we’d beat Aaron—assuming he was coming this way at all. For all we knew, he was headed for the marina.
I hadn’t heard from Tallus, and it took everything in me to refrain from texting. He hated it when I worried excessively or volunteered that he wasn’t capable of doing certain tasks.
He said I didn’t trust him.
It was less about trust and more about concern for his well-being, but I didn’t know how to translate that into words he would understand without sounding like an overprotective ass who thought he couldn’t handle himself.
I parked down the road, not wanting Aaron to drive up and see a vehicle waiting. If we could catch him off guard, we would gain the upper hand. Not that I knew what I was doing. This was whathappened when I let Tallus dictate the rules. Wasn’t thismycase? When had I lost control?
Better question. Had I ever been in control since meeting Tallus? No. The answer was definitely no. The man had rewritten the plot of my life, and I’d been going with the flow ever since.
Darcy and I got out and headed toward the attractive bungalow cottage. It must have been fifteen or twenty years old, but it had the presence of a new build. It sat on a decent plot of land, a distance from the road, with a winding driveway that led to a simple carport. It had a modern-day cottage vibe. Ample windows set into a natural stone and wood-framed façade. Cozy and charming. Its lakeside location and the surrounding landscape would appeal to vacationers who wanted a sense of nature without technically leaving the city.
“No one’s here,” Darcy said, glancing around. “What do we do? Are we breaking in? Stealing those files?”
Ideally, but I didn’t want trouble.
“No,” I said aloud, studying the property.
Had I not called the cops, had Lukyan not had one foot out of the country, I might have. If the banker boxes contained what I suspected they contained, I could deliver them anonymously to the police station and walk away. They would go after Lukyan and likely nail down his entire entourage before worrying about who had delivered the evidence. They might figure it came from a mole. Someone on the inside.
Instead, with Aaron potentially on the way, I planned to lean into my strengths. Intimidation and psychological threat. The bastard had gotten fresh with my boyfriend after all.
