DARRENI refused to leave Lilly's side, even for a second, when the police finally showed up. I either had my arms around her or held her hand, silently swearing I would never leave her again.After Lucien told me that Lilly had seen one of her kidnappers in the courtroom, I had a feeling she might be in danger again. I wouldn't have been worried knowing that she was in my penthouse, but as soon as I found out that she was heading to her old apartment, I knew that something was bound to go terribly wrong.My instincts were right, but even my imagination underestimated the danger she was in. The thought that she might have been dead if I had shown up a minute later filled me with the worst kind of dread I had ever felt. I couldn't lose her. I could have lost everything else, but not her…Lilly testified at the police precincts for more than an hour. The detective thoroughly noted every detail she mentioned, but I expected the police investigation to end up with nothing. Lilly's attacke
This morning certainly deserved to be marked on the calendar. It deserved to be named the best morning I could remember. I woke up with Lilly in my arms, wrapped around her. I felt her breath on my chest as her head rested there, using me as her pillow. Her lips brushed my skin as she shifted slightly, and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. Peace—this was how it felt.I knew I should have moved. It was time for us to leave this bed and reacquaint ourselves with the harsh reality and all the unsolved problems, but I didn't want that for her. I would have sheltered her from the danger. I would have locked her here so I could handle everything alone, but I knew she wouldn't want that, and she would hate me if I even tried to restrict her freedom and the right to choose for herself. Nonetheless, I chose to be selfish and ignorant just a little longer. I wanted to savor this moment between us for just a few more minutes…“What time is it?” she murmured, nuzzling my ch
LILLYThe last thing I wanted was to feel defenseless again. I knew that Darren said that he would keep me safe, but I was sick and tired of not being able to protect myself. Of course, I was more than aware that I was not a Wonder Woman, and even months of hard training would not turn me into one, but I had to at least increase my odds. That was why I renewed my training sessions with Mr. Harada, asking him to teach me how to disarm my opponent.I spent at least three hours a day in a gym. Darren wasn't too happy about it since all my sessions were leaving me too exhausted for any other physical activity, but he understood why I needed to keep practicing. He supported me, he cared for me, and he endured my whining when my sore muscles limited my every move.After the recent events, Darren hired a driver-slash-bodyguard for me. I didn't object. I wasn't stupid enough to think that I didn't need protection. I knew that I still had a target on my back, even if our enemies stayed silent
DARRENI spent a few hours at the shooting range, showing Lilly how to handle her new weapon. She was a fast learner, picking up everything almost too quickly. I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed since I enjoyed correcting her posture by standing inappropriately close to her. Of course, I was proud of her. She had perfect aim, and she was able to leave perfect holes in the center of the shooting board as soon as she found the right grip to pull the trigger. Unfortunately, shooting a living person wasn't the same as shooting a floating piece of paper…Once I drove Lilly home, I went to the club to join Lucien, who had already spent hours watching the footage from the night Fen and Tim had gotten merrily drunk.“Found anything yet?” I asked, entering the security control room.Lucien glanced at me over his shoulder before turning his head back to the monitors. “I found our professor talking to at least four different women, but I doubt that any of them is the one we are looki
I found Lucien waiting for me by the elevators, impatiently tapping his foot against the marble floor. “So, what now?”I shrugged as I pressed the button to call the car down. “Now we wait.”“Do you have any idea how many flaws this plan has?” He gave me his best judgmental look before stepping into the car with me.I frowned. “If you have any better ideas, I'm listening.”“What if she doesn't take that purse to a meeting? Or what if she is meeting someone else?” He crossed his arms over his chest.“Can we worry about it after the initial plan fails?” I suggested.He stepped closer. “Are you going to meet with her if plan A won't work?”I thrust my hand through my hair. “I don't know. Maybe I'll have to.”He huffed. “I don't like this plan.”“So you said a few times already.” I sighed and shook my head.“Well, I'll say it again then,” he grunted.We exited the car and walked to my suite, where I had already set up and plugged the equipment. All we needed to do was activate the bug and
LILLYMy frustration rose by the hour. Darren and Lucien had gone to Qatar, chasing after some Naila, while I had to stay locked up in Darren's penthouse. I was never good at doing nothing, and this time was no different. After spending a few hours reading new scientific articles, my brain automatically shifted to thinking about Darren and that woman. Yes, I was fully aware that jealousy was a nasty thing, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want that woman anywhere near Darren.I grabbed my phone and debated whether or not I should call him. My finger almost slid through his name to initiate the call, but then strange thoughts filled my mind. What if he and Lucien were in the middle of some kind of secret mission and my phone would ruin it? I hesitated, even though the rational part of my brain reminded me that neither of them would have let something as trivial as their phones jeopardize whatever they were doing… Then again, not knowing what exactly they were doing triggered more frust
“What do you mean we're under attack?!” Uncle demanded. “Attacked by who?!”Mick shook his head. “Don't know, but these guys look pro, and they're heavily armed. Also, I tried calling the police, but they're jamming all signals.”The air left me in a rush as a thousand thoughts rushed through my head. This could have been about me. Those men might have been after me, just like the ones who wanted to kidnap me. I looked at Mick. “Could they follow me to Hayes Labs?”He shook his head. “Highly unlikely. I'm certain no one followed us here, and looking at their numbers, I think those guys were prepared to break here, not chase after you.”Uncle Norton's eyes flickered between me and Mick. “Someone is after you?!”I gave him a dry smile. “Apparently not at that moment.”“But then what do those men want from the labs? There's nothing valuable to steal.” He threw his hands up in frustration.Mick glared at both of us. “Can we not discuss this right now and get the hell out of this place fir
DARRENI found Lilly sitting in the precinct's corridor, staring down at her hands that limply rested on her lap. Dried blood covered the sides of her palms and fingertips. My chest tightened as I saw her in her numb state. I rushed forward, pushing through the policemen standing in the way, until I pulled her up from her seat and wrapped her in my arms. Only then did she start crying, and her tears kept falling long after I brought her back to the penthouse.Rage filled every inch of me. I wanted to kill everyone responsible for Lilly's state. If only I could get to New York sooner. If only I could somehow prevent this, protect her better, spare her from the pain and anguish...I left Lucien in Qatar to deal with our end of the bargain with Naila. He wasn't happy about it, but I gathered enough people and resources for him to plan a flawless rescue mission. Getting Naila's brother out of Almarri's residence wasn't going to be easy, but I knew that Lucien would figure out how to do it