Lucian

The next eighteen hours were a blur of preparation, phone calls, and strategic planning. I'd moved Lexi to a safe house, one of several properties I kept for situations exactly like this while Marcus and I worked on identifying our mysterious friend.

The breakthrough came at noon.

"Boss," Rodriguez called, his voice tight with excitement. "I found something. The phone number sending those texts? It's registered to a shell company. And guess who's the silent partner in that shell company?"

"Tell me."

"Frank Moore."

I felt the pieces clicking into place. "Lexi's boss."

"Gets better. Moore's been in financial trouble for months. His magazine's hemorrhaging money, and he's got gambling debts up to his eyeballs. Sound familiar?"

It did. "He's in debt to the same people Lexi owes money to."

"Ethan Shaw owns both their debts. But here's the kicker Shaw's been feeding information to Moore about Lexi's financial situation. They've been working together."

"To do what?"

"Set up the perfect patsy. Moore assigns Lexi to investigate you, knowing she's desperate enough to do anything for money. Shaw keeps the pressure on with her debts. And if she gets something on you, they split the profits. If she doesn't..."

"They eliminate the debt by eliminating her." The cold fury that had been building in my chest crystallized into something sharp and focused. "What about Kane? How does his death fit?"

"Still working on that. But boss, there's something else. The texts weren't just coming from Moore's phone. We traced the signal, and at least three of them were sent from inside your building."

I went cold. "Someone on my security team?"

"Or someone with access to your building. The texts were sent from the parking garage, the lobby, and..." He paused. "From the floor where Lexi's been working."

"When?"

"Yesterday afternoon. While you were both at the gala."

Someone had been in my building, with access to Lexi's temporary office, while we were being seen publicly together. This wasn't just about money or revenge, this was personal.

"Rodriguez, I need you to do something for me. Quietly."

"Name it."

"Run a background check on everyone who's had access to my building in the past month. Security, cleaning crew, delivery people, everyone. And cross-reference it with anyone who might have a connection to Kane, Shaw, or Moore."

"That's a lot of people, boss."

"Then you'd better get started."

I hung up and walked to the window of the safe house. Lexi was in the living room, pacing and checking her phone every few minutes. She'd been doing that since we arrived.

"Any word from your contact?" she asked when she saw me.

"Some. Moore's been working with Shaw to manipulate you. The whole assignment was a setup from the beginning."

Her face went pale. "I should have known. Frank's never cared about investigative journalism. He only cares about money and scandal."

"There's more. Someone's been inside my building, sending threats from your office."

"My office?" She stopped pacing. "But that means..."

"It means someone close to me is involved. Someone I trusted."

The betrayal cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I'd built my empire by being careful about who I let close, who I trusted with access to my life. But someone had gotten through my defenses.

"Lucian," Lexi's voice was quiet. "What if this is my fault? What if bringing me into your world put you in danger?"

I walked over to her, taking her hands in mine. They were cold and trembling slightly.

"This isn't your fault. You were being used, just like I was."

"But if I hadn't taken the assignment…"

"Then you'd still be drowning in debt. And I'd still be walking around with a target on my back, just without knowing it."

She looked up at me, her green eyes bright with unshed tears. "How are you not angry with me? I was going to betray you."

"Were you? Because it seems to me like you made a choice. You quit your assignment and deleted evidence that could have made you rich. That doesn't sound like betrayal.”

"It sounds like stupidity."

"It sounds like integrity." I touched her face gently. "Do you know how rare that is in my world?"

"Rare enough to get us both killed, apparently."

"Maybe. But I'd rather die with someone I trust than live with someone I can't."

She leaned into my touch, and for a moment, the danger and the threats and the complex web of betrayal surrounding us faded away. There was just her, looking at me like I was worth saving.

My phone rang, breaking the moment.

"Cross."

"Boss, you need to hear this." It was Marcus, and he sounded shaken. "I've been digging into Kane's death, and I found something. The person who was in his penthouse that night? They didn't kill him."

"What do you mean?"

"Kane was already dead when they got there. Natural heart attack, just like the medical examiner said. But whoever broke in took something."

"What?"

"Security footage from Kane's personal safe. The kind of footage that shows private meetings, private conversations. Things that could destroy ones reputation."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "Footage of what?"

"We don't know yet. But boss, Kane's been blackmailing people for years. Corporate executives, politicians, even some of your competitors. That's how he stayed in business despite his legal troubles."

"And now someone has all his blackmail material."

"Including whatever he had on you."

I looked at Lexi, who'd been listening to every word. Her face reflected my own growing understanding of just how complicated this situation had become.

"Marcus, change of plans. I want double security at the pier tonight. And I want you to trace every person who's had access to Kane's penthouse in the past month."

"Boss, are you sure about tonight? This could be a trap."

"It is a trap. But it's also our only chance to end this."

After I hung up, Lexi moved closer to me. "Kane had blackmail material on you?"

"Probably. I've done business with a lot of people over the years. Made compromises, bent rules, made deals that wouldn't look good in the press." I met her eyes. "Does that change how you see me?"

She was quiet for a long moment. "Three months ago, it would have. I would have seen it as proof that you were exactly the kind of man I thought you were."

"And now?"

"Now I see it as proof that you're human. That you've made mistakes and survived them and learned from them." She smiled slightly. "Besides, I'm hardly in a position to judge anyone's moral compromises."

"Lexi, about tonight…"

"I know. It's dangerous. We might not both walk away from this."

"We will," I said firmly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"You can't promise that."

"I can, and I am." I pulled her closer, until she was pressed against my chest and I could feel her heartbeat. "You asked me once if I was like your father. The answer is no. I don't abandon the people I care about."

"And you care about me?"

It was a simple question with a complicated answer. I cared about her in ways that went far beyond our business arrangement, in ways that made me want to tear apart anyone who threatened her. I cared about her enough to risk everything I'd built just to keep her safe.

"Yes," I said simply. "I care about you."

She ignored me and just smiled.

My phone buzzed with a text from the unknown number: "Six hours until game time. Don't keep us waiting."

I showed the message to Lexi, and her expression grew serious again.

"Whatever happens tonight," she said, "I want you to know that these past few weeks have been the most real I've felt in years. Even with all the lies and the deception and the danger. You make me feel like myself again."

"The feeling's mutual."

"We're going to get through this," I promised.

"And then what?"

"Then we figure out what comes next."

Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and red. In two hours, we'd be at Pier 47, facing down whoever had been pulling our strings.

But for now, we had this moment. This quiet, perfect moment before the storm.

And that was enough.