Chapter 3: Warning from the Shadows

I pulled into my driveway and turned off the engine, but my hands were still shaking from seeing that figure by the streetlight.

The roses were in my passenger seat, and I grabbed them to throw away, but when I stepped out, Julian was already there.

"Eva," he said, walking toward me fast, his face red and angry like a child who lost his favorite toy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, backing up against my car, my heart starting to race again.

"You think you can just walk away from me?" he said, getting closer. "You think you can embarrass me like that?"

"I already told you, we're done," I said, trying to move around him, but he stepped sideways to block me.

"No, we're not done," he said, his voice getting louder. "Your father already signed the papers. The wedding is happening."

"My father can't force me to marry you," I said, but my voice came out smaller than I wanted.

Julian laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. "You really think you have a choice here?"

He grabbed my wrist suddenly, his fingers tight around my skin, and I tried to pull away but he held on harder.

"Let go of me," I said, my voice getting stronger now, anger replacing the fear.

"You're coming back to me," he said, leaning closer, his breath hot on my face. "Or I'll make sure everyone knows what a crazy little girl you really are."

"I said let go," I repeated, pulling harder, but his grip was like iron.

"You think that job with Lucas Black is going to save you?" he said, laughing again. "You think he cares about some useless princess?"

"You don't know anything about him," I said, still trying to get free.

"I know he eats little girls like you for breakfast," Julian said. "I know he'll get bored and throw you away in a week."

"Maybe," I said, looking him right in the eyes. "But at least he's not a lying cheater like you."

Julian's face got even redder, and his grip got tighter. "You're going to regret this, Eva. I promise you that."

"She already told you to let go."

The voice came from behind Julian, low and calm, but it made both of us freeze completely.

Julian turned around slowly, still holding my wrist, and I saw Lucas Black standing near the street like he had appeared from nowhere.

"Mr. Black," Julian said, his voice changing instantly, trying to sound friendly. "I didn't know you were here."

"I'm here now," Lucas said, walking closer, his hands in his pockets like he was just taking a nice walk.

"This is between me and my fiancée," Julian said, but I could hear his voice shaking a little now.

"Ex-fiancée," I said quickly. "And he's not listening when I tell him to leave me alone."

Lucas looked at Julian's hand on my wrist, then back up at Julian's face, and something in his expression changed.

"Let her go," Lucas said, his voice still calm but somehow much scarier than before.

"This doesn't concern you," Julian said, but he was already loosening his grip a little.

"My employees concern me," Lucas said, taking another step closer. "All of them. Especially when someone is putting their hands on them."

Julian let go of my wrist completely and stepped back, but he was trying to act like he wasn't scared.

"Eva and I have history," Julian said. "Family business. You understand."

"I understand that you just threatened her," Lucas said. "I understand that you grabbed her when she told you to stop."

"It's not what it looked like," Julian said quickly.

"It looked like you were hurting someone who works for me," Lucas said. "And I don't like that very much."

I rubbed my wrist where Julian had grabbed it, watching the two men stare at each other like they were about to start a fight.

"Eva, tell him," Julian said, turning to me. "Tell him we're getting married. Tell him this is just a misunderstanding."

"No," I said, my voice clear and strong now. "We're not getting married. We're not anything. Leave me alone."

Julian's face went from red to almost purple. "You're making a huge mistake, Eva. You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"She's dealing with me now," Lucas said. "And you're dealing with me too if you don't walk away right now."

"This isn't over," Julian said, but he was already backing toward his car.

"Yes, it is," Lucas said. "And if I see you near her again, we'll have a different kind of conversation."

Julian got in his car and drove away fast, his tires making noise on the street.

I stood there for a minute, just breathing, trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Are you hurt?" Lucas asked, walking over to me.

"No," I said, but I was still rubbing my wrist. "How did you know I was here?"

"I followed you," he said like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"You followed me?" I asked. "Why?"

"You looked upset when you left the office," he said. "And Julian called me three times today. I thought he might try something stupid."

I don’t know if I should believe what he just said. Why would he look after me when we barely even know each other? There has to be another reason... something more than just what he told me.

"So you just decided to follow me home?" I asked, not sure if I should be grateful or worried.

"Yes," he said simply. "Good thing I did."

I looked at him standing there in his expensive suit, looking completely calm like he hadn't just scared off my ex-fiancé.

“Thank you,” I said finally. “But you didn’t have to do that.” I couldn’t stop myself from thanking him, even though I didn’t believe him.

I’ve died once already, and in this second life, I can tell when someone is lying... I won’t be deceived again. Lucas didn’t follow me home for nothing, but I’d play along, pretending I didn’t understand a thing.

"Yes, I did," he said. "You work for me now. That means you're under my protection."

"Your protection?" I asked. "What does that mean exactly?"

"It means Julian won't bother you again," he said. "It means anyone who tries to hurt you will have to deal with me first."

I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or just trying to sound tough.

"Why would you do that for me?" I asked. "You barely know me."

"I know enough," he said. "I know you're smart. I know you're not afraid to work hard. I know you're not going to waste my time."

"And that's worth protecting me from my crazy ex-fiancé?" I asked.

"Good employees are hard to find," he said. "Especially ones who can handle pressure without falling apart."

I laughed a little, even though my hands were still shaking. "Is that what this was? A test?"

"Everything is a test, Eva," he said. "But you passed this one."

"What if I hadn't?" I asked. "What if I had just gone back to him?"

"Then you wouldn't be worth protecting," he said. "But you didn't. You stood up to him even when you were scared."

"I wasn't scared," I lied.

He smiled then, just a little. "Everyone gets scared sometimes. The difference is what you do about it."

"And what should I do about Julian?" I asked. "He's not going to give up easily."

"Let me worry about Julian," Lucas said. "You worry about doing your job."

"That's it?" I asked. "Just pretend this never happened?"

"No," he said, his voice getting serious again. "Be careful. Watch your back. And if he tries anything else, call me immediately."

“Thank you,” I said again, this time meaning it, even though I still didn’t know what he was really trying to do.

I stared at him, realizing that Lucas Black might be just as dangerous as Julian... maybe even more. But that was exactly what made him useful. To get my revenge on Julian and my family, his power was all I needed, and with it, my plan would finally work, because Lucas Black is definitely the weapon I need.

"I should go inside," I said, looking at my front door.

"Yes, you should," he said. "Lock the doors. Set the alarm if you have one."

"I will," I promised.

"Good," he said, turning to walk back to his car. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

“Lucas,” I called after him. I didn’t even know why... I couldn’t stop myself from saying his name. The moment it left my lips, I regretted it, because I had nothing else to say.

But he stopped and turned, his eyes steady on me. Then, without me asking anything, he spoke.

“You remind me of someone I used to know,” he said quietly. “Someone who didn’t have anyone to protect them.”

Then he got in his car and drove away, leaving me standing in my driveway with more questions than answers.

I went inside and locked the door, then set the alarm like he told me to.

But as I got ready for bed, I kept thinking about what he said.

Julian was going to try harder now. He was going to try to hurt me in other ways.

I wasn’t scared. In fact, it would be better if Julian tried harder to hurt me, because that would give me the perfect chance to finally take my revenge for betraying me in my first life and for killing both me and my baby. He and Clara hadn’t seen anything yet. And, it was going to be fun...

Now, that I have Lucas Black on my side.