MasukMaya’s POV“Mummy?”“Mm?”I pull my eyes away from the window and turn back to her, forcing a small smile onto my face. “Yes, baby?”Adrianna studies me for a moment, her lips pursing thoughtfully as she tilts her head. “Are you okay?”“Me?” I let out a light laugh, shaking my head as if the idea itself is ridiculous. “I’m fine.”Her expression doesn’t change. If anything, the concern in her eyes deepens.“You took my bag and gave me yours,” she says, lifting the strap of the purse hanging awkwardly off her small shoulder like evidence in a trial.I glance down at it.Right.“And you walked into the wrong class to look for me,” she continues, counting each point off on her fingers with careful seriousness.“That was just a mistake,” I say quickly. “You’re early too,” she adds, lifting another finger. “You’re never early.”“I’m never late either, am I?” I say, letting out a small laugh as I try to lighten the moment. It doesn’t work. “Okay,” I clear my throat, like I’m abo
Lucien’s POV I’m seated alone when Jamie rushes into the building, the sound of his boots heavy on the ground. “Lucien!” he yells my name, out of breath. He stops when he gets to the table, glancing around. He spots the trail of blood leading away from the table. “Did you kill him?” He exhales heavily, running his fingers through his hair. “I know he’s a monster and all, but if you killed your brother—” I give him a side glance that stops his ramble. “Would you rather I let him walk away? To try a second time?” “We don’t know if it was him. The substitute teacher couldn’t identify the man properly or recall any distinguishing features because it was rush hour. She had to deal with the kids and a few parents.” He drops into a chair. “It might’ve been the agent. He might’ve wanted her as leverage. A bargaining tool.” “For what?” Jamie purses his lips for a moment. “His freedom? He knows you’re after him, and I doubt your brother…” he trails off, staring at me. I rub my
Lucien’s POV I’m out of my chair, my fingers wrapped around his neck, before I realize I’ve stood up. “Don’t you dare,” I snarl, glaring down at him. “Don’t you fucking dare.” Salvatore grins, staring at me as his face turns red, my fingernails digging into his skin. “Go ahead,” he taunts me still, choking on his words. I hear footsteps hurrying towards us, but I don’t move. I want to choke the life from his eyes and repeat the process as many times as it takes to drain every bit of hope from him. Guns cock, safeties going off. Salvatore raises a hand, holding them off. He turns back to me. “Kill me,” he hisses. “Do it. I’ve always known you wanted to. Even when–” he stops when my thumb presses into the side of his neck, cutting off his air. My blood runs hot, and I see rage. Nothing but white, hot rage. My fingernails sink into his carotid artery as my jaw grinds. “Maybe I will,” I chuckle under my breath. “Maybe I should do the world a favor and finish you off.” The smu
Lucien’s POVI’ve been waiting for this meeting for three days.Not because I wanted it. But because once I saw his face outside that building — once my jaw dropped in the back of that car and the pieces rearranged themselves into something uglier than I’d prepared for — I knew it was coming. He wasn’t going to keep moves in the dark. It wasn’t his style. So I reached out first. I’m already seated when he arrives.The restaurant is closed. I made sure of that. Neutral ground, no audience, no staff lingering within earshot.Salvatore walks in like he owns the floor beneath him. He always did. Even as a boy, he moved through rooms like he was taking inventory. Like everything in his line of sight was already his and he was simply confirming it.He looks older. Harder. He adjusts his cuff as he pulls out the chair across from me and sits without being invited.“Brother,” he says.“Salvatore.”He smiles. It doesn’t reach anything. “You look well. Prison agreed with you.”“You’d know m
Maya’s POV By the time I end the call, I’m already on my feet. My chair scrapes back against the polished floor loud enough to turn heads, but I don’t stop. I grab my bag, sling it over my shoulder and move toward the exit with the kind of speed that doesn’t care about drawing attention. Outside, the afternoon air hits my face all at once. Adrianna. I scan the street, spot a yellow cab slowing near the corner and wave it down. “School district on Maple,” I say, pulling the door shut behind me. “Please hurry.” The driver glances at me in the rearview mirror. I probably look exactly how I feel. “Everything alright, ma’am?” “My daughter’s school called,” I say. “I need to get there.” He nods and pulls into traffic. Every red light is an insult. Every slow-moving car is a personal grievance. My fingers tap against my knee and I stare out the window without seeing any of it — just turning the same thought over and over in my head. A man. Someone claiming I authorized him to co
Maya’s POV “Ahem.”I ignore Andrew, scribbling my signature across a document before closing it. “Ahem,” he clears his throat again. “I’m being polite and asking for permission to come in. May I come in?”“Nope,” I say, standing up as my stomach rumbles faintly. I barely got through breakfast because Adrianna didn’t want to go to school the day before her birthday. She also had one wish—and it was for Lucien to come to her birthday party. I tried to explain, as gently as I could, why it couldn’t happen, and I became horrible parent No 1. She said, in no certain terms, that I must have uninvited him, because she “specifically said he could come.”Andrew leans against the door frame, folding his arms and blocking my exit way. “Headed somewhere?”“Yeah.” I tilt my head, staring at him pointedly. He squints and shakes his head, pretending not to understand. “Door,” I say. “I need to go out.”He stands there for another second before sliding to the side. I close the door behind me, s
What happens, Maya, when they find out that you slept with the man you were supposed to trap and turn in? What do you think they’d do, if they find out that you spent the night in my arms, naked and sweaty…my head between your thighs and your fingers fisting through my hair? The seconds go by and
The next evening comes back quicker than expected and I get a message from Jamie as I step out of a meeting. “Louvre Hotel. 7pm.”I swipe down on my screen, checking the time. 6:30 pm. “Thirty minutes,” I mumble. I deliberate on postponing it, but my hesitation only lasts a couple seconds. Better
Maya “Maybe he’s not so terrible after all. I mean…” Andrew clears his throat with an awkward chuckle, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. “I figured there had to be a reason they brought in a relative instead of one of the biological sons.”I purse my lips and let out a small, frustrated br
Maya The boot hits the floor with a thud and I feel another of my patience slip away. I bite my tongue, swallowing down my frustration as I straighten from my crouch. “Woah,” I mutter as the ground tilts, reaching out with a hand to the wall to steady myself. I close my eyes for a moment, shake m







