“Well,” he smirked to himself. “I won’t be going to work. No need to wear a suit every day.” It was a diabolical plan. But if he was ever going to be with Audrey again, he had to start somewhere. He stepped into the shower and enjoyed the feeling of the water cascading around him. It ran all over his body, and he couldn’t help but think it should be Audrey’s hands all over him instead. He imagined her in the shower with him, her nails dragging down his back as he pressed his body into hers.“I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. God, I want her so bad,” he groaned. “I’ve got to get a hold of myself.” He switched the water from hot to cold, to keep himself from getting to worked up.Something told him Audrey wouldn’t appreciate him greeting her with a full-blown erection. Or maybe she would… but let’s not take that chance.After calming down, he got dressed in another pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.As he was only going across the hall to see Audrey and his baby, it seemed lik

Get off!” Lucien shoved him away. Damian’s words stung him a little. But there was no way he’d ever let that show. “I need you to stay with Bella while I go look for her. She trusts you.”“How do I know you aren’t lying? How do I know you haven’t hurt her and are just trying to cover your tracks? You better not have laid a hand on her.”“I haven’t touched her… in a way she didn’t like,” Lucien smirked. He couldn’t resist jabbing Damian with that. She is mine.“You fucking…”“We don’t have time for this! Every second you spend arguing with me is a second, she could be in danger. Stay with Bella. There are bottles in the fridge, and Minnie’s instructions on how to heat them are on the counter. I have to go.”Lucien grabbed his keys and phone and ran out. Adrenaline pumped throughout his body, setting every nerve in his body on fire. He started driving towards his uncle’s home. If he sped, he could make it there in about 45 minutes. The streets were quiet and empty, and Lucien’s car was a

“I…” Lucien didn’t know what to say. He wanted to argue that he could make her happy. But what happiness had he ever brought her? A few shared idyllic moments were all they had. Everything else was fighting. Always fighting.‘We’re only good at one thing,’he thought. And then it hit him. He was the problem,always the problem He left Audrey, broken and battered.Damian came in to pick up the pieces to make her whole again, and he came back to ruin everything. It was exactly what Mia had done to him. If Audrey chose to make a life with Damian, would he be able to let her go?“I don’t doubt that,” Lucien managed to say. “But until she says she doesn’t want me, I won’t leave.”“All you’ve done is bring chaos into her life. From the moment she met you. But… I can tell you love her too,” Damian sighed. “I’m willing to put my ill feelings towards you aside. Until we get her back. Then I’ll go back to hating you.”“That’s fair,” Lucien chuckled. “You know, had we met under different circumsta

“Or when you got arrested?”Tracy piped up as she came downstairs. “Or when you were trying to find Audrey?” She sat next to Mark,her hands fidgeting with her bracelets. The soft tinkling noise added a strange soothing tone to their tense atmosphere.“We really don’t need to get into Damon Whitlock right now,” Mark said.“He’s someone we know from a while ago. Yeah, he’s impressive, but his services come with a price. And that is all I’m going to say.”“That’s all you better say,” Mark added. He rubbed his hand along Tracy’s back.Tracy and Damian looked at each other, the question still burning in their eyes. But it seemed they came to a silent agreement. There were more pressing matters.“Fine. For now,” Tracy said. “So, what have we got? Has the kidnapper called?”“No,” Lucien said. “Nothing yet.”“I’ve got people following your cousin.He hasn’t made many movements, himself. But there has been a lot of movement around him,” Mark explained. He indicated a series of photos he had set

“You fucking bastard!”Lucien thundered.“Temper,” the caller teased. “You better be nice to me, or my hand might slip.”“Tell me what you want.” Lucien struggled to keep himself in check.“Eyes on me,” Captain Whitlock he whispered. “Breathe.”“That’s a good boy,” the caller said. “You’re going to sign a contract handing over all of your shares of Reynolds Industries. Every last one. You’re going to hold a press conference announcing your decision to the world. Your empire will fall and a new one will rise from its ashes. When asked why you’re doing this, you will say that Gary Reynolds was involved in several fraud investigations, and you don’t want to be a part of it. Understood?”“Yes,” Lucien said through clenched teeth. There’s no doubt now. It’s Eugene.“An hour after you’ve made your announcement, you’ll receive a message with a location.”“Audrey will be there? And her friend? I need confirmation that they’re okay,” Lucien demanded.“You know about the other one?” the kidnappe