Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

THERON

Emmie is sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, watching me set everything up. She is acting as if she’s not paying attention, but I know she’s watching every move I make, which is making it really fucking hard to put my own cameras around the rooms, and she’s following me from place to place without a fucking break.

“Hey,” I call out, looking over my shoulder at her. She lifts her eyes from her phone and looks up at me. “Get me a bottle of water?”

She stands up quickly, and I watch as she walks out of the room. I don’t have much time, so I quickly place the cameras in position for my own personal use. I’m finishing the last one for this room when she opens the door and makes her way back inside.

Thanking her for the water, I wrap my fingers around the bottle before I lift it to my lips and close my eyes, letting the cool water slide down my throat as my phone buzzes in my pocket.

Reaching for my device, I set the water down on the floor and look down to see who has messaged me. It’s Vaughn. I haven’t spoken to him since he texted me about going to the store and missing that meeting.

Frowning, my gaze scans the message.

VAUGHN: NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU.

I’M AT WILLOW CLUB DOING THE INSTALL.

VAUGHN: CAN YOU GET AWAY?

I flick my gaze to Emmie. I wonder if I can indeed get away. I’m not sure if she’ll let me just walk out of this place. I also don’t want to try to come up with different reasons for her to leave me alone, either. She will definitely become suspicious if she isn’t already.

I CAN.

I’m not sure if I really can, but I’m going to.

VAUGHN: MEET ME AT MY PLACE.

Interesting. He wants me to meet him at his place and not the office. He must need privacy, and that makes this really fucking curious.

“What?” Emmie asks.

“I need to handle something that just came up. I’ll be back later tonight to work on this.”

“But I have an exhibit,” she snaps.

I knew that which is why I said what I said. I tilt my head to the side, giving her my most serious expression and trying to hide the absolute fucking joy at the fact that I’ll be able to do this without her goddamn supervision.

“Will you come to the exhibit after?” she asks, her voice a touch whinier. I watch as her lips press out in a pout.

Against everything inside of me, I lean down and touch my mouth to hers. “I’ll come over later,” I murmur, adding extra emphasis on come, against my better judgment.

I haven’t fucked her since I was with Lucille the first time. I don’t want to be with Emmie. But I don’t think I’m going to have a choice because this shit must continue. It’s a dick move to desire only Lucille while I’m balls deep inside of Emmie, I’m aware of that, but at the same time, there is nothing I can do about it right now.

Emmie hops up from her chair and hurries toward me, touching her lips to the corner of mine, then tells me that she’ll see me soon. Begrudgingly, I leave the Willow Club, even though I finally got rid of her and could place a few more cameras unseen, but Vaughn needs to see me, and he wouldn’t ask me to come to his place if it wasn’t serious.

Leaving the Willow Club, I head straight over to Vaughn’s. He buzzes me up to his floor without me even having to ask. A few moments later, I’m standing in front of his door.

When I ball my fist to knock, the door swings open.

Vaughn stands to the side to allow me entrance. I take a few steps in and stop. Turning to face him, I hold my hands loosely to my side. I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but he’s being mysterious and secretive.

I don’t fucking like it.

LUCILLE

I’m unsure if I’ve made the right decision or one of the worst ones of my life. But when I climbed into Vaughn’s passenger seat and started asking him questions, he did not like where I was going. Then, something caught the corner of his eye, and without a word, he started his engine and took off.

Now I’m in his condo, wondering what the fuck is going on. He isn’t telling me anything other than to wait. He’s been on and off the phone more than once, his voice too low for me to hear his words.

If I didn’t know that Vaughn was trustworthy, I would be scared out of my brain right now. But when he swings the front door open, and I see the man standing on the other side, I am just that, instantly filled with fear.

Theron doesn’t notice me immediately, so I shrink away as much as I can, watching and waiting for what Vaughn is going to tell him. I can’t believe that he called him here. He is going to be so pissed that I went behind his back to talk to Vaughn about something that he specifically told me to drop.

But on the other hand, I’m not his girlfriend, and he’s made his choice, so I am technically free to do what I want… right?

“What the fuck is going on?” Theron demands, his voice coming out on a growl.

Vaughn chuckles softly as if this is a cute and funny moment. It’s definitely not that. “We got a big fucking problem,” he announces.

I blink because I’m not sure I am such a big problem. He could have told me he wasn’t going to talk to me about Theron, about the past, and that would have been that. I mean, I would have begged a little, but otherwise, I wouldn’t have made a scene or anything.

“What’s that?” Theron asks.

“Lucille is being followed.”

Shit.

I knew it.

But how did he know it?

“How do you know that?” Theron says, asking my question.

That’s when Vaughn takes a step to the side and also when Theron sees me attempting to blend in with the wall. Pressing my lips together, I inhale through my nose, holding my breath as I wait for Theron’s wrath.

Because I’ve done this completely and totally against his wishes. He made it very clear this morning, for the umpteenth time, that I needed to drop this shit—all of it. Even if I don’t want to, I’m trying, but at the same time, I also want to know why I need to drop it.

So that leads me to here.

“Lucille waited for me at the office and was following me. I pulled over into a grocery store parking lot, where she got out and made her way to my car. She basically got through her story when I noticed a black BMW that was suspicious as fuck.”

I gasp, and both men’s gazes flick over to meet mine. “That car has been sitting outside of my apartment for several days. I didn’t see it follow me to your office, though, or the parking lot.”

Vaughn hums, his attention sliding back to meet Theron’s. “I checked the license plate, car is owned by Asher Grant. I couldn’t see the driver, but if I had to guess based on the club weekend, it’s the son.”

Theron slides his fingers through his dark hair, his eyes connecting to mine, and then he shakes his head once.

“I fucking told you, Lucille.”

I’m not sure which is harsher, his tone or his words. Wincing, I stay plastered against the wall. I don’t say a word, my eyes wide as I stare at him. I’m afraid to breathe, let alone move.

So I do neither.

“What is fucking Charlie Grant doing following her around?” he demands.

Vaughn shakes his head once, then clears his throat and takes his phone out of his pocket. I have no clue what he’s doing, but he punches the screen with his index finger a few times before he turns the phone around to show Theron something.

That’s when Theron’s eyes widen, and I watch as his jaw instantly hardens before actual steam rises from his head. He’s angry. I’ve never seen anyone flip a switch like that before. I’ve never seen Theron this upset. His gaze lifts to meet mine, and I can feel the rage pouring out of him. Pressing my back against the wall, I flatten my hands, trying to find some sort of stability, but that’s all for nothing because Theron marches toward me.

I let out a cry when his shoulder slams into my waist and I’m hauled up into the air like a sack of potatoes. Reaching for his belt, I grasp him there and hold on. One of his arms is like a strong band around the backs of my thighs, and his other hand grips my ass cheek.

“I’ll contact you,” Theron growls, no doubt talking to Vaughn because I hear his burst of laughter bounce off his condo walls as Theron walks out of his place.

I don’t know where we’re going. I know from my extensive research that Theron doesn’t live in this building, but he isn’t heading outside, either. He carries me into the elevator car, and I hold my breath as it carries us up instead of down.

When the doors open, I let my breath out, still being carried over Theron’s shoulders and viewing the hallway upside down. We stop. Then, a door opens. I don’t know how, if Theron had a key or something, but he continues silently into the room before he slams the door behind him.

Slowly, he releases me, my body sliding down the front of his. Placing my hands on the center of his chest, I brace myself as I look up into his eyes. Being this close to him, I can smell him, feel him, and almost taste him.

“Theron,” I whisper when he doesn’t speak right away.

He’s staring at me, unmoving and unspeaking, until he lets out a frustrated sigh. “I brought you in here to spank the absolute fuck out of you, Lucille.”

My eyes widen as I clench my thighs together, thinking about his warm, large hand slapping my bare ass. That is hot—like beyond hot to even think about. I want that right now. I want him right now.

His gaze darkens, and he shakes his head again. “Lucille,” he warns. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” I ask, feigning innocence.

He smirks. “Like you want me to strip you down and spank the fuck out of you.” His voice is no longer filled with rage but instead amusement.

I mean, he’s not wrong. That’s exactly what I want him to do right now. But I don’t say that. Instead, I just give him a small smile and wait for him to tell me what the hell is going on and where I am.

He lets out a long sigh, then clears his throat before he continues. “Vaughn showed me a hit that’s been called out on you,” he announces.

My eyes widen. “What?” I breathe.

“When he noticed the car following you, he started researching in places that only the darkest of the dark can go. And that’s when he saw it. Buy, sell, trade, or kill, and a price. So far, kill is what has been chosen.”

My heart stops beating.

My hands fall from his chest, and I take a shaky step backward. “I don’t think Emmie knows. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to your apartment like she did,” he continues. “Charlie may or may not know, but we can’t take any chances. Vaughn lost the tail before he brought you back here. This condo is our safe house. Vaughn is one floor down, with access through a hidden staircase from his place to this one.”

The way he’s explaining everything… as if he’s just reading off a menu or something. Like it’s all no big deal. Meanwhile, I’m trembling so hard that I can’t help but wonder how I’m actually still standing.

“You wanted to be involved. I fucking told you to stay the fuck away from all this shit, so don’t look scared now, Lucille. Woman the fuck up. And don’t you dare fucking leave this condo.”

Without another word, he spins around and, again, marches out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I hear it automatically lock behind him and stand stunned at the closed door.

What the hell happened?

And why did he just deposit me here and walk away?