10. Luke

WatchingVictoria unleash her badass side was a revelation. One that I always knew was there, but never had the courage to look too hard at. Now, all of that has changed. She is mine as much as she is Cian's, and I want the whole fucking world to know. Starting with the Union.

It's buzzing with students, busy and hot, but it's perfect. The perfect place to show her how fucking turned on I am by her. We cut through the crowds to the end of the bar, and the people part to let us in.

While Cian orders shots, I push Victoria up against the wall and press my body to hers as my fingers go to the button on her jeans and flick it open.

"Right here?" she laughs, wriggling against me when I lower the zipper and shove my hand inside, finding her bare pussy with a low groan.

"Right here. Right now." I slide my fingers inside her wet cunt, making her gasp. She's so turned on from the fight, and it's making me rock hard. I lean in and whisper in her ear, "You're so fucking sexy when you're like this."

She moans and grinds against my hand, her hips bucking as I find her clit and start circling it with my thumb. I can feel her body tensing up, and I know she's already so close. I look over and see Cian glaring at us, a dark look in his eyes as he takes in the scene, but he doesn't stop it. He watches.

I slip two fingers inside her, pumping in and out as she gasps and moans. She's so tight and wet, and she feels amazing, and I want to make her come harder than she ever has before.

Leaning down to capture her mouth with mine, our tongues tangling together as I continue to finger-fuck her.

The noise of the crowd fades away, and all I can hear is the sound of our heavy breathing and the blood rushing in my ears.

Suddenly, she breaks away from our kiss and looks up at me with hooded eyes. "I want you," she whispers. "I want you to fuck me right here."

I groan and press my forehead against hers, my heart racing at her words. I know this is a dangerous game we're playing, but I can't resist her knowing she wants me just as badly as I want her.

Pulling my hand out of her jeans, I spin her around so that she's facing the wall and drag the tight denim further down her thighs. Quickly, I undo my pants and pull out my cock, which is rock-hard and aching to be inside her. I guide my dick to her pussy and slide inside her in one smooth motion.

She cries out and pushes back against me, urging me deeper. I grip her hips and start to move, thrusting into her with a wild abandon that I've never felt before. It feels incredible. Everyone in the vicinity is watching us fuck, is watching Cian watching us fuck, and I feel like a fucking god. I want everyone to see that Victoria is mine, and I am hers as I pound into her, my fingers digging into her hips as I feel her cunt tighten around me. Cian is still watching us, his eyes hooded, but I can see the jealousy in them. However, it's just that he wishes he were me right now, not that he wishes I wasn't part of Victoria's life. There's desire in his gaze, and it makes me even more turned on.

Victoria cries out as she comes, her body convulsing around my painfully erect cock. As much as I want to prolong this experience, not much can stop me from grinding into her as my cock explodes cum inside her. We stay like that for a moment, both of us panting and trying to catch our breath.

When I finally pull out, I quickly do up my pants and help Victoria fix her jeans. She turns to me with a sly smile on her face, and I know that she's just as turned on by this public fuck as I am.

"Let's get out of here," I say, taking her hand and leading her back through the crowd. Cian and G follow close behind, eager to continue this at home.

As we make our way out of the Union, I feel a sense of satisfaction. I've claimed Victoria as mine, and there's no going back now.

Still, as I feel Victoria's hand in mine and see the way she looks at me, I know that I would do anything to protect her. She's mine, but she's also theirs, and I know that they feel the same way. As we walk back to the townhouse, I feel a sense of unease. We've made our point to Kellerman, but there's still the matter of the Red Reapers and the reason why the current bosses are keeping their traps shut. Surely, if we are the ones they're targeting, we should be in the know. What the fuck do they know that we don't?

Approaching the driveway of the townhouse, I know something is off. I quickly scan the area, my instincts on high alert. That's when I see a small, almost imperceptible flash of light coming from the upstairs window.

"Get down!" I yell, pushing Victoria to the ground and covering her body with mine as Bonnie clatters to the ground. Cian and G drop instantly. The unmistakable crack of a gunshot followed by glass shattering from above sends my heart racing.

Cian and G are quick to react, pulling out their weapons and taking cover behind the cars in the driveway. I scan the area for any sign of the shooter, my fingers itching to retaliate. But there's no one in sight.

"Where the fuck is he?" Cian growls, his eyes scanning the rooftops and alleyways.

"They jumped," Victoria says, getting to her feet and brushing off her jeans before she picks up Bonnie. "It was their exit strategy. Whoever it was, they've gone."

"We can't be sure—" Cian starts, but Victoria shakes her head.

"I saw them leap. Go around the side. You'll see their land. Come." She leads the way around the side of the house, pushing open the gate before any of us can stop her.

Following Victoria, we cautiously make our way around the side of the house. I can feel the tension in the air as we approach the spot underneath her bedroom window. A clear landing patch of heavy footprints in the damp, slightly muddy grass and signs that they headed towards the back fence. Victoria points towards them, confirming my suspicions.

"Why did they shoot out the window?" G asks, looking up. "Why not just open it?"

Victoria snickers. "It was locked, and the key is kept in my jewellery box. I'm not an amateur, Princey."

He snickers at the nickname and shrugs with good grace. "Good to know."

"We should head inside and see what they were doing," Cian states, turning to head back to the front door.

I pull my phone out and start checking the cams. "Fuck's sake," I mutter.

"What?" Cian asks when we get to the front door.

"The cam notifications went off, but I didn't hear them because of the fucking fight with that idiot Kellerman and then I got side-tracked before I could check. We are not being very cautious right now, for fuck's sake." I kick out at the tyre of my car, mad with myself for this.

"Hey," Victoria says, coming to me. "We thought the threat of the stalker was over. Securing the townhouse wasn't on our radar."

"No, but with these Red Reapers assholes roaming about, it should be," I spit out, disgusted with myself for letting my cock rule instead of my brain. It won't happen again.

"Look, it's fine. No one was hurt. If they wanted to kill us, they would've confronted us. Instead, they ran. So to me, that says this was recon and they didn't expect to get bust before they had a chance to leave the way they came."

"Which was where exactly?" Cian asks.

"Through the utility room window," I say, flicking through the cams on the phone screen.

"Right, well we need to get that fixed immediately," Gianluca says, already pulling out his phone. "I know a guy."

"At this hour?" Victoria asks, turning back to the front door, but Cian steps in front of her and holds his hand out for the key.

G gives her a haughty glare. "I'm a Prince. No one says no to me."

"Oh, really?" she says, raising her right eyebrow with a shrewd smile. "We'll see about that."

His sour expression lightens the mood as he starts talking in Italian to whoever picked the phone up. But it doesn't take away the fact that this was a big screw up.

"Do you think Kellerman was bait?" I ask.

Cian's gaze shoots to mine and he cocks his head in warning. He had the exact same idea. Not that it surprises me. It's not the first time and it won't be the last.

Cian unlocks the door and shoves it open but stays outside while we wait for any explosives to detonate. When nothing happens, we step over the threshold and Victoria heads straight for the stairs. I follow quickly as Cian goes to check out the damage downstairs.

Hurrying into Victoria's room, we stop and look at each other. The room has been trashed. Thoroughly and completed trashed. The bed covers have been yanked off the bed and dumped on the floor, the mattress has been overturned, and everything on her dresser has been swept onto the carpet. Drawers hang open at odd angles, their contents scattered everywhere.

"Fuck me," Victoria mutters. "Looks like they were searching for something very specific."

"You think?" I murmur, shooting her a smile, which she giggles at. I love her fucking laugh. I love how she doesn't melt into a dramatic mess because someone broke into her house. I love that she killed Quinn so hard, he will never rise, and I know that I love her. Scanning the room, my eyes land on the jewellery box discarded on the floor near the dresser, seemingly untouched. Seems too obvious, though; they wouldn't overlook it unless they were after something else.

"Check if anything's missing out of there," I say, my voice low but urgent.

Victoria moves quickly, sifting through her belongings with efficiency.

"Nothing," she says finally, looking puzzled. "Everything seems to be here. Even the key to the window." She holds it up and snorts and throws it back in.

I frown. "They wouldn't trash the place without taking anything."

Cian appears in the doorway, his eyes darting around the room before settling on us. "Downstairs is clear. No sign of explosives or additional entry points."

"Great," I mutter. "But they didn't take anything."

Cian's jaw tightens as he steps further into the room. "Which means they either found what they were looking for or they left in a hurry because they heard us coming."

"Or they planted something," Victoria adds quietly, her eyes narrowing as she looks around.

My pulse quickens at the thought. I pull out my phone again, this time switching to the high-tech thermal imaging app. The room lights up in a spectrum of colours, but nothing stands out. I shake my head, frustrated.

"Nothing shows up," I murmur.

Cian nods. "Check behind the outlets and light switches. They might've hidden bugs."

Victoria's eyes flash with determination as she moves to the nearest wall socket and starts unscrewing it with a small tool she pulls from her bedside drawer. A Swiss army knife. I couldn't love her more right now, even if that was possible. Her speed and precision send a jolt of pride through me. She knows what the fuck she's doing.

While she works, I head to the window and peer outside. The garden is dark, still, like nothing happened. But I know that's bullshit. Someone was here, someone brazen enough to break into our sanctuary.

"Got something," Victoria says, drawing my attention back. She pulls out a tiny device, no bigger than a button, from behind the outlet cover.

"Bugged," she confirms, tossing it to Cian who catches it mid-air and smirks.

"Amateurs," he sneers, crushing the tiny piece of plastic and metal under his heel.

"They're testing us," I state, more to myself than to anyone else.

"No shit," Cian replies dryly. "They wanted to see how easily they could get in and how we'd react."

Victoria stands up, brushing off her hands. "Well, now we know." Her voice is hard, but there's a gleam in her eye that tells me she's not scared—she's ready for more.

"Did you check the bathroom yet?" I ask, remembering the bloody message Quinn or his sons left for her.

Her gaze meets mine and for the briefest second, I see the flash of fear, but it's gone before I can react, making me think I imagined it.

"Not yet," she says, licking her lips and then turning to the closed door, her hand reaching out slowly for the handle.