25. Cian

Back in my bedroom,right next door to Luke’s, I scan the wardrobe for the big black holdall. Spotting it under a pile of shoes, I drag it out and sling it on the bed to start packing.

“Hey,” Victoria says quietly.

I barely glance up at her, my mind spinning with too much shit to deal with.

“Hey,” I reply gruffly, returning my focus to shoving clothes into the bag.

Victoria hesitates at the door before stepping in, closing it behind her with a soft click. “We need to talk,” she says. There’s an edge to her voice that tells me this isn’t going to be a light-hearted chat.

I pause, a black tee gripped in my hand, and finally look at her. “About what?” But I fucking know. It’s written all over her face – Luke.

She crosses her arms, but it’s not defensive. It’s Tory being nervous, not that she would ever admit that in a million years. “About Luke. About you needing time. I love you, Cian. But I want this to work for everyone.”

I toss the tee in the bag with a barely hidden sigh but don’t answer her.

“Are you okay with this?”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “Why does it fucking matter what I’m okay with?”

Victoria’s eyes flash fire. “Because if you say no, then it’s no. But I really want you to say yes.”

I run a hand through my hair. “You’d really walk away from him if I didn’t want it?”

“Of course,” she says softly. “You are it for me, Cian. We are ride or die—probably both in the end.”

“Then why do you need more?” My voice cracks, but I can’t help it. It’s like a raw, open wound, bleeding out all over the place.

She steps forward, her eyes softening. “I don’t need more, Cian. I’m just open to it. I’m just open to exploring what I have with Luke, with you. I’m not looking to replace or diminish what’s between us. It’s just... he’s part of our lives, so deeply ingrained, and the connection—it’s there, undeniable.”

I can see the truth in her eyes, feel the honesty in her voice, and it fucking guts me because part of me feels the same way about Luke, not romantically but everything else. We’ve been through hell together, side by side, and that bonds you in ways difficult to ignore. Victoria doesn’t know half the shit Luke and I have seen, done, or had to survive before she and I got together on that day, where she literally smashed my face in with her fist when I made a pass at her in the Student Union. I’d had my eye on her since day one when we were freshmen here. So dark, so beautiful, but she didn’t bite. She never bit. Until that day when she punched me, and I ravaged her against the bar. It was such a fucking turn-on. She is a turn-on.

Her hand finds mine, bringing me back to the present; her touch is warm against my cold skin. “Talk to me, Cian. Don’t shut me out.”

It takes everything within me not to pull away from her touch, but I let her grip my hand. “It’s not about shutting you out,” I start, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s about protecting what’s ours.”

“But doesn’t it also make us stronger? Us against the world?” Her argument is fucking convincing, and a part of me resents her for making so much sense.

“The world is a dangerous place for people like us,” I remind her.

She nods, understanding glinting in her gaze. “I know that better than anyone. But with Luke... don’t we become more formidable? A wall that no one can break through.”

My defences begin to crumble, and it pisses me off how easily she does that. She can tear down my walls without even trying, while everyone else has to claw at the stone with bloody fingers just to scratch the surface. “Fuck,” I mutter.

She squeezes my hand gently. “I’m not asking you to decide right now,” Victoria says, her voice softening. “But you’re not pulling away from me while you do. We are and always will be. So, think about it, Cian. Think about what we could be, but do it on your own time.”

I nod, impressed as hell that she is demanding, not asking that I stay with her. That isn’t the question. It never was. I can’t live without her. I will wither up and die if she ever leaves me. The question is if I can share her without beheading my best friend.

My mind is a chaotic mess of emotions, jealousy, fear, and an inexplicable excitement clashing in a battle I never expected to face.

Victoria gives me a slight smile and slips out of the room silently, her presence lingering like a gentle breeze. I’m left alone with my thoughts, the noise of confusion so overwhelming it drowns out all other sounds.

Maybe she’s right; maybe bringing Luke into this twisted fold could make us indestructible. Or maybe it’ll be the chink in our armour that brings the whole fucking empire crashing down around us—a thought that terrifies me more than any rival or law enforcement ever could.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts.

I yank the door open to find Luke standing there, every inch the Earl of Glenmorrow, even in his casual threads. His expression is unreadable, but his eyes betray a hint of guilt. Anxiety.

“Can we talk?” He doesn’t wait for an invitation; he just steps into the room.

“What do you want, Luke?” I’m not in the mood for roundabouts. Not now.

“I don’t want to fuck this up—for any of us. If you’re not okay with this...” He trails off, but his eyes stay locked on mine, searching for... what? Permission? Forgiveness?

I scoff at his concern, feeling a caustic laugh bubble up from my throat. “Since when do you care about fucking things up? You never have before.”

That hits a nerve; I can tell by the way his jaw clenches. “This is different,” he says quietly.

“How so?” My voice is hard as stone because if he thinks he gets to play saint after everything we’ve been through, he’s sorely fucking mistaken.

Luke steps closer. “Because this involves Victoria, and I care about her. And you.” His tone is firm, but I can hear the underlying tension. He’s not just playing a part; he’s living it. “I don’t want to be the reason shit goes sideways between you two.”

I squint at his face, searching for any trace of deceit behind his emotionless expression.

But it’s Luke. He’s as readable to me as an open book; he always has been to me. The tight lines of his mouth tell me he’s speaking the truth. “You think I haven’t thought of that? You think it doesn’t fuck with my head knowing you and she...?” My words trail off into a growl, the thought still raw and jagged. “I have killed men who have touched her.”

“I know.”

“So why should you be any different?”

He nods once in acknowledgement of my question. “I know it’s fucked up, Cian. But we can’t change how we feel. If it’s too much?—“

“Stop,” I cut him off sharply, my patience fraying at the edges. “Don’t fucking patronise me with this ‘if it’s too much’ shite. Answer the fucking question. Why shouldn’t I gut you where you stand?”

“It would hurt her.”

“Fuck you!” I spit out, knowing he has checked me on my own board. “Fuck you, you fucking cunt.”

He holds his ground in the face of my anger. “You know it’s true. So, what do you want from me?”

What do I want? The question rattles around in my head like a bullet in a metal box. What the fuck do I want? To hit something until my knuckles bleed. To grab both of them and disappear to some remote corner of the earth where no one can touch us, claim us, or come between us? To own every fucking breath they take so that nothing can ever change between us?

I shake my head, the anger threatening to overshadow every other feeling. “I don’t know what I want,” I admit through gritted teeth. The admission tastes like acid on my tongue.

Luke’s eyes soften just a fraction, and he steps forward. “Cian,” he starts, his voice low, “we’ve been through hell together. You’re more than a leader here; you’re my brother. If this is going to tear us apart?—“

“No. This doesn’t get to break us. None of this shit does.”

He nods, understanding flashing across his usually impassive face. For a moment, we stand in silence, the two of us lost in our own thoughts.

Then I make a decision—a decision that might damn us or save us.

“We play by my rules,” I state firmly. “No secrets, no bullshit. And if either of you ever lies to me or keeps something from me—this arrangement dies before it fucking starts.”

Luke doesn’t hesitate. “Agreed,” he says simply.

And just like that, we seal our fate with a silent understanding that speaks louder than words ever could.

Until he metaphorically rips my heart out. “You’d better speak to G. He is falling hard for her as well.”

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” I snarl, turning from him, running my hand through my hair. “Fucking hell! This woman is going to fucking kill me.”

“Isn’t that the best way to go out?” Luke asks and slips out before I can round on him and panel his face into disorder.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I mutter and continue chucking clothes in the bag. “It’s like whack-a-fucking-mole with mafia assholes around her.”

That’s exactly what this feels like, only the stakes are higher, and the moles are my closest allies.

I zip up the holdall with such force that I break the zip. My hands are shaking from pure, unadulterated fury. How the hell did we get here? Victoria weaving her way through each of our defences, entangling herself in our lives until the thought of her with someone else feels like a blade twisting in my gut.

I should be strategising, figuring out how to deal with G now that Luke’s dropped this fucking bombshell on me. But no, all I can think about is Victoria’s laugh, her fiery spirit, and the way she looks at me like I’m the only man in the world. It’s intoxicating—and fucking dangerous.

If G is falling for her, too, this just got a whole lot more complicated. We’ve dealt with rival gangs, corrupt police, and backstabbing traitors, but nothing—nothing—has threatened to unravel us like this siren who walked into our lives.

I grab the bag and storm out of the room and make my way downstairs where Victoria is waiting for me alone.

“Ready?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “All my stuff is already there.”

Meeting her gaze, I see her smirk and chuckle. “True. Let’s go. Those two can catch up.”

She nods, and I lead her out to the driveway, where I open the Porsche and throw my bag in.

“This yours?” she asks, barely able to hold onto her laugh.

“Yeah,” I growl.

“Nice,” she purrs and slides in.

With a half-smile, I slam the door closed behind her and get in, firing up the engine and driving the one minute around the campus to her place.