34. Gianluca

Cian catchesher before she hits the floor. He picks her up and lays her down gently on the bed, her raven hair fanned out like a dark halo.

For a split second, the sight of her vulnerable form fractures something in me, but I push it aside. There’s no room for weakness, not now.

Brushing a loose strand of hair from Victoria’s pale forehead, her chest rises and falls in shallow breaths. This is more than just her confronting a ghost from her past; this is about bringing down one of the untouchables.

Cian kicks a nearby chair, his fists clenched tight enough to draw blood. “This changes everything. We need to be smarter, faster.”

Luke glances at Victoria’s unconscious form before fixing his gaze on us. “We tighten up. She is now on lockdown.”

Cian nods sharply. “Agreed.”

I look down at Victoria again. She trembles slightly, and I wonder what nightmares are chasing her behind closed eyelids.

“What do you know about Quinn’s arrival here?” I ask Luke without taking my eyes off her.

Luke pulls up an email on his phone and reads it aloud. “He was brought in for his extensive knowledge of Medieval warfare tactics—a guest lecturer for the next term.”

“What do you know about him?” Cian fires the question at me.

“Not much. We were meant to have a coffee yesterday to talk about Esteria, but he didn’t show up.”

“Well, that’s not suspicious,” Luke mutters.

“What time was the break-in?” Cian asks.

“Right after we left for Kellerman’s.”

“So, the asshole was waiting. If we hadn’t been here and she was alone in the house…” I trail off, trying not to let that thought play out.

“No,” Cian says. “He doesn’t want her to see him yet. He isn’t done playing with her. If she thinks the man who came here wasn’t Quinn, then this game has only just started. He’s not about to end it anytime soon.”

“Cat and mouse,” I mutter.

“Precisely.”

Luke’s eyes narrow, the ice in them chilling the room. “Then we become the fucking cat.”

“We make our move first. We draw him out.” My gaze flickers to Victoria as she stirs. She pushes herself up to sit with grim determination.

“No,” she rasps, interrupting our conversation and asserting her plan. “He wants me,” she states plainly, the truth of it slicing through the charged atmosphere. “So, I’ll give him just that.”

“Not a fucking chance,” Cian spits. “We aren’t using you as bait, not now, not with this.”

“I’m not,” she says coolly, meeting his heated gaze with an icy resolve of her own. “I’m the fucking lure.”

I step forward. “She’s right. He won’t expect her to confront him. It throws him off, messes with his plan.”

“We keep it contained,” Luke says. “Controlled environment, we pull the strings. Make him think he has the upper hand.”

A small smile plays on Victoria’s lips as dark satisfaction blooms at our rallying around her plan.

“We need eyes everywhere,” I state firmly.

“And backup,” Cian adds through gritted teeth.

“I want him destroyed,” Victoria utters coldly, every word a vow etched in acid.

I nod once. “Then that’s what you’ll get.”

Cian’s eyes are twin embers of fury. “I want every inch of BlackBriar covered. No blind spots.”

“Consider it done,” Luke replies evenly.

Cian turns to me, his suspicions still clawing at him. “Gianluca, you’ll need to reach out to your contacts. We might need resources beyond the university.”

I nod sharply. “They’ll be ready.”

“I’ll deal with Quinn.” Victoria’s voice is steady but low. She is deeply afraid of this man. There is something she is not telling us. Or rather, they. Cian knows as well. We should have all the cards on the table, but clearly, Victoria isn’t ready.

We all look at her, aware that she’s not asking for permission.

“Vic—” Cian starts, but she holds up a hand to stop him.

“No,” she interrupts with an authority that dares him to challenge her, born of her bloodline and forged in her own fires. “This is personal.”

Cian’s face hardens like set concrete, but there’s resignation in his eyes. “I know,” he murmurs.

Luke shifts beside me, his body language speaking volumes about his internal conflict – duty and desire at war.

“We set it up then,” I say firmly. “You confront him on your terms, but our setup. Best of both worlds.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asks, crossing her arms.

The tension in the room coils tighter, a live wire waiting to snap. A plan forms in my mind, one that exploits both the element of surprise and our meticulous control.

“We use one of the lecture halls,” I suggest with an edge to my voice, knowing that we must mask our true advantage. “Act like it’s just another day at the university.”

Cian’s jaw clenches, but he inclines his head slightly. “The one with the back exit. Easy to secure.”

Luke nods, his eyes calculating as he runs through security protocols in his head. “I’ll have cameras installed. There will be no blind spots.”

Victoria pushes off from the bed, her legs steady beneath her now. She paces a few steps, working through the layers of our strategy. “He’ll expect me to be submissive, afraid.” Her laugh is harsh, devoid of any real humour. “He’s in for a surprise.”

“And when he shows his true colours,” Cian adds darkly, “we strike.”

I glance at Luke and see the silent question in his eyes – how far will Victoria go? How much of herself will she expose to this man who had already taken so much from her?

“But first, I want to know who this other fucker is that is messing with me,” she says, firmly placing a downer on our plans.

“Does it even matter? He is clearly a puppet.”

“Yes, it matters. I want to know the name of the man whose guts I’ll rip out with my bare hands.”

“Fair enough,” I murmur. “Luke?”

“On it. Tomorrow, we will all leave together. I’ll circle back and won’t give any fucker the chance to?—”

“Not you. Me,” Cian interrupts.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Victoria needs you on campus.”

“Agreed,” Luke says.

I nod. “The three of us won’t split up. It makes no difference to me attending classes, but Victoria, you should keep up your routine. We will be with you every second.”

“Deal,” she says, danger flashing in her eyes.

“Get some rest now,” I murmur. “Luke, can you see if you can get anything off the mirror and clean it up?”

“I’ll stay with you,” Cian adds, climbing on the bed with her.

“We all will,” I add and climb on the other side with a lewd grin.

“Oh, fun times,” she says.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You need to rest. This has been a harrowing day.”

She looks like she’s about to argue, so I give her a stern glare, and she sighs. “Okay.” she slides down the bed to lay her head on the pillow and closes her eyes. I don’t know how long it takes her to fall asleep, but Cian and I don’t leave her side as Luke gets to work.