38. Luke

Surroundedby all the monitors and lab equipment that takes up most of my room, I glare at the screens. I haven’t slept, but I feel like I can’t. The minute I close my eyes, shit will go down and we’ll be fucked up the ass with a red-hot poker. The BlackBriar campus is quiet right now, but soon, it will be filled with students and professors going about their days. Meanwhile, we are on the hunt for a stalking bastard who is threatening our girl.

“Not on my watch.”

“Hey.”

I turn to see Gianluca loitering in the doorway. “What’s up?”

“Brought you some coffee.”

I wrinkle up my nose. “Is that the knock your block off stuff you drink?”

He snorts and shakes his head. “No, so be fucking grateful I lowered my standards just for you.”

Smirking, I take it, grateful for the rocket fuel. I need to be alert and on point.

“Anything?”

“Apart from this Christopher Mullen lad, nope.”

“Did Victoria tell you anything about him?”

“Not really. Just said it was a deal of her dad’s that went sideways.”

Gianluca gives me a searching stare, his eyes shadowed by something that might be guilt or worry, or probably both. They always said too many cooks spoil the broth, but in this case, too many lovers means thin fucking ice, and we were skating on it together. One crack and we all go down.

“We need to protect her. She’s?—”

“Yours,” I snap. “She’s mine as well, but she’s Cian’s first and foremost.” That fact is like a noose around my neck.

He doesn’t lash out at me, though; he knows better. “She’s all of ours,” he says, “but that’s not what I was going to say. She’s scared. She won’t show it, but I can see it.”

The monitors flash as I track any movement related to the townhouse or Victoria’s usual routes on campus. I have to keep my head in the game; I can’t afford to let thoughts of her get entangled with the mess we’re dealing with.

I set down the mug. “We need more intel on Mullen. Whatever his role in his sordid game is, he has a purpose.”

Gianluca nods. “I’m going to start looking into his financials and anything that might give us leverage.”

“Good. Play dirty, go deep. No fucking mercy,” I say with venom in my voice. It’s a game of predators and prey, and I’ll be damned if Victoria ends up even more hunted than she already is. My brief but thorough deep dive on Quinn, which seemed more imperative than Mullen, dragged up some shady shit. Seriously shady. This guy is bad fucking news. He is the guy you don’t see coming. All genial and noble blood, with his tweed jacket and easy-going nature.

Then, like a cobra, he strikes, taking down everything in his path, regardless of any consequences.

It’s no wonder Victoria is afraid of him. But she has us now, and we won’t stop until this fucker is dead.

“You coming?” Gianluca calls out as he leaves. “Normal day, remember.”

“Yeah, give me a sec. Need a shower.”

“Five minutes.”

“On it.” I run my hand across my face, trying to scrub away the exhaustion clawing at my skin. There’s no time for tiredness. I finish the coffee in one long gulp and force myself to stand and move to the bathroom.

The water’s hot enough to scald, steam rising in thick clouds. I let it run over my tired body, scrubbing away the grim determination that sticks to my skin like a second layer of filth. But I’ve got a role to play – the watcher, the guard dog. Cian trusts me, and I can’t let personal shit get in the way. That’s how you lose focus. That’s how you lose everything.

I step out and dress in record time, choosing dark clothes that don’t stand out—a bastardised uniform for this twisted game we’re caught up in.

When I catch up with Gianluca in the entrance hall, his face is drawn, tight like a knot before it snaps. “The inside cams are here,” he says. “Do you need help?”

“Yeah, the quicker, the better. Find strategic locations, yeah?” I gather up a few boxes and start unpacking as I glance around, spotting the perfect places to position them. In the shadows, above doorways, anywhere Quinn or this other fucker could lurk unseen. That’s where we need eyes.

Gianluca nods, and we set to work with a kind of ruthless efficiency that only comes from shared necessity and barely contained fury. Each camera clicks into place like a confirmed kill in our minds, another step toward fortifying our defences. There’s no room for fuckups now; we’re on the edge of a precipice, and one wrong move could see us all tumbling into the abyss.

Pulling my laptop out of the bag I brought downstairs, I place it on the side table and get to work, hooking each one up in turn.

The screens flicker to life, each new camera feeding in a clearer image of our interior. I scan through each one twice to make sure the Wi-Fi is stable. This isn’t paranoia; it’s fucking survival.

“Status?” Cian asks, coming into the entrance hall with Victoria from the kitchen.

“All good.”

Cian’s face is set in a hard line as he studies the screens, his fingers tapping on the table beside me. “We’ll have to do regular checks,” he says.

“Yeah, apps on my phone, but don’t forget, I’m turning back around once we leave here. Whoever is watching won’t see me circle back.” I glance over at Victoria, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and her pale complexion. She looks like she hasn’t slept properly in days, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.

Cian’s gaze is still fixed on the screens before him when he says, “We need to find out who this other player is. I don’t like being blind.”

“We’ll find him,” Gianluca says confidently from his spot by the door.

“We have to.” Cian turns to face us both, his expression determined. “This game has gone too far, and we need to take control before Victoria gets hurt.”

The strain in the room is a beast, ready to pounce. Victoria is silent, the fear she is trying to hide mingling with determination in her eyes. She’s a fighter, a warrior queen, but even the strongest have breaking points.

I nod to Cian, feeling that familiar itch of anticipation and dread as we prepare to leave. “We’ll get this sorted.”

Victoria’s gaze flickers to mine, and for a second there’s a silent understanding. Then she moves, picking up her bag and heading for the door. We fall into step, a protective formation around her as we exit the townhouse, just like any normal day.

The air bites with an early morning chill as we walk down the driveway and cross over the road to the sprawling campus in front of us.

Cian murmurs something in Victoria’s ear that has her nodding stiffly. I feel a stab of envy—I want to be the one she trusts implicitly. But it’s not about me. It’s about protecting her, keeping her safe from whatever fucked-up game we’ve been dragged into.

We are all on the same page about her. Keep her safe or die trying. It’s a promise I intend to keep.