Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lucas

I was held for a little more than twenty-four hours before being released—which is a full twelve hours longer than it usually takes McKnight to sort shit out. He’s been doing this for decades, and this isn’t the first time he’s gotten a Sacred Son off on a murder charge.

McKnight meets me at the Sheriff’s Station, and we walk out into the dark parking lot, where his car is parked.

I rub my wrists where the handcuffs bite into my skin. “You’re getting slow, old man,” I say.

He unlocks his brand-new luxury car and scowls at me. As we get in, he says, “Most of my cases don’t have my client on video committing the crime.”

“That’s surprising,” I say. “There are cameras everywhere nowadays.”

The engine roars to life, and he glances at me with a scowl as he turns to back out of the parking space. “Yeah, most people are smart enough to avoid cameras when they’re murdering someone,” he bites out, annoyed.

I raise a brow. “So what happens now?”

When they released me, the police didn’t explain shit. They just pulled me out of my cell, tossed my clothes at me, processed me, then let me go.

“I don’t know, you go back to doing whatever the fuck you do, I guess. The charges have been dropped.”

I reel back, shocked. “How the fuck did you manage that?”

He shrugs as we pull out onto the main road. “It’s the weirdest thing, but that video just… disappeared.”

I nod slowly. “Hm, interesting. Every copy?”

“It hadn’t been processed yet, so yeah, there was only one official copy.”

“How convenient,” I say, glancing out the window. My thoughts stray to Wyn like they always do. What does she know? Or maybe the better question is—what does she believe? “And the witness?”

He looks over at me and laughs under his breath. “Yeah, don’t worry about August. He won’t be a problem.”

I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’m curious as fuck. “He recanted?”

McKnight shrugs again, pulling up to Rush House. “More or less. He’s been discredited. There’s evidence that he was somewhere else at the time he claims he was at the train tracks.”

It’s probably fabricated evidence, but I’m not complaining.

I pop the car door open. “Thanks, McKnight. I appreciate you, man.”

“You’ll appreciate me less when you get my bill,” he says. “But do me a favor…”

“Name it.”

“Don’t knock anyone off for a while,” he says. “You’re under a microscope now. You so much as sneeze the wrong way, and they’ll throw your ass back in jail.”

I smile. “I can’t promise anything.”

He points at me, and I slam the car door shut. He peels away, and I walk up to the house. Inside, it’s quiet. More quiet than usual. I walk into the living room and find Roman and Christian playing pool. They turn to see who walked in, shock registering on their faces when they see it’s me.

“Lucas!” Christian rushes over to me and pulls me into a hug, slapping my back. “What the fuck? They released you?”

Roman walks up and slaps me on the back, too. “Goddamn. Did they drop the charges or what?”

“Yeah, apparently there wasn’t enough evidence to charge me,” I say shrugging. “They lost the video, and no video, no crime, I guess.”

“McKnight said the victim on the tracks was connected to Shadow and Ash,” Roman says. “Did you know that?”

“Nah.” I shake my head. “I found out when you found out.”

“So both the witness and the victim were connected to Shadow and Ash?” Christian shakes his head. “Well, isn’t that a fucking coincidence?”

“You said it,” I reply.

“Just tell us one thing, Lucas. Was the video real?” Christian asks.

I look at my brother, who’s watching me intently, waiting for some kind of explanation for all of this. And I know I owe him one, but right now, all I can think about is Wyn. I need to make sure she’s safe.

“Listen,” I say, turning my attention back to Roman. “I’ll tell you guys everything, I swear. But right now, I need to check on Wyn.”

Christian nods once. “Sure, yeah. I get it.”

“Has anyone spotted Gabriel?” I ask.

Christian shakes his head. “We have security at Wyn’s place, just in case he shows up. And we have people out there looking, but there’s been no sign of him.”

I nod, my fists clenching. “Cool, let me know if you hear anything. I have a feeling he won’t stay hidden for long.”

Gabriel is a showman. He thrives on attention, and there’s no fucking way he’s going to hole up for more than a week or two. But he knows I’m pissed, so he’s going to wait until I calm down before poking his head out. What he doesn’t know, is that there’s no cooling off when it comes to him hurting Wyn. The second he pops up, however long that takes, his ass is mine.

Roman points at me, holding his pool cue. “You wanna join us? We can start a new game?”

“Nah, thanks. I’m fucking exhausted,” I say, glancing around. “Where is everyone?”

“Uh, Jackson put the kibosh on people coming over for a while,” Christian says. “We all agreed it just didn’t feel right with everything that was going on.”

“Respect.” I push out a breath. “I’m taking a shower, then crashing.”

As I leave the room, though, the absolute last thing I’m thinking about is a fucking shower. Wyn is on my mind— always —and I’m itching to touch her. My blood is buzzing, and I feel like a junkie that hasn’t gotten a fix in days.

As I head upstairs, I pull my phone out of my back pocket and immediately send a text to Wyn. I could drive to her place now—assuming that’s where she is—but I really should take a shower first and wash the grime of that jail cell off my skin. She’d probably appreciate that.

When I get up to my room, I jump into the shower quickly—thinking about Wyn the whole fucking time. I consider rubbing one off in the shower, but I’d rather pump my load into Wyn’s warm, welcoming body, so I don’t.

When I get out and towel off, I reach over and check my phone. No text. It doesn’t even look like she’s read my message, which is strange. Instantly, my heart kicks into overdrive. The guys said they hired security to watch her place, but…fuck, what if Gabriel managed to get past them?

Drying off quickly, I throw my clothes and shoes on, grab my shit, then leave. Halfway down the hallway, I remember her apartment key, so I double back and grab it from my nightstand, then head out again. My car is parked in the driveway, and I get in, peeling out into the road.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I should have had McKnight drop me off at her place.

The drive to her apartment usually takes ten minutes from Rush House, but tonight, it only takes me five. I park, and get out, slamming my car door shut. As I walk up to her door, I see a former Navy SEAL standing at attention right outside. He’s a guy we’ve used many times before.

“Is she home?” I ask.

He nods once. “She hasn’t left the apartment since yesterday.”

I swallow. “Any visitors?”

“One female, light brown hair, medium build, five-foot-six. She arrived yesterday, and left three hours later,” he says.

Lux.

With a clipped nod, I knock on the door. Nothing. No sound from inside.

My gaze slides to the former Navy SEAL. “You can go,” I tell him. “I’ll take it from here. Grab your guy from the back.”

He hesitates at first, but ultimately nods, and walks around the building to call his comrade off. I wait until I see both men walk to their van, and drive off. Turning to the door again, I pull the key from my pocket and slide it into the lock. Opening the door, I step inside.

Wyn is on the bed, facing me, her back pressed against the wall—and she looks terrified. After everything that’s happened, she probably thinks I’m Gabriel. But as her eyes adjust to me, that fear doesn’t fade…

“Wyn,” I say, stepping forward. “Why the fuck weren’t you answering me? I was worried…”

She scooches off the mattress, and stands, facing me. But the look of sheer terror on her face is what I still can’t reconcile. Her gaze darts around the room like she’s looking for an escape…or a weapon.

The fuck?

“Wyn…” I say, taking another step toward her. She flinches, but her back is to the wall, and she can’t go anywhere. She looks like a trapped animal. “What the fuck is going on? Why are you acting like this?” I ask.

Then it dawns on me. Someone must have told her what I was charged with. Why I was arrested. Of course, they did. Information spreads like wildfire around here.

“The charges were dropped…” I say. “I’m good now. They don’t have enough evidence to charge me…”

When that doesn’t wash away the fear on her face, I know I’m fucked. She knows more. Only a handful of people are aware of the surveillance video, but that’s enough. One of them obviously got to Wyn.

I push out a breath, my heart flopping around in my chest like a landed fish. “Whatever it is you think you know, Wyn…let me explain.”

She shakes her head. “You need to leave.”

I tilt my head back and laugh at the absurdity of what’s happening right now. I can’t fucking believe this. After everything that’s happened between us, this is it? After finally finding peace with her, she wants me to just walk away? Nah, I can’t accept that. I won’t accept that.

If it were any other chick, then sure. Who cares, right? Wet, willing cunts are a dime a dozen. But with Wyn, I do care. I care far more than I should.

Another step forward. Her studio is small, so I’m only a couple of steps away now. “I’m not leaving, Wyn. We both know that.”

Her throat moves as she swallows, her body plastered against the curtains that are pulled across her French doors. “Did you do it?”

My eyes narrow. Okay, well, that confirms it. Someone told her what was on that video. Fuck.

But I play stupid because I need to know what she’s been told. “Did I do what, Pretty Thing?”

“Don’t call me that,” she says stiffly, but at least she’s still talking, so I’ll take it. “And you know what I’m asking you.”

I advance again. Now I’m only a few inches away. I could reach out and touch her, and I itch to do just that, but I manage to keep my hands at my sides, balled into fists. “Do you think I’m capable of murder?”

She’s wearing gray sweatpants and a white tank top, her hair a mess around her shoulders. It looks like she hardly slept last night, and yet, she’s still the most irresistible girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. All I’d have to do is tug on that low neckline, and her bouncy little tit would pop out. That pretty pink nipple would beg for my tongue. I know it would.

“I know you’re capable of it,” she answers.

Smart girl. Of course, she knows. The Sacred Sons have a duty to protect the Burning Crown at all costs, and that’s no secret within our very tight-knit community. It’s an unpleasant reality, but necessary.

“So what does it matter, then?” I ask with a smirk. “You know what I am, Wyn, and yet, none of that seemed to matter when my cock was buried inside you…”

With one more step, I have her hemmed in. Her flowery scent surrounds me, and I find myself pulling in a deep breath. My cock swells, and my balls grow heavy. If talking doesn’t help, then I can always fuck the fear away…

“You’re so fucking evil…” she says, her voice trembling. “I’ve always known it, but somehow I allowed myself to forget…”

I lower my head, and brush my lips across her flushed cheek. She stiffens. “Then let me help you forget all over again…” I whisper.