Lucius (Acquisition 4)

No, I have to let this whole vicious scene play out.

My hands are tied. That sensation I felt yesterday, the hopelessness, comes back with a vengeance. But I can’t drink another bottle of wine. Today, I need to be sharp. Because tonight is life or death.

My only question is, will Lucius see me as one of them?

19

Lucius

Little Teddy is already running around the front lawn when I pull up to the house. He stops tossing his football in the air and catching it when I get out of my car.

“Hey.” He comes over and hugs my leg. “Whatcha doing?”

“Just need to talk to your dad.”

“It’s early.” He backs away and tosses the football at me. It’s a lame duck throw, but I manage to catch it anyway and flip it back to him.

It sails past him. “Sorry, little man.”

“That’s okay.” He walks back to me. “Is this family business?”

I arch a brow. “Maybe.”

“Can I come?”

“To what?”

“To whatever sort of business we got.”

“You ready?” The front door swings open and Stella steps out. She’s got a crossbow on one arm and a rifle hanging on her other shoulder.

“Yeah!” Teddy runs over to her, family business apparently forgotten.

“Lucius.” Stella gives me a questioning look. “Everything all right?”

“All good.” I give her a salute.

She doesn’t look the least bit convinced. “I’ll find out when I get back, I guess. Come on, Teddy. Let’s go murder some bullseyes.”

“I’m going to hit all of them!” He follows her to the ATV waiting outside the garage.

I trudge up to the porch and inside. “Sin?”

“In the office,” he calls.

I meet him there and sink down on the leather couch.

“There’s no way this is good news. You showing up here on a Saturday morning. I’m guessing this is something you didn’t want to discuss over the phone.” He pushes back from the desk and laces his fingers over his stomach. “What’s happened?”

“Right on all points.” I kick my feet up on the desk.

He frowns.

“I spent the night with Evie.”

He closes his eyes. “Didn’t we just have a conversation about—”

“I didn’t fuck her … Yet.”

“You spent the night with her, but you didn’t fuck her? I’m going to need an explanation, though I can assure you I don’t want one.”

“I was doing recon because Tyrone had to follow another lead. Speaking of—” I pull out my phone to check for messages from him. Nothing. He’s been quiet since I sent him after the other tail. “Okay, yes, this is more bad news. Tyrone—I’m just spit balling here—is probably dead.”

“What?”

“He found out someone else was tailing Evie, so I told him to stick to them and let me handle her. When the guy took off, he followed. I’ve messaged him a few times, but I haven’t heard from him since.”

“He’s always reliable. Doesn’t bode well.”

I nod. “We should pour one out for him, I suppose.”

“Lucius, it’s nine in the morning.”

“You’re right. We should wait for at least ten. Anyway, I already know who we’re dealing with.”

“Beau Corrigan. You told me.”

“Yes. But there’s more.” I pull out my phone and hand it to him.

“This is a photo of Evie sleeping,” he says in an irritated monotone.

“Swipe left. Jeez.”

His eyes pop open a little wider as he reads the invitation I found in her dresser. She’d tucked it in there gently, like it’s a bomb that might explode at any minute. I suppose she had the right idea.

Sin moves the phone closer to his face. “Shit. That’s tonight.”

“Indeed it is. I’m going to swing by my place and pick up a tux, then head back to the city. I need to look dapper for this new foray into the Acquisition.”

He stays silent for a while, rereading the invitation. “It’s real.” He tosses my phone down and leans back, letting his head loll on his shoulders. “They’re really back. Fuck. We burned it to the ground, but here it is again. Like a goddamn weed.”

I can hear the fatigue in him, the worry. After all, he almost lost Stella to this fucked up cabal.

“I should’ve rooted them out when they came for Teddy. But I guess …” He sighs heavily. “I guess I was hoping that Leonard was acting alone. I should’ve known. I think I did know, but I couldn’t face it, not after what Stella went through. I’ll never let them touch her again.” His voice hardens. “They’ll never touch a hair on her head or the kids’. Not while I draw breath.”

“We have to stop this now. If we don’t, it could snowball. And if that happens—”

“They’ll annihilate us all on principle. Turnabout is fair play, I suppose.” He turns toward the sound of Renee and Rebecca giggling in the back den. “But I’ve never played fair, and I won’t start now. I have too much to lose.”

“Neither will I. I have a plan.”