r eyes quickly adjusted to

the wet concrete. He looked Serena up

e one of your legs," Rick chuckled. "But lookin

processed their height, weight, and cen

her right knuckles. She bent her knees slightly, dropp

He lunged forward, reaching hi

. She prepared to pivot

white light explo

e darkness like a knife. The intense l

mouth of the alley. The tires shrieked agains

nds over his eyes

ed suits poured out of the Maybach. They

ck walls. Within three seconds, all four thug

of the Maybach

to the dirty water. The murderous aura rolling o

ng on the ground. Lucas looked down at

and brought his heel d

rough the alley. Even Serena bli

is guards. His voice was devoid of an

air around him, yet when his eyes found hers, something shifted-the killing intent receded, replaced by a quiet, almost cli

t. The fabric still carried his body heat and the sharp scent of cedarwood. He draped it over her shoulders wi

he said, as if that

outh to speak. "I h

no condescension. Just a flat statement of fact. He had seen her

room for argument. He guided her toward the open door of the Maybach, one hand rest

er shoulder at him. "

." He didn

wed right behind her. The door clicked shut with a h

the soundproof partition. The

dim ambient lighting cast har

loser around her chest. "I

nt, his dark eyes unreadable. Then he reached over to the built-in console and presse

uckles,"

A thin line of blood traced across her fingers. She reached for the kit, but Lucas was alrea

murmured, cleaning the wound. His voice was low and even. "I saw yo

ng, who had just crushed a man's hand under his heel, was now dabbing ant

d," she said. "

ormance in the club." His thumb paused over the back o

his otherwise neutral tone. He said the name Gregory Foster the way

inked. "A

. He finished wrapping a thin bandage around her knuckle

een them. The silence stretched. He stared out the tinted win

her wounds-rested on the leather seat betwe

at it. Her c

fusing to break the qui

his eyes. He reached out, and his rough thumb brushed a smudge of dirt from her che

said. "But that doesn't mean you

heekbone, warm and rough. She could smell the cedarwood on his sh

His lips hovered

spered, his voice barely a br