pte

me is

sharp polyester suits that Lucian wouldn't have used to wipe grease off a wrench. For the past twenty four months, Julian had been Georgi

ent he laid eyes on him two wee

stantly complained about the smell of flour sticking to his clothes, borrowed cash from her under the guise of "ga

he twins, tolerated him simply because she didn't have the emotional e

ashing down on a rai

ining session at the youth center, taking a shortcut through

s tracks. He grabbed Rayden's elbow and pulled hi

cale downtown lounge, was Julian's shiny black sedan.

man dressed in a tight red party dress. He was laughing, whispering in her ear, and kissing he

s fists clenched so tightly

taking an aggressive step forward

lding him back. Thanks to Lucian's steady lessons over

n't make a messy scene on the street where he can spin

artphone, his hands trembling

Click

s hand wrapped around the woman's waist, their kiss

dark with a cold, controlled fury.

t the bakery

lity bills, the soft click of an old calculator echoing through the ceiling boards. Downstairs, Lu

yden slipped through the frame. They didn't take off t

immediately. Rayden's jaw was clamped tight, his hands deep in his coat pocke

dangerously low as he stepped into t

aightening. "Upstairs with the electric bill. What h

lling his dripping hood b

lled his phone out, tapped the screen twice, and s

this," Ra

captured on the screen. He saw Julian-the cheap suit, the arrogant

edge of the phone until the plasti

room seemed to drop ten degrees as Lucian's eyes turned cold, lethal, and calculat

tone voice dropping into a low register that

told Georgie he was working late at the dealership to help pay for his

hours a day, skips meals for us, and he's out buying drinks for some girl downtown. We wante

d his lessons. They hadn't made a messy scene on the street where Julian could spi

y, setting the phone down. "A man who preys on a woman's kindnes

cracking slightly with raw emotion. "It's goin

ced a heavy, reassuring ha

ucian said firmly. "Georgia is stronger than you think. But she w

e front shop door chimed loudly, followed by

nter. "Hey, babe! Grab me a box of those chocolate tarts and twenty buck

la out onto the freshly swept floor. He wore his cheap suit, hi

stepped into the kitchen holding a pen and her ledger, wiping a stray strand of

on as his eyes swept over the twins, then landed on Lucian w

y, his voice devoid of any

phone from the stainless table and set

a look

Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Two large, silent tears tracked down her flour-dusted cheeks. She di

orgia's voice was barely a

o the air, his voice echoing loudly off the stainless-steel counter

pped her, but Julian kept pressing for

y. "Two years I chase after you, and what do I get? Nothing! You act like Mother Teresa! You're always too tired, always running around for your

her chest heaving as the words s

stepping right into her personal space, towering over her with veins bulging along his neck. "You don't smell like a

shoulder, his eyes dark with malice

r touch

ing with terrifying speed-wrapp

action of a second Julian didn't even realize he had been stopped. Then Lucian's

roat in a ragged, suffocating choke as his k

; it dropped into a register that was horrifyingly tranquil, carrying the weight of a man who

licked hair falling wildly across his forehead as he thrashed. But trying to mo

ied of Lucian; she was stunned by the sudden, terrifying authority rad

smoothly, his eyes never leaving Julian's pal

rames suddenly standing twice as tall in the shadow of the apex heir. They didn't

," Georg

anding straight and tall beside her brothers and Lucian, staring down

. Don't ever call me, don't ever stand on my street,

eezed just enough to keep him on his knees. "You're nothing! You're a broke ba

t-not enough to snap the bone, but enough to s

rp gasp as Lucian hauled him up by his collar with one arm, draggi

obblestones, and tossed his umbrella out after him. Julian landed hard in a muddy puddle, his chea

d, standing in the doorway, the rain cutting across his sh

, locking the brass deadbolt