Lexi
The message on both our phones felt like a death sentence. I stared at the words until they blurred, my hands trembling around my phone.
"This isn't happening," I whispered, more to myself than to Lucian.
"We need to call the police," Lucian said, his voice tight with controlled anger.
"No!" The word came out sharper than I intended. "You don't understand. If we involve the police, people I care about will get hurt."
Lucian leaned forward, his dark eyes searching my face. "What people? What aren't you telling me?"
I wanted to lie again, to keep pretending that I had everything under control. But sitting in this dingy diner at two in the morning, with death threats on both our phones, the facade finally crumbled.
"My father," I said quietly. "The man I met here tonight was Ethan
