REWRITTEN AS A VILLAIN.

PUT YOUR ENEMIES IN A RING

This couldn't be Thor retaliating. He definitely needs Lucian alive if he's risking positioning me inside his company. I still know he knows something. The sun had already set, and the streetlights were beginning to come on one after another. I didn't have much time left to sort things out.

I walked down the sidewalk, acting nonchalant toward the bodyguard and chauffeur. The car followed me slowly. The chauffeur rolled down the window to speak to me, but I turned away.

"Don't say a thing unless it's good news."

The car stopped. The bodyguard got out and grabbed my hand. "Ma'am, it's getting late." He held me firmly enough to stop me, but not enough to bruise my wrist.

"I'm waiting for someone. I have somewhere to be." I forced his grip loose and took two steps forward. Then I stopped, turned back, and opened the car door. Yes. He might have left something behind while I was busy getting distracted.

I searched through the car, checking the seat pockets, beneath the armrest, and under the seats before finding his tablet tucked neatly into the storage compartment beside his seat. Of course he would leave it somewhere safe. I took it out and tried to open it. Locked.

The bodyguard looked like he wanted to protest, but I gave him a look that shut him up. They're treating me like I'm fragile. They probably think I have something going on with Lucian. Orion Kade's call came through, i picked up immediately.

"I'm in town already," he said from the other end. His voice was different from the usual calm one. He was worried.

"I'll share my location." I sent it.

He hung up as soon as he received it. I held the tablet tightly and paced back and forth beneath the streetlight while waiting for Orion to arrive. He might know Lucian's password.

I know we stayed away because of the danger. I knew something was off from the start. We had to stay away until the police arrived. I just prayed Lucian would be Lucian and have planned ahead. I had already chosen a side. If he died, I would be standing on the losing one.

A black sports car pulled up beside me. The front window rolled down and Orion Kade was inside. He unlocked the passenger door.

I got in while checking the back seat out of habit. Orion wouldn't hurt me. I wasn't in his way on anything, and he didn't seem like the greedy type. Still, I stayed alert. He started driving. The destination on the navigation screen showed the police station. I didn't bother asking.

"Here's Lucian's tablet. He left it in the car. It might give us a clue," I said, turning it toward him.

He glanced at the screen,"That's his personal tablet, not the work one," he explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I thought as much. He was using it in the car before he got off. He's rarely on large devices, and he was smiling." I stopped. "Maybe it was someone close to him. That person might know where he is."

"You explain it as if you know him completely. Let's get to the police station first and see what we can find," he said.

I nodded, he was right. I'm acting like I know him outside of work. One dinner and a car ride, and suddenly I'm acting like I know what kind of person he is. I sighed and looked out the window.

We parked in front of the police station. We got out and walked inside. The glass doors slid open automatically, and a sudden wave of goosebumps spread across my body.

This is the last place I'd want to be. I feel like a criminal walking into a cell, i shook the thought away. It's not written on my forehead. Nobody will know.

Orion took over immediately, giving statements and signing documents. It turned out he knew far more about situations like this than I did. I stood beside him, watching the officers move in and out of different rooms, answering calls and carrying files.

They couldn't find Lucian, I swallowed hard before asking. "Did you identify the bodies?" orion looked at me, but I couldn't read his expression.

"Yes," the officer answered. "None of them matched the person you're looking for."

Thank goodness, the pressure in my chest loosened slightly. Orion finished with the paperwork, and we left the building. Lucian wasn't there,then where exactly was he?

"You didn't think Lucian died, did you?" Orion asked as he opened the car door.

"No." I hesitated. "No."

"The last thing they'd do is kill Lucian. His companies come first."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"All his known rivals have their eyes on his companies. Even if they got Lucian, it would still take days to acquire them. The explosion was just a show."

Thank goodness, he isn't dead.

"Hang on tight," Orion announced. The car accelerated hard enough to push me back into the seat, Orion wasn't saying anything else. He had a destination. He had a a clue.

I should have known better. The chauffeur and bodyguard weren't there to stop me. They were there to protect me. Lucian had planned ahead again. He knew everything before he stepped into that hotel, i opened my messages and sent a bait to Thor.

Lucian Blackwood's life and companies have been targeted by unknown groups, you have a rival.

Thor will strike within minutes, let's put all the enemies in the same ring.