CHAPTER 13 - THE TRUTH HE BURIED
1938 Words
“Found you.”
The words froze the air inside the underground chamber.
Amara stared at the man standing beyond the steel doors, her heartbeat slamming violently against her ribs.
She knew him.
Not from now.
From before.
From the broken fragments of memory trapped inside her mind.
A tall figure standing near flames.
A gold ring on his finger.
Blood on the floor.
And those eyes.
Cold.
Merciless.
Lucian moved instantly.
His arm shot out in front of her, pushing her slightly behind him as his gun lifted toward the doorway.
The stranger beside them cursed quietly and pulled his own weapon.
The man at the entrance smiled wider.
“Well,” he said calmly, stepping fully into the room, “this reunion feels emotional.”
Amara’s stomach twisted painfully.
Lucian’s voice dropped low.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
The man laughed softly.
“And miss seeing her remember?”
The words hit Amara sharply.
Remember.
Again.
Always remember.
Her head suddenly throbbed.
Pain flickered behind her eyes.
Lucian noticed instantly.
“Amara.”
But before she could respond—
Gunfire exploded.
Chaos swallowed the chamber immediately.
Lucian fired first.
Precise.
Deadly.
The men behind the stranger scattered as bullets slammed into concrete walls.
The underground room erupted into smoke, shouting, and violence.
Lucian grabbed Amara’s wrist hard.
“Move!”
He pulled her down behind a steel table as bullets shattered glass nearby.
Amara’s breathing turned uneven.
Too much noise.
Too much confusion.
The stranger from earlier fired beside them calmly, like this kind of chaos was routine.
The man at the doorway remained standing.
Watching.
His eyes never left Amara.
Like he didn’t care about the bullets flying around him.
Lucian noticed too.
And suddenly his expression changed.
Dangerously.
Protectively.
“Stay down,” he ordered her.
Then he stood again and fired toward the entrance.
The man finally stepped back behind the steel doors.
But not before speaking again.
“She remembers more than you think.”
Then the doors slammed shut.
Silence didn’t follow.
Gunfire still echoed outside.
But the direct threat was gone.
For now.
Lucian turned back to Amara immediately.
“You hit?”
She shook her head quickly.
“No.”
His shoulders loosened slightly.
Only slightly.
The stranger beside them smirked faintly.
“You look terrified every time she breathes too hard.”
Lucian ignored him.
But Amara noticed.
Everything now felt different.
Every touch.
Every look.
Every silence between them carried meaning she hadn’t understood before.
Lucian crouched in front of her.
Dark eyes locked onto hers.
“We have to leave.”
“What’s happening?” she asked breathlessly.
Lucian hesitated.
And that hesitation scared her more than the gunfire.
“That man knows who you are.”
Cold spread through her chest.
“I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Something painful flickered across his face.
“You do,” he said quietly. “You just don’t remember yet.”
The stranger walked toward the computer screens nearby.
“We don’t have time for emotional conversations. They’ll breach the second entrance in minutes.”
Lucian stood immediately.
Decision returning.
Control returning.
He reached for Amara again.
“Come with me.”
This time, she didn’t pull away.
Because despite everything—
Despite the lies—
Her body trusted him before her mind did.
And that terrified her.
They moved quickly through another corridor behind the chamber.
Long.
Dark.
Narrow.
Emergency lights flickered overhead as distant gunfire echoed behind them.
Amara stayed close beside Lucian.
Too close.
Close enough to feel the heat radiating from him.
Close enough to notice the tension in his jaw.
The anger in his silence.
“You know that man,” she said quietly.
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
Lucian kept walking.
“A ghost that should’ve stayed buried.”
“That doesn’t answer anything.”
“No,” he agreed. “It doesn’t.”
Frustration flared inside her again.
“You keep doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Giving me half-truths.”
Lucian finally stopped walking.
He turned toward her slowly inside the dim tunnel.
“Because the full truth destroys people.”
The intensity in his voice made her heartbeat slow.
“Did it destroy you?”
Silence.
Then—
“Yes.”
The honesty caught her off guard.
Lucian stepped closer.
Not enough to touch her.
Enough to overwhelm her anyway.
“You think I’m dangerous because of what I do,” he said quietly. “But the truth is…”
He stopped himself.
Again.
Amara swallowed hard.
“What?”
His eyes darkened.
“The truth is I became dangerous because of you.”
Her breath caught instantly.
Lucian looked away immediately after saying it.
Like the confession escaped accidentally.
Like he hated himself for it.
The stranger behind them muttered softly, “You two really choose terrible moments for this.”
Lucian ignored him again.
But Amara couldn’t ignore what he’d said.
Because every wall between them felt thinner now.
More fragile.
And every time he looked at her—
It felt personal.
Dangerously personal.
Another explosion shook the tunnel.
Closer this time.
Dust fell from above.
The stranger cursed.
“They’re gaining ground.”
Lucian grabbed Amara’s hand again.
Warm.
Firm.
Protective.
“We move now.”
They continued deeper underground until the tunnel finally opened into a hidden elevator shaft.
Amara frowned.
“There’s an elevator underground?”
Lucian pressed a code into the wall panel.
“There are many things you don’t know about this city.”
The elevator doors opened instantly.
Inside was another armed man waiting.
He nodded at Lucian immediately.
“Sir.”
Lucian stepped inside first, pulling Amara with him.
The stranger entered last.
The doors shut.
For the first time in minutes—
Silence.
Real silence.
Amara finally exhaled shakily.
Then noticed blood on Lucian’s sleeve.
Her stomach tightened instantly.
“You’re hurt.”
Lucian glanced down briefly.
“Not mine.”
But there was tension in his expression now.
Fatigue.
Pressure.
Something heavier.
Amara stared at him quietly.
Then before thinking—
She reached for his arm.
Lucian froze instantly.
Completely.
Her fingers wrapped around his wrist gently as she inspected the blood.
His eyes stayed fixed on her face the entire time.
The elevator suddenly felt too small.
Too intimate.
Amara became painfully aware of how close they were standing.
The heat of his body.
The roughness of his hand beneath hers.
The way his breathing slowed slightly when she touched him.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither looked away.
The stranger sighed dramatically behind them.
“I’m trapped in an elevator with unresolved tension and armed psychopaths.”
Lucian’s gaze never left Amara.
“Be quiet.”
The stranger smirked.
Interesting.
Amara slowly released Lucian’s arm.
But the moment her hand slipped away—
His fingers caught hers.
Softly.
The movement shocked both of them.
Lucian looked down at their hands briefly.
Then back at her.
Something shifted in his eyes again.
Something dangerous.
Something warmer than either of them wanted to admit.
Amara’s pulse raced.
“Lucian…”
The elevator suddenly stopped.
The doors slid open instantly.
Reality returned all at once.
Lucian released her hand immediately and stepped out first.
Control again.
Distance again.
But the feeling remained.
Heavy between them.
The new location looked nothing like the underground chambers.
This place was modern.
Luxurious.
Quiet.
A private penthouse hidden above the city.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked glowing lights below.
Amara blinked slowly.
“You brought me here?”
“It’s secure.”
The stranger laughed softly behind them.
“Nothing involving her is secure anymore.”
Lucian ignored him.
Again.
He walked toward a bar near the windows and poured himself a drink.
But Amara noticed something strange.
His hand tightened slightly around the glass.
He looked calm.
But he wasn’t.
Not really.
“You’re scared,” she said quietly.
Lucian’s eyes lifted to hers immediately.
“I’m careful.”
“No,” she whispered. “You’re scared.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then finally—
“Yes.”
The answer shocked her.
Because Lucian Kane never sounded afraid.
Until now.
“What scares you?” she asked softly.
His gaze held hers completely.
“You remembering.”
The words settled heavily between them.
Amara’s heartbeat slowed painfully.
“Why?”
Lucian walked toward her slowly.
Every step deliberate.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
But not in the way that frightened her anymore.
Now he felt dangerous in a completely different way.
Emotionally.
He stopped inches away from her.
Close enough that her breathing faltered.
“Because when you remember,” he said quietly, “you’ll remember what I did.”
Cold spread through her chest.
“What did you do?”
Lucian stared at her for a long moment.
Like he was fighting himself.
Then—
“I chose you over everyone else.”
Her brows pulled together slightly.
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
Frustration flashed instantly.
“No more riddles.”
His jaw tightened.
“You want the truth?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
Lucian looked away briefly.
Then finally—
“The night of the fire…”
Amara’s pulse spiked.
“You weren’t the only person inside that house.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“What does that mean?”
Lucian’s expression darkened painfully.
“It means I could only save one person.”
Silence.
Total silence.
Amara stared at him.
“No…”
Pain flickered across his face again.
And suddenly—
She understood.
Her breath caught sharply.
“There was someone else.”
Lucian closed his eyes briefly.
Once.
Then nodded.
Amara’s stomach twisted violently.
“Who?”
Lucian looked at her again.
And for the first time since meeting him—
She saw guilt.
Real guilt.
The kind that never leaves a person.
Then quietly—
“Your brother.”
Everything inside her stopped.
“No.”
His voice lowered.
“The fire spread too fast.”
Amara shook her head immediately.
“No.”
“I tried—”
“No!”
The word broke out of her painfully.
Lucian stepped toward her instantly.
But she moved back.
Shock crashed through her body violently.
“You let him die?”
The question shattered the room.
Lucian’s expression darkened.
“I chose to save you.”
Tears burned instantly behind her eyes.
“You chose?”
Pain crossed his face again.
“There wasn’t enough time.”
Amara’s breathing became uneven.
Broken.
“He died because of you.”
Lucian froze.
The words hit him.
Hard.
But he didn’t defend himself.
Didn’t argue.
Because somewhere deep down—
He believed it too.
Amara stepped back again.
Heart breaking.
Mind spiraling.
Everything she thought she understood had shattered again.
Lucian watched her carefully.
Like he already knew this moment would destroy everything between them.
And maybe it did.
Because for the first time since meeting him—
Amara looked at him and didn’t know whether to hate him…
Or collapse into his arms.
Then suddenly—
A loud gunshot exploded from somewhere inside the penthouse.
All three of them froze instantly.
Lucian turned sharply toward the hallway.
Another shot echoed.
Closer.
Then—
A woman’s scream tore through the silence.
And Lucian’s expression changed immediately.
Pure rage.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
But before Amara could respond—
A bloody man stumbled into the room.
Terrified.
Shaking.
And behind him—
A familiar female voice whispered softly—
“Hello, Lucian.”
Amara’s blood turned cold.
Because Lucian looked horrified.
And Lucian Kane never looked horrified.
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