The drive to the old estate stretched like an endless corridor of silence. Lucas sat in the back of the car, his gaze fixed on the blur of trees flashing past the tinted windows. His men, Anton and Gregor, flanked the front seats, exchanging sparse words over the radio. Everything about the air carried a taut, brittle weight—the kind that warned storms were brewing.
Lucas rolled his shoulders once, loosening the knot of tension coiling there. He was no stranger to confrontation, but this one was different. Emily had always been a specter of Olivia’s pain, and Ellison was a threat whose face could charm while his hands built cages. Facing them meant facing the parts of Olivia’s past that had nearly destroyed her. And if Lucas failed, he knew he wouldn’t just lose a battle—he’d lose her.
B
