Chapter 56: Love & War

Elias felt the shift the second Harper’s words hit the air. The room went still, thick with the kind of silence that wasn’t empty it was waiting. Lila’s body tensed beneath his touch, her breath halting, her fingers curling into the sheets like she needed something to hold on to, something to keep her from unraveling. Her sister. Julian had her sister.

Elias’s jaw clenched as he sat up, the heat between them dissipating in an instant, replaced by something colder, something sharper. He knew what was coming. He had seen it before, the way Lila turned pain into fury, the way she became something terrifying when the people she loved were taken from her. She exhaled sharply, swinging her legs over the bed, reaching for her clothes, her movements precise, efficient too controlled.

“Where is she?” Her voice was steady, but Elias knew better. Harper hesitated. “We don’t have a location yet. But we will.” Lila yanked her shirt over her head, her fingers shaking just slightly as she strapped on her weapons. She wasn’t afraid. She was furious. Elias moved then, reaching for her wrist, stopping her. “Lila.”

She didn’t look at him. “Don’t.” His grip tightened. “Look at me.” She did. Finally. And what he saw in her eyes made his chest ache. Rage. Fear. Desperation. The kind of emotions that got people killed. The kind of emotions that turned battle into something personal. “We’ll get her back,” Elias said, his voice low, firm, certain. “But not like this.” Lila’s breath came sharp, uneven. “You don’t understand.”

Elias exhaled slowly. Of course he did. He had felt it when their daughter had been taken. The same helplessness. The same all-consuming need to destroy anything in his way. But this? This wasn’t about war. This was about keeping her from breaking. He stepped closer, his hand sliding from her wrist to her waist, pulling her against him, grounding her. “I understand more than you think.” Lila’s lips parted, her breath hitching as his grip tightened. “Elias” He didn’t let her finish. He kissed her.

Hard. Deep. Not just to distract her, but to remind her. She gasped into his mouth, her hands flattening against his chest, gripping his shirt, pulling him closer even as her body trembled against his. She was unraveling. And he wouldn’t let her. Elias pulled back just enough to whisper against her lips, his breath hot, controlled. “We do this together.” Lila swallowed hard, her fingers tightening in his shirt. “Together,” she echoed, her voice softer this time, less frantic. Elias exhaled, resting his forehead against hers. “I won’t let him take anything else from you.” Lila closed her eyes for a moment, her breath shaky. “I can’t lose her, Elias.” “You won’t.”

She nodded, but he could feel the tension still coiled in her body. The need for violence, for vengeance. And that was fine. Because he would be right beside her when they tore Julian apart. The location came two hours later. Harper dropped a file onto the table, her expression grim. “We found her.” Lila was already standing before the words left her mouth, reaching for her weapons, her body thrumming with purpose. “Where?” Harper exhaled. “Warehouse. Dockside.” Elias grabbed his gun, checking the magazine, his movements controlled, precise. “How many men?” “More than we expected.”

Lila smirked. “Not enough.” Harper sighed. “You two are impossible.” Elias glanced at Lila, watching the way she strapped a knife to her thigh, the way her hands flexed, ready to take a life. God, she was lethal. And he loved every inch of her. He stepped closer, reaching out, catching the edge of her belt, tugging her toward him. Lila stilled, her breath catching as she looked up at him. “What?” Elias’s fingers grazed her skin beneath the strap, slow, deliberate. “I need you steady.” Lila smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m always steady.” Elias studied her, then leaned in, his lips grazing her ear. “Liar.”

Lila shivered. Elias grinned. “Don’t break on me now.” Lila’s fingers curled around the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, her lips brushing his. “Then make sure I don’t.” And damn if that wasn’t the only invitation he needed. He kissed her again, slower this time, but just as deep, just as consuming. Because this wasn’t just about need. This was about survival. About reminding her that she had something to come back to. Lila exhaled into his mouth, her hands sliding up his chest, curling around the back of his neck, holding him there, keeping him close. “Elias.” He broke the kiss, his lips still grazing hers. “Yeah?”

Lila swallowed hard, her voice barely above a breath. “Don’t die tonight.” Elias smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” The warehouse was dark, the scent of salt and rust heavy in the air. Elias moved silently, Lila at his side, her breath even, controlled. She had flipped the switch. The softness from earlier? Gone. Now she was just a weapon. Harper’s voice crackled in his ear. “Two guards outside. Five inside.” Elias nodded once. Easy. Lila moved first, her blade flashing in the dim light, her movements precise, deadly. One guard down. Then another. They slipped inside, weaving through the shadows, moving toward the faint sound of muffled voices. And then a scream.

Lila froze. Elias caught her wrist before she could run. “Wait.” Lila’s pulse pounded against his fingers. “She’s in there.” Elias exhaled. “We do this right.” Lila swallowed, nodding, barely keeping herself from breaking. They moved fast, silent, taking down the men in their way until they reached the locked door. Lila didn’t hesitate. She kicked it open. And there she was. Her sister. Tied to a chair, bruised, blood smeared across her temple. Julian stood beside her, smirking. “Took you long enough.” 

Lila’s gun was up before he could move. Julian laughed. “Easy now. Wouldn’t want me to do something reckless.” Elias stepped forward, his voice calm. Deadly. “Let her go.” Julian tilted his head. “Or what?” Lila’s hands shook, her breath ragged, the fire in her eyes barely contained. Julian smirked. “Go ahead. Shoot me.” Elias exhaled slowly, his grip tightening on his gun. Something was wrong. Julian grinned. “Or did you think this was that easy?” Then an explosion. The room shattered. The heat, the force, the sound it all blurred together as Elias felt himself thrown backward, the world tilting, the air stolen from his lungs. And the last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him whole Lila. Screaming his name.