Chapter 114: Is One Kiss Enough?
"Lucas?"
My mind went blank. I didn’t have time to figure out if Jonas’s earlier actions were intentional. All I could think about was whether Lucas saw me hugging Jonas.
I desperately imagined all the ways he might not have seen it, but when my eyes met Lucas’s furious gaze, all my hopes shattered completely.
I knew there was nothing between Jonas and me, but I also knew just how possessive Lucas could be.
Not long ago, Oscar’s words echoed in my mind—Lucas was suppressing his true nature, and he could explode at any moment.
Lucas walked toward me, radiating an intense pressure.
I instinctively took a step back.
He stopped, forcing down his irritation. His calm expression hid whatever emotions were brewing underneath.
“Let’s go into the office first,” I said, my voice dry. “Why did you come so suddenly?”
“I got some new intel this morning,” Lucas replied, his tone neutral. It was the same thing Edgar had told me, but Lucas knew more details.
“Besides the Saunders family, the Golden Lions Crew and Copperhead Syndicate are planning to rob two other pharmacies at the same time.”
I thanked him, and then we stood face to face. The air between us felt almost frozen with silence.
I glanced at my watch and steeled myself to speak. “I’m taking my lunch break now. What about you?”
“I’ll wait until you wake up before I leave,” he cut me off, his tone flat but firm, leaving no room for argument.
I stared at his tense jawline, my heart racing. I couldn’t help but wonder if he might suddenly lose control and “explode,” while I slowly walked into the rest area inside the office.
I took off my coat and shoes, lifted the blanket, and lay down on the bed.
Lucas followed me in and sat on the edge of the bed.
I turned my back to him, closed my eyes, and tightly gripped the edge of my clothes under the blanket.
I could feel his gaze on me. I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but somehow, I slept deeply, even half an hour longer than my usual nap.
When I woke up, Lucas was gone.
Outside, a light rain was falling, and the sky was gray and gloomy.
“Did it thunder while I was asleep?” I asked Adrian.
“Yes!” Adrian held up three fingers. “Three times! One was so loud it felt like the sky was splitting open!”
I froze for a moment. In my half-awake state, I vaguely remembered a pair of hands covering my ears. So it wasn’t a dream.
I hesitated for a while but eventually pushed thoughts of Lucas aside and called Matteo to check on the progress of gathering information.
Even though it was a few days earlier than planned, Matteo explained everything he’d found out clearly. For the parts he hadn’t figured out yet, he honestly said, “I don’t know.” His straightforward attitude made me appreciate him even more.
Soon, the day of the planned pharmacy robberies arrived.
During dinner, I watched Lucas’s expression. He noticed and asked sharply, “What?”
“Can I borrow some of your people?” I asked.
I planned to completely destroy the bases of the Saunders family, Golden Lions Crew, and Copperhead Syndicate while they were busy robbing the pharmacies.
“I need a hundred people,” I said, looking into Lucas’s eyes, emphasizing each word. “To guard all the entrances and exits of the Chaotic Zone, to stop anyone from escaping and to scare off any other groups thinking of making a move.”
Lucas didn’t even flinch. He simply said, “Fine.”
At 1 a.m., the night was thick and dark.
Karen’s excited voice crackled through the radio. “The doors of all three pharmacies were smashed open at the same time. Alarms are going off!”
“Catch them!”
“Leave it to me!”
I had already made arrangements. Karen and Jonathan, along with their teams, were hiding in the three pharmacies. Once the intruders stepped in, there was no way out.
At the same time, I gave the order through the microphone. “Move out!”
As soon as I spoke, Cole and Adrian charged toward the large courtyard of the Saunders family’s compound, wielding modified heavy machine guns.
The sound of bullets tearing through the night was deafening.
The guards on the walls didn’t even have time to pull the trigger before their bodies were shattered, blood and flesh splattering across the walls.
The heavy iron gate was riddled with bullet holes. With a loud crash, it collapsed, kicking up dust mixed with the sharp smell of gunpowder.
Adrian and Cole cleared a path for me. I walked into the Saunders family’s courtyard at a steady pace. a big man wielding a machete lunged at me, but Adrian fired a burst of bullets, blasting a hole in the man’s chest. He fell to the ground, lifeless.
On the other side, Brian and James were just as aggressive in their attack.
I heard constant explosions and screams through my earpiece. Cries of pain mixed with gunfire, creating a chaotic symphony of death.
In the distance, flames shot into the sky from the bases of the Golden Lions Crew and Copperhead Syndicate, illuminating the crescent moon like a blood-red blade.
Everything was going even smoother than I had expected.
Brian whistled. “Golden Lions Crew, done.”
James reported, “Copperhead Syndicate, all captured!”
“Good job, thanks,” I said with a smile. At that moment, the four brothers of the Saunders family were brought out, their hands tied behind their backs.
Elliot, whom I’d met before, had a broken leg and was covered in blood, slumped on the ground like a dead dog.
I glanced at him briefly before looking away. Adrian jogged over and led me to the basement of The Saunders Manor.
A dozen people in ragged clothes were huddled together, their eyes empty. These were the ones who hadn’t been sold yet.
They were trembling with fear, their hoarse cries echoing in the basement. I took one look and stepped back out. “Let Matteo handle these people.”
Before dawn, the battle was completely over. I met up with Brian to count the spoils.
The Golden Lions Crew’s warehouse had fifty boxes of compressed biscuits and twenty barrels of drinking water—valuable stuff in the Chaotic Zone, but useless to us. I gave it all to Matteo.
Copperhead Syndicate had a decent stash of weapons: thirty standard handguns, five submachine guns, and two unopened boxes of ammo. Still, it wasn’t enough to cover what I’d used tonight.
Luckily, in a hidden room at The Saunders Manor, there was a small box of gold bars and over four million dollars in cash. Brian and I split it evenly.
As the sky started to brighten, I walked to the northern gate of the Chaotic Zone, still smelling of gunpowder and blood.
In a black sedan parked by the roadside, Lucas sat in the back with his eyes closed, resting. Hearing my footsteps, he opened his eyes and looked at me.
I had deliberately placed him on the outermost edge of the operation. From start to finish, Lucas didn’t complain once, as if he truly intended to hand over the entire Chaotic Zone to me.
He always valued power above everything, yet now he was willing to just stand by and watch. Why?
With mixed feelings, I walked to the car. He pushed the door open and gestured for me to get in.
“It’s over? Are you here to pay me?” he asked, looking up at me. His deep eyes swirled with emotions I couldn’t read.
I quietly wiped the sweat from my palms, my voice a little hoarse. “What kind of payment do you want?”
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze landing on my lips.
That look was too direct, filled with unmistakable aggression, making my chest tighten.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke in a low voice. “A kiss. How about that?”
I let out a small breath of relief, knelt on the seat, grabbed his collar with both hands, and leaned in to press my lips against his decisively.
The kiss carried the taste of smoke, gunpowder, and the metallic tang of blood.
I lightly sucked on his lip for a moment before pulling back, putting a safe distance between us.
“Is that enough?” I asked calmly, curling my slightly trembling fingers.
Lucas stared at me, his Adam’s apple moving again. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed the back of my neck, and pulled me close.
“Not enough!”
Before the words fully left his mouth, his kiss crashed down on me. Our lips and teeth collided, his domineering and fierce presence mixed with burning possessiveness, consuming me entirely.