Chapter 15 Something breaks open
Lucas didn’t let go of her.
His hands stayed on Lucy’s shoulders, warm and unyielding, as if he needed the contact to convince himself she was real and alive.
His breath was sharp, uneven — he was losing the careful control he always held like a second skin.
“Lucas…” she whispered, unsure whether she meant to calm him or pull him closer.
He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once before turning back to her, fury and fear warring in his eyes.
“I told you not to go anywhere alone,” he said, voice low and ragged.
“I told you.”
“I didn’t have time.”
She motioned toward Sarah, still trembling against the fence. “She needed me—”
“And I need you alive,” Lucas snapped.
The words froze her.
He realized what he’d said a half-second later — jaw tightening, breath stopping — but he didn’t take it back.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“You should’ve called me.”
“You’re not responsible for me.” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it wavered. “This is my fight.”
“Then it’s my fight now too.”
“Lucas—”
“No.”
He cupped her face gently but firmly, his thumb brushing her cheekbone. “You don’t get to shut me out of this.”
Her breath hitched.
“I don’t want you dragged into—”
“Lucy.”
His forehead touched hers, the contact soft and devastating.
“I walked in the moment I met you.”
Her heart stuttered so violently she thought it might break.
He closed his eyes briefly, as if trying to steady himself.
When he opened them again, the anger was gone — replaced with something deeper.
Something hard and protective and impossibly tender.
“You could’ve died,” he whispered.
“I didn’t.”
“You almost did.”
His hand slid to the back of her neck, warm, anchoring her in place.
“And I would’ve burned this entire city down trying to reach you.”
She swallowed hard, her throat tight.
Her resolve — her walls — cracked.
“Lucas…” Her voice trembled. “I didn’t call you because I didn’t want you hurt.”
He laughed softly — not with humor, but disbelief.
“I’m not afraid of getting hurt.”
His thumb brushed her jaw, slow, tracing her skin like it grounded him.
“I’m afraid of losing you.”
Lucy’s knees went weak.
For a moment, neither of them breathed.
The world around them — the rusted train cars, the distant traffic, the trembling girl behind Lucy — all disappeared.
Just him.
Just her.
Heat spiraling between them.
Sarah sniffled, reminding them of reality.
Lucas drew in a sharp breath and pulled away, not fast, but with painful reluctance.
“Get Sarah,” he said gently. “We’re taking her somewhere safe.”
Lucy nodded and knelt beside the frightened girl.
Lucas stayed close, eyes scanning the area, fury simmering under his skin like a promise.
Lucy bent down to Sarah and encouraged her to get up from crouching down, trying to be invisible.
Sarah clung to Lucy. “Is he… is he safe?”
Lucy glanced back at Lucas.
He stood tall and lethal, gun still holstered but ready, his gaze sweeping the shadows like he owned them.
She gave a small smile.
“With him?” she murmured. “You’re safer than you’ve ever been.”
Sarah nodded, trusting her instantly.
Lucas moved closer, lowering his voice. “My father has a secure house where we protect witnesses and families. Sarah can stay there.”
Lucy stiffened. “You want me to put her under Bravata protection?”
“I want her alive,” he said simply.
“That’s what we do.”
She studied him — the sincerity in his eyes, the steel in his stance — and something inside her shifted.
“Okay,” she said softly. “Let’s take her.”
Bravata protection, wow her life had changed so much, no longer giving the girls money and telling them to run as far as they could. Lucas had changed so much for her, his protection not only for her but now also for Sarah, his resolve to bring the traffickers down.
She couldn’t deny how attracted she was to him and not just how jaw stopping handsome he was but also how surprisingly caring to the right people. What that meant for them, she had no idea, she knew she had to protect her heart and nothing could get in the way of her mission to stop the traffickers and find Jessie. She would never be swayed from that.
Lucas touched her lower back, guiding her gently toward the car.
Not forceful.
Not possessive.
Just protective.
But when his hand slid away, Lucy felt the loss like a cold wind.
As they walked, Lucas leaned in slightly, voice a whisper against her ear.
“You don’t get to scare me like that again.”
She swallowed, shivering as his breath brushed her skin.
“Then stop following me,” she breathed.
He smirked — dark, warm, devastating.
“Not a chance.”
And for the first time…
she didn’t want him to stop.