Chapter 30 Leverage
The gunshot echoed across the waterfront, sharp and final.
For half a second, everything froze.
Lucy’s hands flew instinctively to her body—no blood, no pain. She was untouched.
But Lucas didn’t relax.
Because D’Angelo was smiling.
“Relax,” D’Angelo said calmly, lowering his hand. “That wasn’t for her.”
Lucas’s eyes swept the area. “Then who?”
A voice crackled through Lucas’s earpiece—tight, urgent.
“Boss… we’ve got a problem. One of the shelters. Emergency signal just went dark.”
Lucy’s blood turned to ice.
D’Angelo tilted his head, watching her reaction with interest. “You see, Lucy, while you were being very brave out here… I was reminding you that I always have contingencies.”
Lucas rounded on him, fury barely contained. “You touch one of those girls and I will—”
“You will what?” D’Angelo interrupted smoothly. “Kill me? That’s easy. Ending what I’ve built is harder.”
Lucas stood watching him, wanting nothing more than to swipe that smug grin off his face forever. Here was the man that was the leader, instigator and driving force behind all of this.
He was the reason no girl or woman was safe to be out alone and to see him stood there staring at Lucy really made his blood boil.
Lucy had to do something, she needed the information he had more than ever if she has any hope of finding Jessie and stopping this once and for all.
Lucy stepped forward before Lucas could stop her. “What do you want?”
Lucas’s head snapped toward her. “Lucy—”
D’Angelo’s eyes lit up. “Smart girl.”
He clasped his hands behind his back. “I want you to stop. Walk away. Shut down your operations. Convince your friends in law enforcement to redirect their attention elsewhere.”
'Was this guy for real' Lucy thought to herself and one thing didnt make sense, he could have killed her anytime he has been watching her.
Why didnt he
What did he gain of keeping her alive.
Was she becomjng leverage against Lucas and if that was the case would Lucas leave her as she was becoming a liability.
Her head hurt so much from all these thoughts, in the past all she had to think about was herself. Now she had Lucas to consider and that scared her more than anything.
Lucy’s heart pounded. “And if I don’t?”
D’Angelo smiled without warmth. “Then tonight, someone innocent pays the price.”
Lucas grabbed Lucy’s arm, pulling her back against his chest. His voice dropped, lethal and shaking. “You don’t negotiate with men like him.”
Lucy leaned into him slightly, grounding them both. “We don’t agree either,” she said quietly. “We stall.”
Lucas understood instantly.
Not all wars were to be won't with Guns and bloodshed.
“You think you’ve already won,” Lucy continued, meeting D’Angelo’s gaze. “That makes you careless.”
D’Angelo chuckled. “Confidence isn’t carelessness.”
“It is,” she said, “when you underestimate people who have nothing left to lose.”
For the first time, D’Angelo’s smile faltered—just a fraction.
Lucas spoke then, voice calm but deadly. “You gave the order to take the shelter offline. Which means someone had to be close enough to do it.”
D’Angelo’s eyes flicked—barely perceptible.
Lucy caught it.
“You didn’t plan this weeks ago,” she said. “You reacted. Which means your people are nearby.”
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance.
D’Angelo’s jaw tightened.
Lucas smiled grimly. “You should’ve left the city.”
D’Angelo stepped back toward his car. “This isn’t over.”
“No,” Lucy said softly. “It isn’t.”
D’Angelo disappeared into the sedan just as Bravata vehicles surged forward. Tires screeched. Engines roared. The chase was on—but D’Angelo vanished into the maze of the city.
Back at the safe house, Lucy sat on the edge of the bed, shaking now that the adrenaline was gone. Lucas knelt in front of her, hands firm on her knees, forcing her to look at him.
“Never,” he said hoarsely, “do that again without warning me.”
Her eyes filled. “I had to. He was using them. I couldn’t let him think he controlled me.”
Lucas pulled her into his arms, holding her like she might disappear if he let go. “You scare the hell out of me.”
She pressed her face into his shoulder. “You’re still here.”
“So are you,” he murmured. “That’s all that matters.”
After a moment, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “We’ll get the shelter back online. We’ll find his people. I promise.”
Lucy nodded, determination settling over her fear. “He showed us his hand tonight.”
Lucas’s eyes hardened. “And now we cut it off.”
They stared at each other, both deep in thought, both contemplating what comes next, for the girls, for the Bravata and for themselves.
She reached for his hand, squeezing it. “Whatever happens next…”
“I’m not losing you,” he said firmly.
A small, fierce smile crossed her lips. “Then let’s win.”