KILLIAN
The holding cell was half-empty. It was cold. Uncomfortable. Mildly interesting.
I’d never made it this far before. Usually our family attorney, Vincent Romano, got me out before I’d been printed. Who knew how many favors we’d paid for so that my record remained spotless?
Maybe they ran out. Or maybe Romano was at his mistress’s place and failed to answer Grandfather’s call. Just my poor luck.
No ink stains on my hands. All computerized now. That was another surprise.
Shifting on the metal seat, I looked down and saw the cuts and scrapes on my knuckles. They’d swell up soon and then my hands would be clumsy things, incapable of even tying my shoes.
Oh well. That was the price one paid when defending a goddess’s honor.
Of all the fights I’d had, this was the first one I didn’t regret. Or, not as much as the others. Something good should’ve come out of it at least. Thinking of Lucy pricked the dispassionate state I’d adopted since being cuffed.
Her pale and frightened face bothered me more than I’d like. It didn’t take much to deduce she felt my sorry situation was all her fault.
It was and it wasn’t.
I shouldn’t have let Carter get as far as he did. Stupid bastard. Fucking drunk. Jealous asshole. Suicidal prick. One day someone was going to run his ass over and he’d die in the streets.
Still, he crossed the line and deserved the stomping he got. Carter should’ve known better than to fuck with me and mine. Too bad things escalated faster than I could contain them.
We were trading words, as usual. It was our way. Talk shit and then move on. Instead, I brought up Gisella. Bad move. Carter went ballistic, then pulled Lucy into the alley, and then…
Then came Lucy.
Even now she still shocked the hell out of me. I knew Little Lucy had to have a past, but I never expected to see her prove it in a street fight. That whirl of legs and arms didn’t seem human. Lucy’s feral nature didn’t mesh with the soft-spoken, considerate young lady I knew her to be.
The way she took off her heel and used it as a weapon…I’d never look at stilettos the same way.
Then it all went sideways.
Carter pushed Lucy down and from that point on he was fucking doomed. It didn’t matter that it was in self-defense. If I wasn’t so damned intent on kicking the shit out of him, I would’ve probably offered to keep Jorge as my driver and just make Lucy my bodyguard.
She was incredible. Fierce. Ready to fight till she dropped.
But all of that went away as soon as the police showed up.
Lucy’s face drained until she was as white as my shirt. Her body shook like a leaf in a storm. Her gaze darted about, as if looking for a way to bolt out of there. One didn’t run from the police, but Lucy was seconds from running.
And from the way her hand reached for my wrist—she’d had no intention of leaving me behind.
Poor girl. Sweet but stupid.
There was no reason why she should’ve joined me in the back of the squad car. One idiot was enough.
Damn but this seat was cold. The room too.
Tonight did not end how I planned. Obviously.
Right now the plan was supposed to be Lucy and me naked in bed. She would’ve been bouncing on my cock while I sucked on her luscious tits. Then I’d have Lucy on her hands and knees, opening up her pretty pussy for my tongue.
I would’ve taken her against the wall, the floor, in the shower. On and on we’d go until I filled up a wastebasket full of condoms before dawn.
Fuck. Even jail couldn’t stop my dick from getting involved.
Down.
But because it all went to shit, there was no mind-blowing sex followed by sleep and brunch if I was being nice. Which I never was but I had a feeling Lucy would’ve inspired something different.
If she hadn’t dropped the marriage bomb followed by her platinum V-Card.
Damn, but all that talk of marriage should’ve had me packing Lucy off into the first car I saw before picking up a girl or two or three. Instead, I actually imagined getting close enough to Lucy that I’d make her my wife.
Lunatic.
Now I was here.
No Romano yet. No Grandfather.
No Lucy.
At least one thing went right tonight.