76
ORION
“How is he?” Lucian stands with his back to me, shoulders bunched tightly as he watches over the unconscious, beaten form of Cassian Chernykh.
I remain in the doorway, silently waiting for acknowledgment with Aurora’s sweetness lingering on my tongue. What a woman. I take it as a compliment that she fell asleep almost immediately after orgasm. I knew all she needed was a moment, one moment where her mind was completely free, and her body was overrun with pleasant sensations and sleep would come.
“Honestly?” Ester pinches the bridge of her nose. “A hospital would be best for Cassian. They could do a lot more than I can do here.”
“Do you need equipment?” Lucian lifts his head and I glance at the various machines dotted around the room.
“Nothing that we might need can be brought here,” Ester replies. “We have good equipment but only because he remains stable. If there are any complications, then I urge that you bring him to a hospital. Until then, we will do what we can.”
Never did I think I would be standing here watching Lucian do everything in his power to keep Cassian alive. We’ve been bitter rivals for almost two years now, yet he lies here getting the best treatment dirty money can buy.
His face remains sallow and pale, covered in bruises that mark most of his body like ink. The moment he arrived here, it became clear that the majority of his injuries didn’t happen from the accident, but it left a dangerous question lingering in the air.
How the hell did this happen?
“Thank you, Ester.” Lucian clasps her frail shoulder and squeezes. She smiles brightly and pats his knuckles, then she slips from the room and winks at me on the way past. My chuckle brings Lucian’s attention to me and he sighs deeply.
“How is Aurora?”
“Sleeping.”
“Good.” Lucian sighs again. “Good.”
“Talk to me, boss.” Walking forward, I stop at the foot of Cassian’s bed. There are more wires and machines here than I can ever understand. I’m trained to take lives, not save them. “Why are we doing this? Why work so hard to save someone that wouldn’t even piss on you if you were on fire?”
Lifting one hand, Lucian kneads at the back of his neck. “Aurora. Given her unfortunate involvement, I can’t put that kind of guilt on her shoulders. She’s not part of this and I don’t want her thinking she’s killed someone. We both know what that does to someone and she is just too…” He trails off.
“Too sweet?”
“Exactly. She’s not part of this world, so she shouldn’t have to carry the same weight we do. So, we will take care of this fucker until he wakes up and she can see that he’s alive. After that?” Lucian puffs out his cheeks. “Fuck knows.”
Moving closer, I scan over Cassian. This close, it’s easier to see how shallow his cheeks are and how his collarbone protrudes more than expected. Not only is he beat to all hell, but he clearly hasn’t eaten in a while. What catches my attention the most, however, are the unusual scorch marks across his pecks.
Marks I recognize.
“He was tortured.”
“Hmm?” Lucian’s head snaps up.
“Look.” I briefly touch the burns, mapping them out across his pecs and down to several small, circular incisions across his rib cages. “These, all of these. He was tortured. And recently too, although some of these are turning pink. Couple of weeks, maybe?”
“How can you tell?”
I lift my head and stare over the top of my glasses. “Prison, remember?” It’s not a topic I like to bring up, not even to the man I dedicate my life to protecting. The scars run deep.
Lucian’s head dips once in a silent apology. “Of course. So, the poor fucker was tortured and then what. He escaped and came here? That doesn’t make sense. This would be the last place he’d be welcomed with open arms.”
“Or he was let go,” I point out.
“In our backyard?”
“Yeah. Think about it, he’s the head of one of the major families. Or he was, at least before Oleg took a dive. He’s been doing everything and anything to stay relevant, including ending up pretty high on our shit list. Then he just happens to turn up here all fucked-up? It’s got to be some sort of plot for sympathy or some shit. Bet he didn’t factor in Aurora though.”
“I’m not known for sympathy,” Lucian remarks. “Given our last altercation a few months ago, he should have known the only thing waiting for him here was a bullet to the skull.”
“Except you didn’t factor in Aurora either,” I smirk lightly. “I’m just saying, him turning up here can’t be good. Either there’s some fucked-up shit going down that we’re not in on, or he’s desperately trying to get close to you to stick the knife in.”
Not that I’ll let him. I’ll take a bullet and more to protect Lucian. I owe him my life, and no fucker—no matter how pathetic they might look—is getting close enough to harm him.”
“Maybe.” Lucian falls silent, one hand pressed to his mouth as his brows come together. Deep in thought, the silence is broken only by the beep of the heart rate monitor and the occasional scrape of fabric as he walks back and forth.
Despite my reservations, I'm on board with keeping Cassian alive long enough to soothe Aurora. She’s far too sweet to face anything this dark. Initially having someone from the outside around here was something I’d been heavily against, but she’s grown on me.
Helps that she’s gorgeous.
“No one can know he’s here,” Lucian decides. “I don’t care what happens out there but until he wakes up, no one can know.”
“Understood. Although …”
Lucian glances at me. “Out with it.”
“Aurora. You said it before; she’s not part of this world, and she already tried to call the cops once. I’m not saying she’s a full liability, and she might be too scared to talk to anyone, but if the guilt gets too much for her…”
“She might turn herself in.” Lucian sighs, shaking his head hard enough for a few curls to fall across his forehead. “Fuck. How was she when you were with her? Was there any indication she’d try to reach out to someone about this?”
“Uncertain.” It’s impossible to keep the smirk from my face. “She was having a lot of trouble sleeping but I helped with that.”
“Did you fuck her?”
His question is sharp. It'd almost be threatening if I didn’t know him so well.
“No,” I reply easily. “But I did taste her and she was divine. Why, are you jealous?”
Lucian rolls his eyes and his tense stance relaxes a fraction. “I don’t get jealous. I get even. Besides, you’re a mere appetizer compared to the meal I provide.”
“Ouch.” Pressing my hand to my chest in faux hurt, a snort of amusement rises while I follow Lucian out of the room. “She was out like a light when I was finished.”
“Because your technique was so boring?” Lucian glances at me with one arched brow and I laugh.
“You are jealous.”
An elbow to the ribs is my only reply. With just a glance, two guards take up position outside of Cassian’s room, and together, we head for the main staircase. Already, the world is turning pink with sunrise outside the large windows lining the hall, and tiredness teases at the edge of my mind.
“I know you want to keep this a secret, but how do you plan to keep Cassian and all of this a secret from your father?” Vincent Hawthorne has one of the bloodiest reputations in Bratva history and he’s never once been able to let things go. It was a stroke of luck that Lucian was able to take control when he did, but it’s an open secret how much Vincent hungers for the throne he once had.
“He won’t find out,” Lucian remarks, hurrying down the stairs.
“If he catches wind that the enemy is under your roof, he won’t let that slide,” I warn him. “You know how long I’ve suspected he still has people on his payroll here.”
Reaching the next floor, Lucian takes a turn toward Selene’s room and sighs deeply. “I know, and I appreciate your concerns. I’ll make sure that only men vetted by either one of us are allowed up on the third floor. No one else. And if he finds out then…”
We pause outside Selene’s room and Lucian reaches for the handle, but he doesn’t enter.
“We will keep this quiet for as long as we can. With Ester, the chances of recovery are high. In the meantime, I want you to do some digging. Find out what’s happening in the Chernykh pipeline. Surely they’ve noticed their Pakhan is missing. If they suspect us, even slightly, I want to get ahead of them.”
I nod. “Understood.”
Lucian steps into Selene’s room and then pauses, turning to face me.
“One more thing.”
“Sir?”
“Don’t let Aurora out of your sight.”
“Understood.”
