Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lucas knew he wasn’t breathing, but at that moment he wasn’t sure if he remembered how to. The most inexplicable feeling rose up within him as he stared in wonder at what lay before him.
Himself. Everywhere.
Drawings and paintings alike, the art decorated nearly every inch of the room and Lucas couldn’t look away.
Kara had painted him. She’d drawn him. Luc’s throat was dry. She turned him into her art.
“Wow…” whispered Justin from somewhere behind him.
Lucas said nothing, only stared. God, it was like looking in a freaking mirror. She was amazing. His Kara was so goddamn amazing and all Lucas wanted to do at that moment was tell her so.
He wanted to tell her a lot of things, Lucas decided, staring at a portrait of himself. He would tell her how amazing she was first, then he’d tell her what an ass he was and how sorry he was and he had to… he totally had to tell her how much he loved her.
He spun around, his heart swelling from so much pride and love for Kara, that it nearly embarrassed him by bringing up a blush.
“I need to find her,” Lucas stated, looking at Raphaël who was staring, gobsmacked, at the art that decorated the room.
“You really do,” he agreed.
Lucas sighed and pulled out his phone.
“Kara doesn’t have a phone,” said Justin.
“Why not?” Luc and Raphaël asked in unison.
Justin shrunk back and shrugged a little. “I don’t know…she didn’t want one. Said they’re easily traceable and not worth their trouble.”
Luc’s mouth went grim. Kara was still afraid of being traced. Damn, when he got her back, he’d make sure to rid her of every bit of fear.
“I need to find her,” Luc murmured and began walking quickly towards the elevator.
“Perhaps, she’s gone out already!” called Justin and Luc whirled around on his heel.
“Where to? You let her go wandering about in New York?”
Justin paled. “No! I’d never… she…lunch date…”
With his eyes narrowed to grey slits, Lucas pinned Justin with a look that made the younger guy want to jump out the nearest window.
“With who?” demanded Lucas.
Justin inched back again and opened his mouth to respond when the elevator doors swished open.
Justin audibly gasped.
Luc turned around so fast, he was almost a blur. But it wasn’t Kara.
“Christian?” said Lucas with a raised eyebrow. “What the devil are you doing here, are you stalking us now?”
Christian Knight tugged on his suit and playfully rolled his eyes.
“Oh, yes, Lucas, I’m madly in love with you and must follow you everywhere to quench my thirst.”
“Woah,” murmured Raphaël with a chuckle and Luc shook his head.
“Tough luck, Christian. I’m only here for one person.”
“Me too.” Agreed Christian with an excited twinkle in his eye. “Justin, would you get me Miss Kingsley, please?”
Justin cringed, watching Luc’s face and noting the exact moment it began to darken from fury.
“What business do you have with Miss Kingsley, Knight?” demanded Lucas darkly.
Christian glanced at him in slight surprise. “Uhrm… we have a lunch date, Lucas. I promised to show her around New Y…”
“That won’t be necessary,” Lucas said sharply, cutting Christian off.
He was being a dick, he knew it, but damn it if he could help it. Christian wasn’t the devil, but he wasn’t a saint either and he looked, to Luc, like he wanted to sink his claws into Kara. That wasn’t happening on Luc’s watch.
The mere thought of Kara wrapped in Christian’s arms, staring into the guy’s perfect prince charming blue eyes…it made Lucas want to set the entire world on fucking fire.
“I don’t understand, Lucas,” said Christian with a shake of his head. “Do you know her? I know Raphaël was the one who put her on the plane, but… ”
Luc scoffed and rubbed his beard. “Do I know her?”
He took a step toward Christian who stiffened to stop himself from stepping back. Lucas looked deadly at the moment and if Christian ever wanted to end their friendly business relationship, this wouldn’t be the way he’d want to do it.
“Do I know her?” Luc repeated. “I know her…I know her well enough to know that she’s the woman I’m spending the rest of my life with. I also know that if you don’t back off, Knight, so help me God…”
“It’s okay…” interrupted Christian, putting his hands up. Kara seemed very intriguing, but he still had a life to live and getting killed by Lucas Cartier was not on his bucket list. “It’s fine… I’m gone.”
Lucas visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering slightly from raised defensive state.
Christian sighed and stepped back, grateful when Justin suddenly took center stage.
“Okay, but if Mr Cartier is here and Mr Knight is here… and Kara isn’t in the house, where could she be?” asked Justin, getting worried all over again.
Kara had to be safe, if something happened to her, he’d be the one getting his head chopped off.
Justin’s thoughts were confirmed when all three men turned to look at him with narrowing eyes and raising brows.
“W-why are you all looking at me?!” he asked.
This was it. Kara was going to get him killed.
“Because I put her in your care,” said Raphaël calmly.
Justin nodded frantically. “Of course, of course, I-I’ll find her, just give me a minute. Maria!”
A little lady dressed in a maid’s uniform came bustling from around the corner with a duster in her hand.
“Justin! What’s wrong?” she panted in worry.
“Where’s Kara?” he asked.
Maria squinted. “Her room? I’ll check.”
She hurried off to check the room before Justin could respond and a few seconds later she returned, still out of breath.
“She’s gone, I think.”
Luc’s face fell. “What do you mean, ‘gone’?”
Maria shrugged apologetically. “Her back pack isn’t there, sir. She only had her own clothes, the pair of pajama’s and the back pack. Her own stuff is gone.”
Raphaël frowned darkly. “My question is why the hell you let her go and wander about on her own?! In this city?! Do you know what could happen to her? Come on, guys.”
Justin was practically frozen, trying not to tremble.
Raphaël questioned his staff, but Lucas wasn’t listening.
Kara wasn’t just a brilliant painter. That woman knew how to run.
And that was what she had just done.
She ran.
“Raphaël, leave it,” he said quietly and Raphaël turned to him. “She’s gone. We’ll look for her, but if we don’t find her, wherever she is, she’s fine.” Lucas turned for the elevator. “That girl is a fighter.”
The doors opened and he stepped in, followed by Raphaël and Christian.
The elevator was quiet all the way down to the ground floor.
Luc’s mind was chaos itself. Had Kara known that he was coming? Had she run away from… him?
The thought hurt him in a way that Lucas had never believed he could be hurt.
But he pushed it aside for now, he had to at least look for her.

********
Kara’s eyes focused on the cat underneath the park bench.
“Pss pss pss pss…” she called to it. The fluffy snow white cat looked at her with eyes of suspicion.
“Come here, kitty…” she called, aware that she probably looked crazy, but not really caring. She really liked cats. And dogs. And just about every animal. Except for reptiles, they were creepy.
The moment the cat pranced fancily over to where Kara was sitting cross-legged on the grass, it plopped down before her and meowed.
Kara distracted herself with the cat for a few moments, but kept her eye on the road near the park. She didn’t want to miss a taxi. She had somewhere to go and by God, she’d get there.
Her thoughts strayed to the art filling the office room back the penthouse and she bit her lip. How would Lucas feel if he saw all of it, she wondered. Would he be creeped out? Kara shook her head. She didn’t think he would. He might even love it… or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Well, the thought of him seeing it gave her the jitters, so she was glad she’d never have to know. Well, at least for now.
Kara spotted a blot of yellow in the distance, weaving its way through the traffic and she quickly got up. She’d take this taxi.
“Bye bye, Snowy!” she called to the lovely cat, who certainly had strayed from some rich lady’s apartment, but Kara didn’t have time to look through lost and founds.
The cat meowed in response and Kara was on her way, clutching her backpack tightly and waving madly at the taxi.
Luckily the driver saw her and slowed to a stop by the pavement.
With a huge smile, she got in.
“Gee, thanks, Mister!” she said with the biggest smile she could give him, hoping he’d take her the whole distance to where she wanted to go.
The driver tipped his hat at her. “Where to, miss?”
Kara smiled and pointed ahead. “Just drive straight, we’ll come along my way.”
With a turn of the key, they were on their way and Kara felt the first beginnings of peace fill her heart. She was doing this.