Lucian watched her disappear into the apartment complex and used every bit of his will not to rush out of the car and go after her. His jaw ticked as he fought back his rage. She was gone and there was no promise of getting her back. Never before had he regretted being a man of his word.
His mind went back to that horrible day last December. Evelyn had been missing for two weeks and the temperature had dropped to arctic levels, the city practically shut down by a blizzard. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire life. Then his fortune changed and he had likely made a deal with the devil himself in order to find her.
Parker had been sleeping outside of the shelter, which had been condemned, doors closed and leaving the homeless without shelter during the worst storm of the decade. Lucian was at his mercy and the other man knew it, took pleasure in it.
Parker had looked like shit when Lucian found him. There was no warm welcome as Lucian approached him on that horrid morning.
A rattling cough preceded his sardonic greeting. “Well, well, if it isn’t prince charming. She’s not here. No one is.”
Dropping all underlying disinclination, Lucian looked at him with all the humility he possessed. “Do you know where she is?”
The other man glared at him for a moment, clearly taking his measure. Lucian poured all his worry and concern into the space between them, and Parker sighed. “No. I don’t. I haven’t seen her in three days.”
Three days. That was something. Eleven days less than the time that lapsed since Lucian had seen her.
“Where was she?”
Parker’s lips pressed tight into a thin, silent line between the scruff of his beard.
“I want to help her, Parker. I swear it. I . . . I care for her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to be found.”
Lucian hesitated a moment, then leveled with him. “Look, I know how you feel about her. I could let her go and give you my blessing, but you and I both know I can offer her more. If you really love her, let me help her. Help me find her. Please. I swear I only want to do right by her.”
When several minutes passed and Parker said nothing, Lucian figured he wouldn’t help. Then he surprised him by saying, “You hurt her.”
“I did,” Lucian admitted.
“I don’t know what you did or said. Scout has a habit of fixing everyone else’s problems and not letting anyone help her with her own. What I do know is that whatever you did, it hurt her bad. Scout doesn’t cry and you changed that.”
Guilt and shame cut through him. “I’ll make it right,” he vowed more to himself than to anyone else. “Please just help me. I’m begging you here, Hughes.”
Parker smirked. “Not something a guy like you does often, I imagine.”
“You’ve got me. I’m putting it all on the table. My hands are tied here. I’ve been driving around for days searching for her. I’m out of ideas. You have an idea of where she might be. What do I have to do to get you to help me?”
The other man’s lips pursed and his green eyes jerked away, then back again. He exhaled noisily. “Fine. You want to help her? Well, I don’t trust you. Guys like you don’t do anything without an ulterior motive. Scout needs . . . stability. She’ll do anything to get it. Problem is, she associates stability with money.”
“She’s right.”
“Says you. Judge me all you want, but I want to see you fail. However, if you fail so does she, and that’s not what I want. I want her to have the life she’s after. I want to see her keep a good job, have her own home, and never have to worry when she’ll eat next.”
“I can do all that for her. That’s the plan.”
“Ah, but I won’t see it.” Parker stood and Lucian noticed him limp slightly. No matter how strong he pretended to be, it was obvious his circumstances left him quite weak. “You’re an audacious fellow. I have a proposition for you. I’ll take you to her, but I want to be there when she gets everything she wants. I want to see all those dreams of hers come true. I want a job. You give me a job and I get back on my feet. At that point, you give me a fair shot at her. I’m not saying right away. I’ll need some time. But when I’m ready, I say the word and you back off and give me a fair shot. One month where you don’t interfere.”
Not a chance.
Lucian learned a long time ago how to act unaffected during the negotiations stages of a deal. “She may have a problem with that, you realize. Evelyn doesn’t like being maneuvered without her feelings being considered.”
“Then I suppose we both lose.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed. Patient Parker had a very shrewd side to him. Something told Lucian the other man had no problem letting him walk away and never telling Evelyn he was here. Every hour of cold made a difference. This wasn’t a situation where one could wait out the other.
It would backfire on Parker, of course. Lucian never broke his word once given, but Parker would somehow break the deal on his own. There was something about the kid that didn’t stem from growing up on the streets. Something . . . informed, innate. Once he’d secured Evelyn, he’d find out exactly who Parker Hughes was.
“Okay, Hughes. You’ve got yourself a deal, but let me give you some free advice. One, she’ll eventually find out you only agreed to help her after securing your own chance at gaining something, and I give you my word I won’t be the one to tell her this. Two, she won’t like it when she does find out. Three, I haven’t gotten where I am today by giving in easily. A challenge is just that to me. And four, I always get what I want.”
“Keep your fucking advice, Patras. All I’m interested in is a job and your word.”
“You have it.” Lucian extended his leather-clad hand.
There was one other condition, however. All bets were off if Lucian got Evelyn to agree to be his wife. Never in a million years had he expected she’d shoot him down.
The anger boiling up inside of him surpassed regret. He couldn’t regret agreeing to let her go. His promise likely saved her life.
Now he was indebted to the asshole. Perhaps he even owed Hughes credit for saving Evelyn’s life. Knowing that made it impossible for Lucian to back out on their deal.
He’d given his word in exchange for finding her. She was worth his honoring his vow. The only silver lining was that in thirty days Parker’s true colors would likely shine through, and Evelyn would see once and for all what a prick the man truly was. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to quell the horrible thoughts running through his mind.
What if she chose him? What if she loved Hughes and never really loved Lucian? What if he’d lost her? It took every ounce of willpower Lucian possessed not to say fuck all and go get her, but he’d made such a disgrace of their relationship in the past twenty-four hours that there would be no reasoning with her now. Their path had been set, and he had thirty agonizing days to survive before he could put things back to right.
He reminded himself that if he hadn’t promised to let her go for one month, he never would have found her. Swallowing hard and pushing down every instinct to go after her, he gripped the armrest of the limo door until it practically ripped off the car.
Dugan climbed behind the wheel and rolled down the privacy screen. His chauffeur didn’t quite understand what was happening. A loyal employee from the start, Lucian didn’t know how to feel about Dugan’s now sour attitude. It wasn’t his business, but the man clearly had come to care for Evelyn, because there was no mistaking the disapproval in his eyes.
“To the hotel, sir?” Dugan asked coldly.
“No.”
The chauffeur tipped his head in surprise in the rearview mirror and waited.
“Drive to Leningrad.”
Dugan’s brow rose beneath his cap, surprise evident on his face. It had been months since Lucian had any doings with Leningrad Enterprises, but at the moment he had some pressing business to take care of.
&n
bsp; The limo coasted through late afternoon traffic and slid neatly into a spot outside of Leningrad. Lucian left the car before Dugan made it to his door. “I’ll be back in five minutes. Wait here.”
Passing the doorman without his usual cursory nod of hello, Lucian brushed past the front desk and security with a curt raise of his chin. His leather-soled shoes clicked over the lobby’s marble floor as he made his way to the elevators. Claiming an empty one and shooting a glare at the man who thought to ride with him, Lucian hit the close button and seethed all the way to the fifteenth floor.
The stainless steel doors parted with a soft ping, and a secretary smiled up from her reception area. “Mr. Patras, what can I help you with today?”
Lucian walked past. “I’m here to see Mr. Bishop. I’ll only be a moment.”
When he didn’t stop for an invitation, the receptionist jumped up from her seat. “Sir, Mr. Bishop is in a meeting.” He continued at his clipped pace. “Sir!”
When he reached the corner office, he entered without the courtesy of a knock. His blood was on fire, and if one person got in his way they would regret it for only a split second, because then they’d be dead. The door slammed on the receptionist’s objections, and the two men in the room looked up in surprise.
“Lucian, what are you doing here?”
He glared at his once good friend. “I’d apologizing for interrupting, but at the moment I find it hard to give a fuck if I inconvenience you.”
Slade’s face darkened. “This isn’t the time—”
“Oh, it’s the time,” Lucian growled.
Slade looked back at his company. “Mr. Chang, I apologize. If you’ll excuse us, I’ll have my messenger run over the paperwork before week’s end, and we can revisit things on Monday.”
The small Asian man sitting across from Slade nodded his head in agreement and stood. Lucian stood like a grizzly in the corner, jaw locked, fists clenched at his side, while he waited for the other man to leave.
When the door finally closed, Slade turned on him. “What the fuck, Lucian? Are you insane?”
“Fuck you. This is your fault, you disloyal, cocksucking—”
“Ho! You have some nerve coming in here and calling me names.”
Lucian closed in on him. No matter how fearless Slade tried to appear, he backed up. It was the only smart thing the man had done in ages. “Why? Why help him? Do you hate me that much? I fucking loved you like a brother, and you singlehandedly helped that shit get to a position where he could stick it up my ass.”
“He’s a fucking kid, Luche. Don’t be such a puss.”
Two strides and the desk was the only thing separating them. His palms pressed into the oak surface as he leaned closer. “You know he’s not just a kid,” he said through clenched teeth. “Don’t act ignorant. You knew exactly what you were doing. The minute you found out who he was, you jumped at the first opportunity to fuck me.”
“The position was open—”
“Bullshit. You hired him, fed him, clothed him, promoted him, all for what? So he could come after the one thing I love?”
“Don’t come in here waxing poetic about what you have with that girl.”
“I love her. Do. You. Understand? I fucking love her and now she hates me.”
Slade sneered, “I didn’t agree to trade her off like some fuck toy. That was you—”
White noise squealed in his head as he rounded the desk. Once he had Slade’s shirt in his fist he stared hard into his eyes, practically nose to nose. “Call her that again and see what happens.”
“What? Are you going to punch me again? Go ahead. What’s happened to you? You used to be a classy guy, Luche. This girl has you so fucked-up—I heard about the deal with Chrysler you lost. Everyone’s talking about it. Lucian Patras, Folsom’s renowned tycoon, screwing up for the first time in his life. They all see it. Maybe you weren’t born on a dollar after all.”
“I don’t give a shit about Chrysler right now—”
Slade brushed his hand off with a look of complete disgust. “That’s the problem. All you give a shit about is her. If she loves you so much, why are you so afraid some kid’s going to take her away? If she goes to him, you know exactly what that makes her.”
“He never would’ve had the chance if you stayed out of it! He needed money, security. He said once he had stability, then he would collect. Do you know how long it would have taken him to get to that point without your interference?”
Slade threw up his hands. “And then you would have been in the exact position you are now. Don’t try and peg your own stupidity on me.” They were both shouting, careless of anyone listening in or the fact that this was a professional office.
“He wouldn’t have had the chance. He was fucking homeless, asshole. I gave him a job as a fucking bellboy. That was my agreement. You promoted him to an executive position without even knowing him. Don’t act like you didn’t know exactly what you were doing. If he stayed working as a doorman it would have taken ages for him to get to this point. I could have married her by then!”
“Married her?” Pure revulsion contorted Slade’s face. “Jesus Christ, you’ve actually lost it.”
“I will marry her, make no mistake. This little game you’re playing, it won’t work. I just have one question for you and then our business will be concluded once and for all.” He shook his head and glared at the man who’d once been his friend. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do this, Slade? Monique’s dead. It isn’t as though I’m keeping you from a life with her. She did that herself. Move on. For God’s sake, move the fuck on. For you to betray me like this . . . you were my friend, but I’ll never see you as anything more than an enemy from here on out. I just need to know why.”
Slade pressed his lips together and scowled.
Lucian scoffed. Shaking his head, he looked away and quietly said, “You don’t even have a reason, do you?”
“Oh, I have my reasons.”
“Then tell me. What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?”
Slade looked as though he had something to say, but was torn on whether or not to put it out there.
Lucian gave a dry laugh. “Might as well say it. Whatever sort of fucked-up friendship we had is over. No fixing it now.” He stared at Slade for a long moment, wondering when he’d become so deceitful, then scoffed. “You don’t even have an excuse. Pathetic.”
The other man remained silent.
Lucian turned away and when his hand touched the knob of the door he said, “Send my assistant a number. I’m buying out your share of Patras. I won’t work with someone I can’t trust.”
Slade still said nothing. Lucian opened the door and stepped out, but paused. “And Slade . . .” Turning, the other man met his glare. “You ever betray me again and I will make it my life’s ambition to personally take over and destroy everything you love. I did it to my father, don’t think I won’t do it to you.”
He should already be making plans to dismantle Slade’s life, but their history made him hesitate. Slade being a scumbag didn’t make it any easier for Lucian to drop to that level. However, he knew he would make Slade’s life an unending nightmare if he were incapable of fixing things with Evelyn.
Truth be told, there was nothing he loved more than her. She trumped all, and anyone who got in his way of having her risked their life.
Slade knew when to step back and recalculate. He was outmatched. It was like a mom-and-pop burger joint taking on the Golden Arches; one was all emotion and the other was sheer power. Slade was a professional. Patras was a brand, a name trusted by generations. He was the wealthiest man in the city, and Leningrad’s yearly profits were a pittance to his.
He shut the door and strode back to the reception desk, where two uniformed security guards were waiting. “I’m leaving in a minute,” h
e growled. “Before either of you boys put a hand on me, why don’t you ring up Mr. Bishop and ask him if that’s wise?”
He turned and headed down the hall, past several gawking eavesdroppers, and toward a long line of executive offices. When he found the one he was looking for, he pushed on the half-open door and waited.
Hughes sat facing the window, speaking on the phone. He turned at the sound of Lucian’s arrival and stilled.
“I’ll call you back.” He hung up the phone. “Patras?”
“The clock starts now. You have thirty days, and then all bets are off. I gave you a job. I gave you time. Now I want this over. And Parker, make no mistake, I don’t share. Once your time’s up, you come near her again and I’ll kill you.”
The little shit’s mouth kicked up to one side. “She wouldn’t marry you, huh? Don’t deny it. I know you tried.”
“She’ll marry me. Make no mistake.”
Parker let out a dry laugh. “You really don’t know her at all. She isn’t the woman you’ve dressed her up to be. How does she feel, knowing you used her in a bargain, trading her like tender to a merchant? She’s nothing more than an object to you, and I bet she’s finally realizing that.”
His jaw locked. “I didn’t set the bargain. That was you. You had the upper hand and you’re the one who set the stakes. I told you I’d leave it to you to tell her, because it’s you who she’ll see harboring an ulterior motive. Your arrogance only proves you’re the one who hasn’t got a clue as to who she really is. My only intention was to save her life, under any conditions. You’re the one who would have let her freeze to death unless you had something to gain. You saw her as an object to barter. I saw her as a person worth saving at any cost. I’d sacrifice my own happiness for hers any day. I’ll leave the pleasure of telling her to you. I think she’ll be a little less impressed with you once she learns what a shrewd, manipulative creep you really are.”
Lucian hit a nerve with that one, pricked a hole in the other man’s ego so full of hollow, triumphant arrogance. It showed in his voice, the way it shook with emotion.