Page 11 of A Midnight Romance

River

I s it possible she’s on to him already?

I only recently learned where the accountant’s house was while Christian conducted thorough background checks on all the guys, but what is Lux doing here?

I need to keep myself level and try to get as much information out of her as I can, before letting her know I know who the owner of this house is.

Me: Why did you come here?

Lux: I could ask you the same thing.

Before I can respond, I catch sight of her car door opening. It’s not safe, what is she thinking?

In one swift motion, I exit my car and sprint over to hers and slide into her passenger seat. “What are you doing here?”

She yelps and her hand flies to the handle of the car, ready to escape.

I quickly reach over her, clasping my hand over hers to keep the door shut. “You’re not leaving this car.”

She whips her head around, the scent of lavender shampoo hitting my nostrils.

Leaning over the center console, my face is only inches from hers. I imagine feeling her breath on my lips, but the fabric on the mask prevents it. I need it, but oh, how I hate it right now .

“I’m protecting you.”

“Or scaring me” she bites back.

It’s unfortunate she’s still intimidated by me since I’d never hurt her. But if she only knew how infatuated I am with her, she’d have every reason to be.

What is she thinking? What was she going to do once she got here?

I shake my head, my facial expression covered by my black mask. “We need to talk about this.”

Her lungs take in a sharp rise. “Don’t talk to me like you’re in charge of me.”

“Lux,” I warn.

“What?”

“I asked you a question.”

She tucks a loose hair behind her ear. “I came to check out the house of one of the men who took me. His name is Rich Smith.”

“What makes you believe this is his house?”

Keeping her head down, she picks at her thumbnail. “I ran into him earlier this evening at a coffee shop.”

“And he admitted to you he took you?”

Lux whips her head at me, fixing me with an irritated glare. “Of course not.”

“Then how do you know, for sure?”

“I was there that night, remember?” she exclaims. “I knew something was off about him, but he smelled like cherry cigars, the barista called him Rich, and he…” She trails off, a look of determination morphing her features.

“He tried to make small talk with me, then when he grabbed his drink, he called the barista darlin’ .

The same thing he called me when I when captive. ”

I hate that she had to go through this, and I hate that more than anything.

I want her to remain safe and out of my way so the team and I can kill each of these men for putting her and the others through this.

I find the urge to wrap my arms around her and take all of this away, but I still need to know how she found out where he lived.

“How did you find his address?”

“I overheard him and the barista talk about taxes, and when I told her I was new in town and looking for an accountant, she gave me his name. A quick law enforcement database search led me to his place.”

Her research methods pique my interest. “Database?”

“My dad works for the police department, remember?” She pulls her lip between her teeth. My guess is he doesn’t know she has access. Which surprises me, but also impresses me.

“And what was your plan once you got here?”

“I don’t know,” she admits.

Her answer irritates me, but how can I expect her to have a plan? She isn’t a career criminal so I doubt this was preplanned. Lux is in survival mode from what happened to her and her impulsivity was driven by rage.

I rub my temples, burying feelings of agitation for her, potentially putting her life at risk. “What if he recognized you? You would have essentially delivered yourself to his doorstep.”

“What was I supposed to do?” she sneers. “You refused to give me any information, so I had to get it on my own.”

“I told you that my team and I are handling it. Nothing good can come from you being a part of this.” I sigh in exasperation, then lower my voice. “You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“And why should I believe a man I barely know, who won’t even show me his face?”

“It’s better this way.”

Her eyes flicker to mine, and her expression softens into sorrow. “Have you ever had something so horrendous happen to you that you’re unable to move on from it?”

I debate telling her the truth, but seeing the look on her face, I simply say, “Yes.”

“Then you understand that I can’t return to my normal life, and trust you to take care of it for me.”

I stay quiet, unsure how to respond. I want to tell her more of what I have planned to do with the guys who hurt her, but the less she knows the better.

When I don’t answer, she faces me, a new determination morphing her features. “They robbed me of who I was. I want myself back, River.”

My eyebrows quickly furrow with confusion. “What are you implying?”

“I need your help.”

My help?

“With what?”

Lux takes a deep breath before replying. “I want you to let me take them down with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

She’d get herself killed. Lux is only a regular person, she’s not a killer. The anger inside drives her to believe she can do these things, but is grossly mistaken on what type of personality it takes to be able to take a life—or what it does to a person once they do it.

“Why not? ”

“Because it’s not safe.”

“You’re already hunting them.” Her throat bobs with a hard swallow. “And I deserve to avenge what’s happened to me. All I’m asking is to be included.”

I groan, running a gloved hand over the top of my cotton balaclava. I wonder if I should have just left her for the police to find. Because now, my curiosity in this woman got the best of me, and I unintentionally created another complication in my life.

“You don’t really want any part of this. This isn’t who you are.”

The moonlight shines through the windows reflecting on the delicate features of her worried face. “You don’t know me.”

I breathe out, ignoring her question. “It’s rage fueling you.”

“What if it’s not only rage? What if this is who I am?”

“Adrenaline,” I say evenly, offering another explanation.

“Does that make me fucked up to want to pursue these men instead of hiding from them?”

The urge to comfort her is strong. Reluctantly, I give in and rest a gentle palm on her back, deeply understanding the torment that vibrates through her. “No.”

“It’s taking over my every thought,” she whispers, leaning into my touch.

“Everyone copes with trauma in their own way. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. It means you’re not like other people.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” I admit softly. A rush of protectiveness floods my system, and the warmth of her skin—even through fabric—is enough to cause a tingling in my palm. My instincts are speaking again and I need to listen. I need to protect her anyway I can.

“What makes you certain?” She lifts her head from her hands to meet my eyes.

They’re pleading, searching for answers I’m not sure I can give.

She doesn’t wait for me to respond, but from the narrow slits in her eyes, I know she senses my apprehension.

“I don’t want to cry or be sad. And I can’t move on.

I need to be a part of this,” she begs, her voice cracking. “Please, River.”

The way my name falls from her pink lips again is enough to make me forget about everything, when suddenly a Mercedes drives by us and pulls into Rich’s driveway.

From across the wide street a few houses down, we watch as who I recognize is Rich steps out, carrying a black briefcase.

As he approaches the front, a woman in a long dress wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him.

“That’s him?” I state it in more of a question to see if she recognizes him.

“Yes,” she whispers before chewing on the inside of her cheek.

The pain in her eyes is something that is familiar to me.

The hunger and drive to take matters into your own hands and to bring on your own type of justice.

To right the wrongs that have been done to you, feeds into this belief that you—and you alone are the only person responsible for your own outcomes.

Could I help her?

Or let her join Sebastian and me?

That would mean bringing her into my world, and I don’t if either of us are ready for it.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Really?” Lux asks with a slight optimism in her voice. The sudden change in her demeanor and the hopeful sparkle in her eye almost brings me to my knees—a puddle at her feet willing to do anything she asks.

But wouldn’t that go against what I’m trying to do by protecting her ?

I nod once. “Now, go home. No other stop. I’ll be following you,” I order, before slipping out of the passenger seat and heading back to my vehicle.

Once she’s safely inside her townhouse, I take out my phone to send Sebastian a brief text.

Me: There’s been a change of plans. Meet me in my office in 30 minutes.

Then I head back to the manor.