Page 25 of A Midnight Romance

River

L ux and I spend the entire night together again. Falling asleep with her in my arms is everything. It’s safety and protection, something only I can give her.

She mentioned wanting to see her sister since they haven’t spoken much, and considering how close they are, Stevie’s been asking questions like why Lux hasn’t been responsive the last week or so.

I’m only comfortable with Lux going over to Stevie’s place, so I lend her one of my cars with a tracker to use. She parked far enough away from the building so her sister won’t be suspicious about the different car. And to be even more cautious, I followed behind her all the way here.

Now I’m parked outside waiting for her to come out of Stevie’s place, when I decide to swipe into one of TI’s tracking apps to easily access the National Missing Persons database.

Different from the public website, this one scans all law enforcement databases as well.

It’s been over a week, and although I can guess Rich and his wife’s marriage wasn’t perfect, I’m sure she’s reported him by now.

Not having to scroll far, I spot the accountant—filed yesterday.

This means the police will begin looking into his associates, ultimately closing in on Andrew and his friends, which means they’ll soon find out Nolen is missing as well.

Readjusting my hat, I glance over at the main entrance of Lux’s sister’s building as a thought crosses my mind. If Andrew recently figured out Lux is alive, and he’s alluding to her being connected to law enforcement, her sister might be in danger as well.

Shit.

I need to speak with Lux about possibly telling her sister about what happened—because she might need to stay with us as well.

Just then, I catch sight of Lux through the glass windows of the lobby of the condo building, preparing to exit the building.

Even though I only saw her a couple of hours ago, my heart pains to be near her again.

Tracking each of her movements, I keep a steady eye on her as she climbs into the white Porsche.

The tail lights shine into the windshield of my car as she backs out. Flipping the ignition, I pull out of my spot near the stairs. Following close behind, we both drive out of the back parking lot and onto the city street.

My phone rings through the speakers. “You’re behind me, aren’t you?” she says the moment I answer her.

“Are you surprised?”

“I should be, but I’m not.” She chuckles softly. “Did you wait outside the entire time?”

“Of course I did,” I tease her, continuing to tail her as we both merge onto the highway.

“I have some information to tell you when we get home.”

Home.

The word falls from her lips and hits my ears like a ton of bricks, causing me to imagine things I don’t normally.

I let myself indulge in the possibility of having an average life and someone to share it with.

But she’s not driven by the same things I am, and the more I live in a world where I let my thoughts entertain ideas of a future with her, I’m worried that as soon as the darkness from her revenge dissipates, I’ll have to go back to watching her from afar.

Because the only difference between me and the monsters I kill, is that I take their lives instead of innocents.

“Tell me.”

“You have zero self-control.”

“Only with you.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice before her tone turns serious. “Stevie saw on the news, the accountant’s wife reported him missing.”

“I know. Which means the police will start looking into his associates.”

She says something but my attention halts when a small BMW swerves into my lane, pulling between Lux and me.

What the fuck?

“I think there’s someone following you, stay on the line.”

“What?”

“Don’t panic. I’m right here and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I drive into the left lane, hoping to get a glimpse while keeping my eyes on Lux’s Porsche. I maintain a safe distance since this highway is usually desolate except for residents that live up the hill or hikers.

I jerk my car past the white line as if to hit the BMW, but it veers away before back into the lane behind Lux.

Who the hell is this?

As we get closer to the manor, I call Sebastian.

He barely answers when I rush out, “We’re close to the manor, but a white BMW has been tailing Lux since we pulled out of her sister’s neighborhood.”

“Do you think it’s Andrew or one of his guys?”

“I have no fucking idea. Can you meet us at the bottom of the hill?”

“On my way,” he says. “I’ll tell Wayne in the security tower, too. ”

I hang up just as I see the car follow Lux onto my property. I speed up and swerve in front of the foreign car, effectively cutting them off from Lux as we all turn off the highway to approach the security gate leading to our property.

With my gun drawn, I jump out of my car and rush to the driver’s side. “Get the fuck out of the car!”

“River?” I hear Lux’s trembling voice behind me.

“Get back in your car, Lux!”

Suddenly the door cracks open and a small hand with black painted nails sticks up from the top. “Don’t shoot. I’m her sister!”

What?

“Stevie?” Lux shouts.

“Get out,” I tell her, still alarmed.

“Stevie, what the hell are you doing here?” Lux exclaims.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story.” Lux’s eyes flutter. She steps in front of me, but I reach for her hand. “It’s okay,” she says. “It’s just my sister.”

“Your sister?” My eyes bounce between the two of them as recognition forms. Oh, that is her sister, Stevie Levinson.

I remember seeing her photograph in the files Christian sent over when he did background research on Lux.

I’ve also seen her at Lux’s house before.

But tonight, she’s wearing a hoodie with her hair back, and driving what looks to be a different car from her usual.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t recognize her initially. My shoulders relax a little.

“Yes, her sister, ” Stevie snaps. “Now can you get your gun out of my face?”

“Tell me why you followed us all the way out here,” I press, needing more before I can feel that she’s not a threat. “Then I’ll lower it. ”

She directs her answer to Lux. “You’ve been acting weird lately. You barely said anything to me when you were at my house. And then I see you drive off in this expensive ass car,” she says. “What was I supposed to do? You’re my sister. I was worried something bad was going on.”

Lux sighs, meeting my eyes. Her hand comes to the top of my arm, indicating for me to lower the gun.

I do as I’m told before calling Sebastian. “False alarm, we’ll be up in a minute,” I say as soon as he answers the call.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

I tuck my gun into the back of my pants. “I’ll explain later,” I say, then hang up.

“This isn’t even your car either,” Lux says, walking over to her sister.

“I just got it, but none of that matters right now.” Stevie frowns before pining me with a glare. “Can you tell me what’s going on? What is this place and who is this guy?”

I wrap an arm around Lux’s waist. This might be a good time for Lux to explain to her sister what’s going on. “She’s staying with me. Why don’t we head inside and you guys can talk?”

“I’m not going anywhere with you until my sister gives me an answer,” Stevie demands, crossing her arms over her chest.

Great, I can already tell she’s going to be a pain .

Lux’s expression softens as she reaches for her sister’s hand. “We’ll talk once we get into the house,” Lux tells her sister. “Follow River and me up.”

Stevie’s eyebrows rise. “Oh, so he has a name?” She looks unsure but reluctantly agrees, and I lead them up the hill and into the underground garage. Lux takes the spot next to my car while Stevie parks to my left.

Sebastian is walking out of the elevator as we all exit the vehicles. “What the hell happened?” he asks .

Stevie leans against the side of her car, her legs crossed at the ankles. “Who the fuck are you?”

Sebastian cocks his head. “Who the fuck are you ?”

Lux blows out a breath, stepping between them. “Stevie, this is Sebastian, River’s cousin.” She then turns to Sebastian. “Sebastian, meet my sister, Stevie.”

I flip my hat backward. “Now that we all know each other, should we go inside?”

We make the short elevator ride to the main floor of the house and head into the living room, where Stevie casually takes a seat on the couch while Lux leans against the stone fireplace. Sebastian and I remain standing to the side near the window, letting Lux take the lead.

“Okay.” Stevie wastes no time. “What is going on?”

Lux bites her lips. I can’t say this is the best time to discuss this, but she needs to be honest with her. It’s not like I want another person to become privy to what we’re doing, but I’m worried about Stevie’s safety after my call with Andrew.

“River and Sebastian are helping me with something.” Lux pauses, as if weighing whether or not to let her sister in on our plans.

With a quick glance over to me, I nod giving her encouragement to continue.

She lets out a long breath before speaking again, “You know the cabin case dad’s been working on? ”

“Yeah?” Stevie’s brows furrow.

“I was one of those women,” Lux admits. Moisture pooling in her eyes, I walk over to her, resting a hand on her back. “River was the one who got me out that night.”

“Lux…” Stevie’s voice trails off as shock drains the blood from her face.

“The night we went to the club—” Lux focuses on the hardwood floor at our feet, her muscles stiffening under my palm .

She’s reliving it.

“There is a lot to talk about, Stevie, but the bottom line is, River and I are helping Lux avenge herself,” Sebastian adds, still vague.

They need to talk about this privately.

“Stevie, Lux is staying in the East Wing. Why don’t you spend the night with her tonight and you two can talk about it?” I offer.

Perplexed, Stevie simply shrugs her shoulders and agrees.

I dip my head, capturing Lux’s beautiful eyes in mine. The ones that once were light—and full of life. “Can I speak with you first?”

Lux nods, giving me a weak smile.

The tapping sounds of rain outside has picked up now that nightfall is among us adding an eerie background to our conversation. Hooking an arm around Lux, I led into the hallway and out of earshot of her sister and Sebastian.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yeah…” She swallows hard. “I think I need to tell her the whole truth.”

Taking two fingers, I pinch her chin, bringing her lips to mine and kiss her lightly. “I think you’re right.”

“Thanks for the support.”

“Of course.” I smile, reluctantly. “She’ll stay in the room with you tonight. And it’s probably not the best time to tell you this, but I also think you should speak with her about staying here for the time being as well.”

Lux’s face transforms into confusion. “Why?”

“Remember I told you Andrew called me yesterday? Well, I have reason to believe he might know you’re connected with law enforcement. Which means, Stevie could be at risk as well,” I whisper.

Her eyes grow wide. “Oh god. Okay. ”

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain more later.” I cup her cheeks, tilting her face up to press a soft kiss on her forehead.

She lets out a heavy exhale while wrapping her arms around my waist for a brief embrace. “I’ll come by your bedroom later.”

“Okay.” I drop my hands, and Sebastian and I leave the room, giving the girls time to make their way to the East Wing.

My stomach clenches as I watch them walk away knowing this conversation will be difficult for Lux and I won’t be there to protect her when the emotions of that night return. I hope Stevie understands because I know how hard it would be for Lux if she didn’t.