Page 41 of A Midnight Romance

River

“ H ave I told you how proud I am of you?” I tighten my arm around Lux’s shoulder.

Dipping her head into my chest, she rumbles softly with a delicate chuckle. “That means a lot to me.”

I’m grateful to see she’s looking better.

She took an emotional beating for this last kill, and all I want is for her to experience some peace.

Anger still boils under the surface about putting her in danger, but I try not to dwell on it.

I bite back my heartache while we are together, but questions of the future are lingering.

Does she return to her life, while I watch her from afar and dispose of every man who shows an interest in her?

Echoes of familiar voices from the dining room drift into the dimly lit hall and pull me out of my thoughts. Sebastian and Stevie must already be at the table, and depending on how much time they’ve spent waiting for Lux and me, they’re probably deep in the thick of irritating each other.

“If you’re not up to being around everyone and would rather eat in bed, I can bring everything to your bedroom.” I rub my thumb across her skin. “Or mine.”

Lux flashes me a coy grin. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m all right. Being around everyone will ground me again.”

“You got it,” I say. “Tell me if you need a break and we’ll dip out. ”

She nods, smiling through the bruise on her face which is more swollen than earlier. It pisses me off every time my eyes land on it. The thing appeasing me is knowing Andrew has been reduced to ashes.

“I’m starving,” I hear Sebastian whine as Lux and I round the corner.

Stevie is sitting on the far left side of our long dining table, sipping water while Sebastian has taken the seat across the table—with a breadth of distance between them.

His head is down staring at the phone in his hands.

After leading Lux to the first spot on the left, I take a chair at the end of the table.

“It smells incredible in here.” Lux scoots her chair close to the table.

I lean over Lux to get Sebastian’s attention. “Do you know where Aunt Mae is? Will she be joining us?”

“I think so.” He puts his phone on the table, glancing up at me. “She was worried about Lux, I’m sure she’ll be down soon.”

“Your aunt?” Stevie asks. “She’s up at this hour again?”

Suddenly, Mae walks into the room, awake and alert for it being two a.m. She races over to Lux with a worried expression and pulls her into a thoughtful embrace.

The scent of Mae’s soft linens and hint of Elizabeth Taylor perfume float past me.

It’s a comfort, always reminding me of how my mother smelled when I was a kid.

“Lux, honey, I was so worried about you.” She tightens her hold around Lux’s shoulders. “Thank goodness for Sebastian keeping me updated. How are you feeling?”

Lux pulls back slowly. “I’m doing okay, actually.”

“I bet you were scared.” Her face hardens while she places her hands firmly on her hips. “That bastard. I hope River and Sebastian gave him what he deserves. ”

“You could say that.” Lux’s eyes shoot over to me. I try to hide the silent smirk on my lips, letting her handle the response. “I knew they’d find me.”

“Of course they did.” Aunt Mae smiles confidently. “I’m beyond grateful you’re here, and those men can no longer hurt you or anyone else.”

“Me too.” Lux slides her hand under the table to my leg.

I place my palm on top, giving it a subtle squeeze of reassurance.

“Nice to see my nephews.” She switches her tone, walking over to Sebastian. She gives him a quick peck on the cheek, then heads around to me to do the same. “Stevie.” She smiles at Lux’s sister, before taking the spot on the opposite side of the table.

“Does this family ever sleep?” Stevie fires off a friendly quip.

Sebastian glances at Mae and then me. “Sometimes.”

“Clearly not at night,” Lux adds, finding her humor again after the last twelve hours she’s had.

The door to the kitchen swings open as Ben enters, holding two serving dishes. “No, to answer your question, Ms. Stevie, this family does not sleep,” he jokes while placing the food in the middle of the table.

I laugh. “Ben is a professional with our late-night work schedules.”

“That’s true,” he chimes in and adds two more dishes in the center. “I’m like a doctor getting called out of bed in the middle of the night.”

I raise a finger into the air. “But paid better.”

Mae laughs. “I handle the finances and that is accurate.”

Sebastian lifts the stainless steel lid to the scrambled eggs, then adds a scoop to his plate. “Food is very important in our line of work.”

I laugh, glancing at the plate Ben made for Lux with her favorite avocado toast. “How is it?”

“Perfect.” She beams before taking a bite of her food .

Ben winks at her. “I agree.”

We all begin serving ourselves from the breakfast spread Ben cooked for us. It feels good to eat after the night we’ve had and then I hope to follow it up with bringing her into bed.

Lux will never have to worry about him again—and neither will I. This project is closed and I have never felt so satisfied with using justice to feed my primal urges.

“So, how did it go tonight?” Mae casually asks with slight excitement in her voice.

“We burned the place down,” I say.

Sebastian pops a piece of fruit into his mouth, pushing it to his cheek and smiles. “Yep. And it was exceptional.”

Mae’s eyebrows raise with surprise while her eyes dart to me. “Like old times?”

She’s shocked because I curate every crime scene with a bullet in the head as the main event.

It’s cleaner, and with the disposal of the bodies into the water, they naturally get swept into the open ocean.

But since Lux has joined us, the crime scenes have become more interesting, and now with the recent burning like the old ways, things have been slightly more chaotic.

I click my tongue slowly. “Yes.”

“It’s unlike you to deviate from your system,” Mae comments.

Sebastian chuckles. “Right?”

“And who closed this time?” Mae takes a bite of her rye toast.

Stevie and Lux exchange a brief glance, and I remain quiet for a moment to give Lux the chance to share her news of being our closer.

I squeeze her hand, flashing an encouraging smile.

With a quick clear of her throat, Lux straightens her posture. “I closed. ”

“Again!” Mae shrieks. “You got the big finale, didn’t you?”

Lux’s cheeks redden. I can tell she’s still uncomfortable talking with the topic of conversation. “Thank you.”

“Another project down,” Sebastian gloats with a smug expression. “What’s next?”

My eyes find Lux’s. Those once light brown eyes have darkened in the most intoxicating way.

Drowning out Mae and Sebastian’s conversation only inches away, my thoughts are elsewhere.

How can I possibly say goodbye to this woman?

Will I be able to accept the end of us when the shades of darkness within her dissipate?

I’ve witnessed that fire grow inside, evening fanning the flames myself, but is she like me?

I want her to help find new projects.

Research with me.

Accompany me on stake outs.

Help plan the kills.

I desire her presence in my world, but would she want to walk into the night with me?

Letting my arm rest on the back of her chair, our gaze remains connected. The slight pull of her upper lip moves into a smirk, which could easily bring me to my knees if not for the company of others.

“River?” Mae sounds distant.

Lux’s eyelashes flutter as a flush creeps up her neck, transforming her skin into a deep shade of pink.

Will you stay with me tonight? I mouth to Lux, keeping my voice silent to others.

“River?” Sebastian hisses, vexed by the lack of response.

She pushes her loose hair aside, rubbing her soft pink lips together bashfully. “Of course.”

“Lux.” Stevie reaches across the table to steal a bite of Lux’s toast .

Lux catches her, breaking eye contact. “Hey. That’s mine.”

“Sorry.” Stevie leaned back in her chair, arms crossed at her chest with a satisfied expression that she’s the one who captured her sister’s attention.

My focus returns to the rest of the people at the table with a smile impossible to hide. “Yeah?”

Aunt Mae’s tattooed eyebrows form high arches. “What’s next? Have we identified our next project?”

An awkward silence blankets the table as Lux pushes a chopped tomato around her plate, possibly contemplating if she wants to be included in our operation, or if she has the bravery to tell me she won’t.

Not sure yet which one, though.

Sebastian and Stevie most likely think the same, while Aunt Mae with her sweet soul is oblivious to the awkwardness of it all. She is simply happy to have women in the house for once.

“I have a couple in the pipeline but no decisions have been made,” I tell Mae, admitting I haven’t planned past Andrew and his buddies yet. Which is unlike me. I always have more than one predator in my pipeline, but I find myself holding out to hopefully get Lux’s input.

If she’s inclined to give it.

Sebastian senses my apprehension in discussing this and speaks up. “I think we’ll take a few days to breathe from this last one.”

I appreciate him for answering, because I’d like to speak with Lux before any plans are made.