Page 82 of Betrayed

“What?”

“There’s talk,” he says. “Carlos is moving again. Quiet. Subtle. And there are whispers… that she didn’t die.”

Time stops. My chest goes tight, my blood running cold.

“There was no body,” he continues. “You know that.”

I’ve kept the memory at bay as much as I can, but now, I allow myself to cast my mind back to that terrible day.

I was bleeding. Rafe was shouting. Carlos was gone. And Isobel—her scream still haunts my dreams.

We were storing arms in Manhattan. It was supposed to be a clean deal. Instead, we were betrayed. Ambushed. The building was set on fire. I wanted to go back for her. I couldn’t find her.

Rafe had to drag me out.

“You’re right,” I say. “We didn’t—” A feeling of freedom comes over me, and I finally confess to him what I’ve known for some time. “But I’ve moved on.”

“That’s good.” He nods. But he’s still looking at me.

Even as I repeat it, a creeping feeling clambers up my spine. “I’ve moved on with Erin.”

His words are like a bomb. “If Carlos used her—if he kept her alive, Lucian…”

I close my eyes, my hand going to the scars hidden under my shirt.

And for a single heartbeat, I’m back in the flames.

Screaming. Bleeding. Losing everything.

“I’ve already buried her,” I whisper.

We lock eyes. “Are you sure?”

I’m the first to look away.

The Village is destroyed. New York is gone. My baby brother refuses to return to the safety of the life I carefully orchestrated for him.

And Carlos, the man who made me drag my men into certain death, who made me gain their trust, only to turn on them and watch them die, is out there.

And Isobel…

I can’t even wrap my mind around the thought of her right now.

“Lucian,” Erin calls faintly from inside. The door opens. She gives Rafe a small wave. “Hiya!”

“Hello.” Rafe grins. I can tell by his face that he already likes her.

She has no idea who is standing next to me, the weight he carries, or the past we share.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you all.” Lightly, she asks me, “But, are you ready, love? Cass’ll kill me twice if I miss this plane.”

Hearing her term of endearment breaks me in two.

“Go inside, Erin,” I try to smile, to reassure her, “I’ll be right there.”

As soon as the door closes, I turn to Rafe, voice raw, “Now I have to tell her that she’s still stuck here and she’s not going to see her family. Not until I know exactly where Carlos is.”

“Yes,” he says, “You do.”