Page 34 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

CADEN

“ D amn, it.” Caden huffed, ending his call and stuffing his phone into his jeans pocket.

Something was wrong.

He had been trying to reach Lucas all day, but his phone kept going straight to voicemail.

Lucas had decided to go to the coffee shop this morning to grab a drink and clear his head. Caden had offered to go with him, but Lucas had insisted that he needed some alone time and would be back in a couple of hours.

That was eight hours ago.

There had been no call, no text, no stopping by the house to say that he was okay. Just radio silence.

Caden was worried… and a little pissed.

He walked into Ride ’em Hard, hoping to find Lucas sitting at the bar, enjoying a drink with Ace.

No such luck.

“Hey, Alexis. Have you seen Lucas?” Caden asked, the pit of worry in his stomach growing with every minute that passed.

Alexis swirled around, her blonde-and-pink hair slapping against her cheek as she turned. In her hand, she held a pint glass that she was busy drying with a hand towel.

She gave Caden a once-over before deciding that his appearance really didn’t matter to her. He was off-duty, so he had just thrown on a pair of ripped jeans and a muscle shirt before leaving the house. He was worried about Lucas and in a hurry to get to the bar.

“Yeah, he was here about two hours ago. Grabbed something from the back, then left. I think he was heading home to see you.”

He hadn’t.

Wherever he had gone, it wasn’t to Caden’s house.

He checked his phone once again.

Nothing.

“Look, can you ask Nikolai to cover for me tonight? I’m gonna run home and see if he is there. He’s not answering his phone, and I’m starting to get worried about him.”

Alexis gave him a sympathetic look.

“Did you guys have a fight?”

Caden shook his head.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, he didn’t say anything nasty about you.” She chuckled.

That didn’t make Caden feel any better.

He thanked Alexis and then left the bar in a hurry.

When he arrived home, the kitchen light was on. Hopefully, that meant that Lucas was home.

“Luc?” Caden called as he pushed open the door.

“In here,” Lucas answered from somewhere inside the kitchen.

Relief flooded Caden’s insides. The man was safe. Thank god.

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all day.” Caden asked, walking into the kitchen and giving Lucas a kiss on the cheek.

Lucas was standing by the stove, plating up some steaks.

“Sorry, my cell phone died, and I had to run some errands. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“It’s alright. Was just worried, is all.”

Lucas passed Cade an open bottle of beer, then took a sip of his own red wine.

“Thanks, babe. Dinner smells great.”

“Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready,” Lucas noted, carrying their plates to the kitchen table.

Caden carried his beer and Lucas’s wine to the table and sat down in his usual spot. Lucas sat down across from him.

Something was off about Lucas. He was quieter than usual and had trouble making eye contact with Cade.

“Cheers,” Lucas whispered, raising his glass and then taking several gulps of his wine. Caden followed suit. It was rude to stop drinking while the other person was still going.

He had heard that was a thing. Perhaps an Irish folktale or European superstition. Someone had told him once that one was supposed to keep eye contact with their drinking buddy and only stop drinking once the other person did so as well.

Or something like that.

He never questioned it before because, hey, who didn’t love drinking?

“So, how was your day?” Lucas finally asked, glancing up briefly before diverting his eyes once again.

Something was up.

There was a struggle in his eyes, something he was trying to keep hidden from the world. If Caden had just met Lucas, he might not have noticed. But now, Caden was an expert when it came to reading Lucas’s tells.

The boy was hiding something, and he was feeling awfully guilty about whatever it was.

“My day was spent trying to locate you,” Caden said, annoyed and a tiny bit suspicious. Caden cut into his steak and shoved a piece into his mouth.

Flavors and juices exploded all over his tongue. He had no idea that Lucas was such a fantastic cook. God, if the boy could make such a delicious-tasting steak, what else was he amazing at cooking?

Taking another bite of his steak, he watched as Lucas still refused to look him in the eye.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that.” Lucas took another sip of his wine, looking uncomfortably to his left as he drank.

He finally turned and locked eyes with Caden. He swallowed hard, appearing nervous as fuck.

“That’s one of the things that I love about you, Cade. You’re always looking out for me.” He smiled, then raised his glass. “Cheers.”

Lucas waited for Cade to raise his beer as well.

They both drank together.

Taking another breath, the boy continued.

“Before I met you, I didn’t think that I could ever feel this way again. You gave me hope. You showed me what it was like to be equals. To have my opinions valued and to feel safe and cared about.” Lucas looked down at his glass of wine. “For that, I will always be grateful.”

Why was Lucas talking in the past tense?

“I know that Darryl is in town.” Lucas’s voice was suddenly cold. Gone was the nervous, stammering boy Caden had spoken to only a few moments ago.

“What? Where?” Caden growled, jumping to his feet.

A wave of vertigo hit Caden, and he grabbed the table quickly for support. The walls around him began to sway, and his body was beginning to feel all floaty.

“Sit back down, Cade. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

He was back to not making eye contact. Lucas took another sip of his wine and waited.

Caden slumped back into his seat, clutching the table for support.

“He gave me an ultimatum. Either I leave with him tonight quietly, or he will kill you and Lizzy.”

Caden’s eyes went wide when he realized what was happening.

Lucas stood, downing the last little bit of his wine.

“I love you too much to see any harm come to either one of you.”

Caden’s vision was starting to get blurry. He struggled to focus on the man standing across from him.

“I’m leaving with Darryl,” Lucas announced, taking a step backward. “I’m going to end this thing one way or another.”

“Lucas! No!” Caden tried to argue. He lifted his arm, which felt like a million pounds.

He glanced at Lucas’s food, which remained untouched, and then at his own. That little fucker…

“I slipped a little something into your beer. You’ll be fine when you wake up. I just need a head start.”

Lucas walked around the table and stopped right next to Cade.

“I love you, Cade,” he confessed before bending down and kissing his cheek ever so softly.

Lucas was sacrificing himself and his happiness in order to protect Caden and his daughter. Caden’s heart cried out in pain.

“Lucas…” Caden whispered as his body slumped forward on the table.

Lucas ran his hand through Caden’s hair one final time before turning and walking toward the kitchen door.

With his body slumped across the table, Caden watched the blurry image of Lucas fade into the darkness.

His eyes became heavy, and he could no longer fight the pull.

Blackness enveloped him as he sank into the world beneath him.