Page 60 of Irrevocably

The balloon in my chest, which has been dormant since I got here, begins to inflate again, pressing against my already tight heart. I know that joining a club like Wolf’s puts you in harm’s way, I know that. He must know that, too.

But I don’t want him to die, and getting this information to Lucien will likely put him in danger. Then again, he’s in danger already, isn’t he? As Lucien says, one way or another, the club is going down, and maybe Wolf with it.

Unless I warn him, of course.

I take a silent breath as I turn the thought over in my head. It would mean telling Wolf about Lucien, and he’ll probably have a lot of questions about him. Then again, it’s not as if he doesn’t know now considering he heard Lucien’s name just before Lucien knocked him unconscious.

No, the cat’s well and truly out of the bag, so I could definitely give him a heads up that his club is at risk. He might not believe me, he might even want proof, and I don’t have any proof, except for Lucien’s presence. But that might be enough. Not that he can go anywhere since Lucien has him locked up.

I stare at Lucien standing in front of me, muscled arms crossed over his broad chest. “What are you going to do with him?”

“I will handle it.”

“How? You said you wouldn’t kill him in the parking lot, but that implies you might kill him later.”

The breath goes out of him. “No,” he says, and there’s something like weariness in his voice. “No, I won’t kill him. But like I said, there are other people who will.”

The balloon inside me inflates more, pressing against my ribs and making everything inside me ache. “Let him go, then.”

“He’ll warn the club. I can’t allow that.”

“What about if I told him that you were a stalker?” I say, frantically trying to think of some way I can get Wolf out of that shed. “That you’ve been following me, which is true. He’d tell the club and they’ll look for you, but like you said, you won’t be found if you don’t want to be.”

Lucien is silent, his expression as unreadable as ever. “He’s a loose end.”

“So? I’m a loose end, too, right? I know your name. I know what you look like. Once you’ve got your information, I won’t be needed anymore.” I don’t know why I’m telling him this, since it’s nothing he wouldn’t have thought himself.

“I won’t hurt you, Astrid.” The hard edges of his voice soften slightly. “You’re not a loose end I want to tie up.”

“And neither is Wolf,” I say, deciding to push. “Let him go. For me.”

Lucien’s expression tightens.

“I’ll tell him you brought me here,” I go on. “And that I managed to get away from you, and now he’s free, he has to take me home. Once I’m home, I’ll talk to my dad. You’ll get your information tonight, I promise.”

Chapter Thirty

LUCIEN

I don’t want to let the Hound go, not given how much of a threat he is. Then again, keeping him prisoner for some indefinable length of time isn’t practical, either. The best answer is to take him out, but I’ve already decided I can’t do that.

I can’t do that to her, and it’s strange to be concerned about another person, but … I am. If I don’t want to hurt her, then I can’t hurt anyone she cares about, either.

Also, she’s offering to talk to her father, without me threatening her, without getting anything for herself out of it. I understand why she did it. Regardless of what happens between us, Enzo wants the MC’s operation, so pressure will be applied to the chief one way or another. It’s better if it’s her. Easier, too. Though, that’s not why there’s something … tight in my chest. Why it feels as if she’s giving me a gift.

She said it wasn’t for me, but I know it is.

She’s betraying her father for me, so how can I not let her friend go free? She’s not holding anything over me, there’s no threat of blackmail, nothing like that, but … I want to do it. I want to give her something more than just one truth.

I’ve never actually wanted to give anyone anything before.

Her expression is tight as she looks at me, and I recognise it. She’s worried for her friend, desperate almost, and her hand has crept to her chest where the blanket covers her, and she’s rubbing gently, as if trying to relieve an ache.

I want to go over to the couch, pull her hand away and the blanket along with it, and give her what she really wants, some pain to let out those fears of hers and that pressure. Ignore her question for now in favour of fucking her senseless just one more time.

Because it will be only one more time.

Something hollows inside me. If I agree to free her friend, I will have to free her, too. And once she’s free, once she talks to her father and finds out what I need to know, I won’t need her anymore. No one will need her anymore.