He nodded in understanding and got to his feet. "Yes, sir. I should have a name off that genetic match by the end of the week."
"I'll see you out," Zed announced, standing as well and leading the way back out of the courtyard, leaving Lucas and I alone for a minute.
He said nothing, his eyes locked on the pavers at his feet until I reached out and nudged his knee with my foot.
"Hey," I said softly when he looked up. "You okay?"
His answering nod was tight and his smile brittle. "Yeah, of course. I never knew Nicholas, so this means nothing to me. Just more lies from my mom, nothing fucking new there."
My heart ached at the sadness in his eyes, and I desperately wished I had the right words to soothe his emotional wounds.
"Lucas—" I started, but he swiped a hand through his hair and stood up.
"I'm gonna head back to the gym," he announced. "Zed was going to teach me some new grappling moves."
He stalked back into the house without waiting for me to reply or follow, his shoulders tight with tension like he carried the weight of the world on them. It might not have been the whole world, but simply carrying his mother’s secrets seemed to be heavy enough.
Fucking Sandra had some shit to answer for.
28
The day seemed to drag out from there. Lucas tried to speak with his mom to ask why she'd lied about who his father was, but her nurse confirmed Sandra wasn't having a good day. As frustrating as it was, we couldn't force answers out of an unwell woman.
No calls came through from Cass or Demi. No updates arrived on Seph. I entertained one very brief, very terse conversation with Archer, who confirmed they were assisting in the search, but otherwise it was just... waiting.
As seven o'clock rolled around, I reluctantly headed into my bedroom to get ready for my dinner date with Chase.
Zed and I had grown more and more irritated with each other all damn day, arguing over whether I would meet Chase on the terms stipulated. I'd ended up shutting my bedroom door on him and locking it while I put on makeup and found something to wear.
"To be clear," Lucas commented from his position seated on my bed, his back against the headboard, "I also don't think you should go."
I arched a brow at him while flipping through the clothing in my closet. It'd all been chosen by Hannah, and I had to appreciate how she had an impeccable eye for my style. "You haven't said much on the subject," I replied. "Not like Captain Opinion out there." I jerked my head toward the closed door, and somewhere down the hall another door slammed.
Lucas gave a wry smile, rubbing a hand over his cheek. "Because I'm not an idiot. You're smart as hell, Hayden. I don't think you'd make reckless choices without thinking them through. Or... I hope you wouldn't." He gave me a pleading look, and I sighed.
"I wouldn't," I confirmed. "Chase isn't going to kill me just for turning up at this dinner unarmed. He's playing a game, and if I want him to release Seph unharmed, then... fuck it. I'll grit my teeth and play along."
Lucas didn't respond for a moment, his worried gaze on my face. Then he sat forward with a sigh. "He's going to hurt you, babe."
I scoffed. "He wouldn't dare."
Lucas shook his head. "Maybe not physically. But he's got something planned to dent your armor again, I just know it. He's going to push just to see how much he can get away with, then—"
"I know," I snapped, cutting him off because, fucking hell, I didn't need to hear it out loud. I already knew what I was likely getting myself into, but nothing either Lucas or Zed could say would talk me out of it. I'd survived much, much worse from Chase before. This would be no more uncomfortable than a root canal.
Lucas was smart enough to shut up then and just sat on my bed with his gaze locked on me as I got dressed. I opted for pants over a dress because I planned to take my Ducati. Also because this wasn't a real date and I had no desire to offer Chase any kind of easy access to my vagina. No fucking thank you.
Out of habit, I picked up my gun holster, then gritted my teeth as I put it back