twisted at the idea of what he’d want in return for all of this…kindness.
And how I’d probably give it to him.
At least Lucas was fulfilling his bargain to find Brandy. As we drove along The Strip, I stared out at the tourists walking past the brightly lit stores, casinos, and restaurants, while thinking back on what I’d heard this afternoon. I found it hard to believe Brandy would leave a bar with a stranger, no matter how sexy he was, and Lucas’s explanation of the man being an incubus didn’t make me feel any better. They had a lead though, which was more than I’d been able to get. I just had to stick through this bizarre experience for another few days until she was found and we could go back to our normal lives.
And that whole thing about Lucas being the devil? Yeah, I’d been trying hard to forget that ever since he’d brought it up last night. The only explanation I had was that he was using it as a metaphor to try and intimidate me.
Or he really believed it, which was even more disturbing.
We entered a parking garage, going down several levels until we reached an area filled with a selection of the flashiest looking cars I'd ever seen. I'd only heard of some of them—the names almost always Italian and spoken in reverent tones.
“Where are we?” I asked, as a man in a suit stepped up to open the passenger door, while a valet moved forward to park the car for Lucas. Rich people never parked, I’d quickly learned.
Lucas got out of the car and walked to my side, stepping in front of the valet to take my hand and help me out, almost like he wouldn’t dare let the other man get near me. “This is a special entrance to the Shops at Crystals for their premier customers. It’s a shopping center that houses only luxury brands. I own it through Abaddon Inc, which also owns thousands of malls across the world.”
“You own this place? And thousands of malls?” My jaw fell open. During my short stay in Vegas while searching for Brandy I’d walked past the Shops at Crystals and marveled at them from outside, but knew there was no way I could afford anything inside.
He buttoned his jacket as he replied, “Just another of my holdings. Shall we?”
He led me down a red carpet—an actual red carpet—into a mall that was unlike any I’d ever been in before. We walked along shiny floors that had thick veins of gold running along the edges, meeting champagne-colored walls with intricate sconces every few feet to light the way. At the end of it were steps that actually looked like they were plated in gold, with lush greenery on either side. I picked out black mondo grass with pink and white periwinkles and some lilac hibiscus. I breathed in deeply as we passed them, feeling a touch of homesickness for my florist shop.
“This is a mall?” I asked in a hushed voice.
Lucas’s lips quirked with amusement as he walked by my side. “This is a secret part of the mall, a special tunnel for VIP guests. Vegas brings lots of celebrities and high rollers, and they like to shop without being observed. Each of the shops has a separate entrance so we can retain our privacy.”
Personally, I would have preferred to people-watch everyone else in the mall, but I supposed a man like him wanted that kind of privacy, with his darkness and obvious underworld connections—because how else would he gain that degree of power? Nothing about Lucas Ifer was like anything I’d ever known before. I’d heard about how the other half lived, but I’d never expected the difference to be so vast. It was obvious he just expected the world to bow down before him. And the world did bow.
The tunnel we were in was empty except for the two of us, but I read all sorts of signs like Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, and others I'd never even heard of. Was he expecting me to buy clothes here?
I cleared my throat. “You do know I can’t afford much, right? I barely had enough money to pay for gas to get to Vegas.”
His hand curled around my elbow, and even that light touch made my breath hitch and my thighs clench together. “Hannah, I would never expect you to pay for any of this. It’s my gift to you.”
I bit my lip. “And what