the kid go back to the bedrooms over an hour ago."
Lukus should have relaxed, but he knew he wouldn't until he got there and saw all was well with his own eyes.
"Thanks. Keep watching. Anything new while I was in the air?"
"Not really. I helped the crime lab in California understand the coding in the journal. They're rounding up more suspects now."
"Good job, kid."
"When are you gonna stop calling me kid? I'm twenty-two," Cam said.
"Fine. Good job, man."
"Better. Later."
Lukus didn't answer. He hugged the exit ramp, getting off the expressway to zigzag his way through side streets in order to get to the loft as quickly as possible. They were only ten minutes away when he made his next call to Aiden, who picked up on the first ring.
"I figured you'd call soon. I saw your flight landed."
"Yeah. We're ten minutes out. Everything quiet?" Lukus asked.
"Yeah. Josh and I just did another lap through the neighborhood, looking for any suspicious vehicles or pedestrians fitting Davenport's description. All's quiet outside."
"That's good, I guess." Lukus couldn't hide his anxiety.
"Hey, you don't spook easy. What's up?" Odd words of praise from his future brother-in-law.
"It's probably nothing. I just can't get through to either Markus or Derek. I got some texts from Tiffany when I landed, but even she isn't picking up."
Silence greeted him at the other end of the phone until he heard Aiden telling Josh to pull up to the back door. "I'm gonna head up and check in with them. I'll stay there until you get here."
"Thanks, man. I know I'm being a pussy, but do you mind if I hang out on the line until you get up there?"
Aiden's jovial laugh was a sound Lukus would have never thought he'd hear from the man who had sworn to beat his ass less than a month ago. "At least you recognize you're a pussy. That's the first step to recovery."
"Asshole."
Lukus could hear shuffling at the other end of the line and then a soft, "Fuck."
"What's wrong?"
"Does your elevator ever break? It's not coming, and the light isn't even lighting up… like it's on the fritz."
Alarm bells got louder in his ears. "It's never broken down. Ever. Take the stairs." He could hear Aiden running now. "And before you do, call in backup."
"I hit my distress alarm. Josh is calling in backup now."
Lukus pressed his already heavy foot down harder on the gas pedal, running traffic lights and stop signs. The building was in sight when he heard a now out-of-breath Aiden reaching the top of the seven flights of stairs.
Silence hung in the air. Lukus's anticipation turned to dread with two words from the cop at the other end of the line.
"Holy fuck."
The call dropped. And so did Lukus's stomach.
Tiffany
Tiffany woke in a panic, bile rising in her throat as fear gripped hard. It took her a few long seconds in her disoriented state to remember why.
Jake Davenport shot Markus and Derek and now he's going to rape Bri and me.
It took a moment for her to get her bearings. It hurt to move her head. She slowly scanned the space, realizing she was lying on the floor of a small foyer, on a level of the building new to her. A long, dark hallway stretched out in opposite directions off the vestibule. If she didn't know better, she'd swear they were in a hotel. Only the placard identifying the floor as 'The Punishment Playrooms' told her they were still in Lukus's building.
Deep down she wanted to curl up in a ball and sob, lie there, and wait to die. But as she listened to Jake Davenport tormenting her best friend with promises that her husband had just died at his hand, something stronger took root in Tiffany's heart. It wasn't fear or grief. It was sheer, unadulterated fury. How dare this asshole come into Lukus's home—her home—and hurt the people she loved?
Anger spurred Tiff onto her knees. She had to wait to catch her balance before pushing to her feet. She launched herself onto Jake's back, wrapping her legs around his waist from behind, attempting to strangle him as she locked her arm around his neck, pulling him away from Brianna.
She knew within seconds that he was too strong, but she had succeeded at one thing; he'd released Brianna. Tiffany prayed her best friend would scramble away to go get help, but Bri crumpled to the floor like a rag doll, sobbing.
The struggle lasted only seconds, but when Jake couldn't