Page 155 of The Outlaw's Savage Revenge

There’s something raw there—something I’ve seen glimpses of before but never this stark. The darkness he carries is staring me down now in full force.

“There’s been a . . . development.” He rumbles. “I need to leave.”

Pain fists my chest, but I keep a straight face. “Leave?”

“Moscow.” His eyes lock onto mine. “Now.”

“Right now?”

He nods solemnly.

“B-But . . . you were going to wait until tomorrow. We were going to Valencia today.” My voice cracks, but I cover it up in a chuckle. “I was kinda looking forward to seeing where you got fucked up as a child.”

He steps closer, then slowly reaches out to tuck my hair behind my ear. His touch lingers, thumb trailing my cheekbone down to the curve of my jaw, then along my lips. It’s as if he’s trying to memorize me in pieces.

He drops his hand and looks away, jaw tightening. “I know, baby, I’m sorry. And I love you.”

Shit. This is really happening. He’s leaving.

Don’t cry. Don’t beg.You knew this would happen, Luna.Scar told you it would happen.

I try to play it cool, but the ground is shifting under me. Not even twelve hours ago, I was starting to think about a future here. With him. And now . . .

“When will you be back?”

Cade’s expression stays unreadable. “When I finish.”

I swallow the painful lump in my throat, but it only lodges lower in my chest. “Finish with Antonov? Finish the entire list? Until somethingfinishesyou?”

He says nothing, his silence more eloquent than any answer he could give.

“Caden.” My voice cracks as I reach out to cup his jaw, my thumb ghosting over the purple-blue evidence of whatever battle he’s fought. “What happened this morning?”

His lips quirk in a humorless smile. “I was faced with an impossible choice. Life or death.”

Before I can process his words, his fingers spear into my hair and his lips capture mine. The kiss tastes like heaven, like everything I’ve ever wanted, but there’s something else—the desperation of a last time.

When we break apart, his forehead drops to mine in a gesture that feels like resignation.

“Alright.” I sigh, trying to be brave. “What do you need me to do?”

Give me a task, a purpose, a reason to believe you’re coming back soon.

His gaze flickers with something I can’t quite name—regret, maybe, or something deeper. It hovers there for a raw, unguarded moment before he blinks it away and his face hardens again.

Ask me to wait for you, Cade.

He squeezes my hand, and when he speaks, his voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it.

“Trust your family. Phoenix and Nico and Dante.” Each name carries weight—like he’s passing me into their keeping. “Sophie already loves you like a sister, and so does Addy—Dante’s wife. Love them back, Luciana. And be safe.”

The realization settles like ice in my veins. He’s saying goodbye. He chose death.

“That’s it?” I force a smile, though my heart is shattering. “Just‘be safe’?I’m sure I can do better than that.”

I push through the searing pain with false bravado. “I’m going to build an empire with Nico. Maybe I’ll even find myself a hot, grumpy psycho that reminds me of you. I’m told the Outfit is crawling with them.”

He chuckles, his mouth takes mine again, desperately, like he’s the one trying to hold onto me. But before I can say anything else, he pulls away. “You belong to me,Poison doux. Whatever you do, wherever you go.”

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