Page 124 of Tracking Luxe

“No!” his girl screeched. “Nathan, don’t----”

“Let her go,” he growled again, eyes on the Russian.

Grigori gave the impression he was a reasonable man. When in reality, he was a viper.

“Da. I recognize a man’s weakness.”

“You’ll give me a minute with her first.”

The Russian inclined his head, again, a show of gentlemanly agreement, knowing fine well he had all the cards in this game, he pushed Luxe forward. Grinder held onto his fury, eyes blazing. “Privately!” he insisted. Grigori cackled and stepped back a few paces, turning his back to speak low to his men.

Grinder’s eyes implored Luxe to come to him.

He could endure anything, even death, if he only knew she’d get out of here undamaged. He felt the broken pieces of his heart stir with hope.

Thank god.

He was getting his girl to safety.

******

Seeing him made her ill.

He’d deprived her of the ability to function physically or mentally seeing him so badly beaten he could be unrecognizable if not for the beard, the silver rings on his fingers and the deep-rooted way her body would forever come alive around him, no matter what.

There was a second when her knees cracked against the cement of the floor to put them on the same level, that she was sure her heart had stopped beating, she wanted to cry, and Luxe was not a crier. She took her fingers to Nathan’s neck, where his pulse was steady on the tips, his life raced beneath her hand then the world fell away. There were no enemies surrounding them, or danger waiting in the darkness, it was just Luxe and Nathan.

His eyes clung to hers and she saw everything he felt for her.

“Oh, god. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,chico.”

Thrumming wildly and fueled by adrenaline and fear, her heart pounded. Unlike hours ago, when her heart thudded for a more pleasurable reason in Nathan’s bed.

His bloodshot eyes were haunted but what did that big dummy go and do when he managed to lift his head? he smiled at her so beautifully she wanted to weep. Oh, this man. Her lovely, possessive bossy man smiled at her, surrounded by danger he smiled.

Please don't die. I can't be without you now. Life would be colorless without you.

It was no longer about ledgers and numbers in the plus column of her checking account. Everything she’d ever stolen came back in a hot rush to sit like concrete in her chest, gurgling her shame, her guilt. If not for her stealing, this man, her beautiful man wouldn’t be tied and beaten until he looked minutes from bleeding to death. She’d asked him to steal for her, hadn’t she? And he’d gone along instantly with it. Used his own guilt against him, knowing on some level the attraction between them would sway him into agreeing and look where they both were now.

Nothing mattered more in those moments. Nothing. “Nathan,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry. I wish I hadn’t----”

“You’re not to blame,” he murmured between his split lips throwing an exhale to the ceiling. “Make my own choices, love. You have to get out of here. I’m going to fix this.”

God. Even now he was trying to take care of her. Besides Mimi no one had ever gone beyond and above for Luxe, certainly not the mother who didn’t know from one day to the next if Luxe was alive and whoever her father was she had a feeling even if he did know about Luxe he wouldn’t care, not like Nathan. The pressure in her heart increased until she thought it would strangle her windpipe.

“I won’t leave you here.”

“You have to.”

“No,” their whispers mingled. “I did this. I’ll get the art pieces back and---”

“Luxe. Listen to me. This is bigger than the stuff we stole. They don’t want it back. It’s about my club. What they want from my club. So, you see, you have to go and let me handle this. You’ve gotten caught up in my mess, that’s all, not your fault.”

Luxe’s mouth was so parched she couldn’t swallow.

Being kept in a back room for an hour, sitting on her own staring at four blank walls, not knowing what was going on or how the Russian mafia would make her pay, she’d been scared, not gonna lie, she’d been pee her pants scared, how would Mimi know she was dead? Who would tell her? Who would organize her funeral? It all floated through her mind. But that was nothing in comparison to the moment they’d dragged her out and down to the basement to face Nathan.

Seeing how they’d treated him. Her heart stopped and hadn’t restarted yet.

---