Page 87 of Wrecked for Love
When we finally stepped outside, the cold air chewed at my skin—a strange relief for my aching, stinging body. Claire paused, slipping off her jacket. She draped it over my shoulders, wrapping me in as much warmth as her too-small jacket could offer. I knew she needed it, too, but I didn’t have the strength to argue. She wasn’t just my partner. Claire, my Chili Pepper, was my strength when I had none left.
We began walking again, her arm tightening around my waist, steadying me. Even with her help, every step felt like I was dragging lead. The ground beneath us was a slick sheet of ice, and we were both struggling to keep our balance. My boots kept sliding, and Claire’s grip tightened each time I faltered, her own feet slipping occasionally as we shuffled forward.
“Stay with me, Elia,” Claire said, her voice holding me together.
I heard the sound of car doors slamming shut, one by one, cutting through the night. Armand Voss was definitely in one of them, his whining barely audible over the clanging of his wheelchair as it rattled across the frozen ground.
I gritted my teeth, focusing on each step, knowing we had to keep moving despite the ice threatening to send us both crashing down. I sagged deeper into Claire’s hold. My legs had officially given up.
“Come on, Elia,” she urged, her voice steady but strained. My car was only a few paces away, but it felt like miles.
Then, from behind us, Lucien Voss’s voice rang out, “Thanks for the entertainment!”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to block him out. Yeah, I’d been his amusement—his game—and I bet he was happy to let me go for now. I was confident he could drag me back in for more. But I wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction. Not a chance. This would never happen again.
Suddenly, the screech of tires shattered the silence, as if cutting short the night’s end. Another car skidded to a stop. My gaze shifted as a man stepped out and moved with purpose toward Lucien, who had been moments away from making his escape.
“Where the hell is Saxum?” the new arrival demanded.
“Probably in purgatory,” Lucien shot back, his tone ice-cold.
“Fuck, Voss!”
“Aah, he’s still breathing, just out,” Lucien dismissed. “Feel free to start the cleanup.”
The man’s gaze drifted toward The Cove in the distance, then slowly back to us, though his eyes lingered on Claire, studying her intently. He and Lucien exchanged a few quiet words as Claire and I inched toward my car. Her hand was just about to grip the door handle when?—
“Not so fast, Lucas.” Lucien’s voice rang out, venomous and sharp.
Shadows shifted, and suddenly, we were surrounded. The rest of the men swarmed in like wolves circling prey.No! No!I thought we were clear. Thought it was over.
But maybe that feeling—Tessa’s presence—had been a warning all along. This wasn’t finished. Not yet.
Before I could react, Claire was ripped from my side. I reached for her, but my body refused to cooperate, my muscles seizing with exhaustion.
Lucien’s mocking laugh echoed. “How does it feel, El? Thinking you’d won, only to find out the game’s still on?”
“Elia!” Claire’s scream shattered through the air, raw with terror. Lucien’s remaining men dragged her toward a waiting vehicle, and I could do nothing.
I fell to the ground, every inch of me too weak, too broken to move. Laughter surrounded me.
Lucien sauntered closer. “I’ve just heard a rumor that Miss Magnussen has some unfinished business in New York.” He jerked his chin toward the car where his men were holding Claire in a death grip. “Seems there’s a hefty price on her head. She’s going to make me a very rich man.”
“No!” Claire thrashed against them, but then…something changed. She went limp, the fight draining out of her.
“Run!” My voice was barely a croak. There were only two men left. She could do it.Fight, Claire.
But she didn’t move. She didn’t even try to escape.
That wasn’t her. That wasn’t my fierce, unstoppable Chili Pepper.
What had Voss told her? What did he know? The mention of New York should’ve ignited her fire, should’ve made her fight like hell. But it hadn’t. Instead, it had broken her and extinguished every last ember of resistance.
Lucien loomed over me, a smug grin plastered across his face. “It’s a small world, isn’t it, El?” He shoved his phone in my face, the screen blurry as my vision wavered. But I could still make out the headline.
Brentwood. The Revenants.
How the hell did he know?
