Page 124 of Veil of Obsession
His voice is sharp, clipped, irritated. “Who the fuck is this?”
My breath catches, relief hitting me so hard I nearly collapse. “Lucio.”
There’s a pause. Then a sharp inhale, followed by a long, heavy silence. And then…
“Princess?”
My throat tightens, a lump forming as I grip the phone harder. “Lucio, I?—”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?!” he explodes, his voice a mix of rage and something dangerously close to fear. “Where the fuck did you get a phone?”
I flinch. “I found it here—” The lie slips out easier than it should.
“And you thought it was a good idea to use it?” His voice snaps like a whip. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”
“Lucio, please. I just?—”
“You just put your life in even more fucking danger. That’s what you did!”
I press my hand to my stomach, trying to breathe through the rising panic.
“I needed to talk to you,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
Lucio is silent for a second, but when he speaks again, his voice is quieter. Rough.
“You think calling me changes anything?”
I press my eyes shut, my fingers curling into the fabric of my sweater. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Lucio lets out a slow, harsh breath. “Don’t move.”
I freeze. “What?”
“Stay exactly where you are.” His voice is low, deadly. “I’m on my way.”
And then the line goes dead.
45
Lucio
The second I hang up the phone, I see red. I fucking told her. No contact. No trying to reach me. No doing stupid, reckless shit that would get her caught.
And what does she do? She calls me.
She just made herself a moving fucking target.
I shove my gun into my waistband, my mind already calculating the best way to move without getting followed.
They’re already watching me. Waiting for me to make a mistake.
I grab my phone, set it on the counter, and leave it there. Let them track it. Let them think I’m still in New York, pacing in my fucking apartment, trying to figure out what to do.
By the time they realize I’m gone, I’ll already have her.
The drive to New Hampshire is long—too long—and every fucking mile only makes my anger sharper.
By the time I pull up to the house, I’m pissed. I step out, slam the door behind me, and stalk up to the front entrance. I push inside without knocking, because I don’t need permission.
