Ultimate Surrender

by Lydia Rowan

  In truth, it wouldn’t be a concern at all.

  He knew the other men in this room knew that, knew Cassandra probably knew that, but Miller also knew it, which meant this would come to an end one way or another, and soon.

  The phone rang as if to confirm Lucian’s thought, and he reached quickly to grab it, only to be intercepted by Adam.

  Lucian looked at the other man quizzically. “What—”

  “You’re too close to this, Silver. Let the kid handle it,” Adam said.

  Lucian went to protest, but Seth had picked up the phone.

  “Hello,” he said.

  Unprofessional, certainly not what Seth had been taught, but Lucian immediately picked up the direction he was going.

  It was clear that Miller knew the playbook, so it was time to change the strategy, and Seth’s informal greeting was the first step in the plan to doing that.

  Adam dropped his hold on Lucian’s arm and moved to join Seth, but Lucian stayed back, listening, though, ever conscious of what was being said.

  “Seth Faber. I work with Silver Industries,” Seth said.

  He stood, tense, hunched over the phone, but his voice was silky smooth, not betraying anything beyond idle curiosity at most.

  “You’re Elton Miller,” Seth said after a moment.

  “I’m sure you already established that.” The voice came across the line strong, as though the man stood in the room, which was something Lucian wished was the case.

  “Never hurts to be certain,” Seth said.

  “And if I say I am, will you believe me?”

  “They say trust is the most necessary element for any relationship,” Seth shot back.

  “That what this is? A relationship?”

  “It is. You have someone we care about, and it’s obvious you want something in exchange. That’s a relationship, which is going to require trust.”

  “Such as?” Miller said.

  “We need some guarantees Cassandra is okay before this goes any further,” Seth said.

  His voice had firmed ever so slightly, taking the initial interaction from loose, relaxed, to much more focused.

  “You can see her, I’m sure,” Miller said.

  “We need assurances,” Seth said, neither confirming nor denying they had eyes on the condo. Smart.

  “Hold on a moment.”

  The line went dead silent, but was soon filled with the most precious sound. “Hello?”

  A single word from Cassandra’s voice was enough to both reground Lucian and remind him of what was at stake.

  “Cass, you hanging in there?”

  “Seth.”

  “Yeah. It’s me. Hang tight, okay?”

  “O-okay,” she said.

  Lucian could hear the effort it took for her to keep her voice calm. Again she displayed the strength he knew was so much a part of her.

  “Okay, that’s enough conversation.”

  “Thank you,” Seth said.

  Bile burned at the back of Lucian’s throat at the prospect of Seth thanking Miller for anything, but he knew what the purpose was. Outright antagonism wouldn’t get them anywhere.

  “You’re quite welcome. Now, where’s the man in charge?”

  “Elton, I’m not good enough for you?” Seth asked, feigning hurt.

  “Don’t take it personally. I need to know that I have someone who is authorized to make decisions.”

  Seth looked over at Lucian, then Adam. After a moment, they nodded.

  “I’m here,” Lucian said.

  “Good,” Miller said. Then he chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an employer who’d go to such lengths for me. Am I to assume that Ms. Portersen is someone special to you?”

  “Just assume that you’ll be very sorry if anything happens to her,” Seth said, speaking before Lucian could.

  Probably for the best, because the stream of threats and anger that were on the verge of erupting from him would not help.

  “Don’t know if you’re in a position to make statements like that, Seth,” Miller said, his voice tight, though Lucian could hear the wavering rage in it and wondered how long Miller would be able to keep that anger under control.

  “Even still, I want to make sure you understand,” Seth said.

  “I do. I do understand. I want you to do the same,” he said.

  Then the line went silent and as one they looked through the glass at Lucian’s home. Miller stood in front of the window, holding something in his hand.

  Seth reached over and pushed the mute button. “Plastique?”

  Adam nodded.

  “How many units in that building, Silver?”

  “One hundred and sixty units, plus the retail space on the first floor.”

  “And so many others in the surrounding buildings, because somehow I don’t think Cruz found his whole stash,” Seth added.

  “Then we’re looking at a pretty substantial explosion should it come to that,” Adam added quickly.

  “Hundreds of people. Maybe more,” Seth said.

  “Yeah,” Lucian said.

  There was nothing else to say, and the tension in the room intensified, thickened, became heavy with the potential for destruction. Lucian knew he was playing directly into Miller’s hands, but that awareness didn’t mean that he was able to fully choke back the fright that threatened to overcome him.

  “So you understand, Seth?” Miller said.

  “I do believe you’ve made your point,” he said.

  “Good.”

  “So, what do you want in exchange for not blowing up yourself, our friend, and hundreds of other innocent people?” Seth said.

  “You know what, I think I’ll spare you the philosophical debate about innocents and cut right to the chase.”

  Seth shrugged as if to say “thank God,” but he stayed silent.

  “I want access to Silver Industries’ servers,” Miller said.

  Before he’d even finished speaking, Seth shook his head.

  “Assuming we gave you this access, what do you plan to do with that?”

  “Seth, you seem like a pretty smart guy. I’m sure you can figure it out,” Miller said.

  “Glad you think so, but you’re the first to be so confident in my intellect, so why don’t you explain it to me?” he said.

  “As Ms. Portersen has so helpfully reminded me, she doesn’t have access to any classified information, and she swears Silver might not either. I doubt that, but ultimately, I don’t care, because those servers do. Once I’m in, who knows what I might find, what that information might be worth?”

  Adam rolled his eyes, leaving no doubt as to where he stood on the issue. Seth stayed calm, and Lucian was distracted by something he saw in the corner of the penthouse.

  “Do you have some more reasonable demands?” Seth asked.

  “If ever there was a time not to be reasonable, this would be it, Seth,” Miller said.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. Now is most certainly the time to be reasonable. You want to walk away from this. Live your life. Spread your message, whatever it might be,” he said.

  “I do, but sometimes a man has to stand up, and this is one of those times. I am fully committed to seeing that I get that access. Willing to do what it takes, as Ms. Portersen and I have discussed. So give me access to the servers or pick the body part you think she can live without,” he said.

  A gleam flashed just then, and Lucian looked toward his penthouse and even from this distance could see the wickedly sharp blade that Miller held in his hand.

  If Lucian didn’t give Miller what he wanted, he knew Miller wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

  24

  “Relax, Cassandra,” Miller said.

  That might have meant more coming from a man who hadn’t just insinuated, no, promised, that he soon planned to start removing parts of her body.

  She had no doubt that Miller meant to go through with what he said. Not a single one.

  She also knew that this was ab
out more than her.

  When he’d revealed the plastic explosive, Cassandra had started doing some math. Lucian’s building was tall, one of the tallest in the city, and it sat on a busy intersection. An explosion would do untold damage, not to mention those who might be injured by shrapnel, debris, structural collapse. Things Cassandra was sure she probably hadn’t even thought of.

  The loss of life would be enormous.

  And also unacceptable.

  What was also unacceptable was allowing him access to the servers. Cassandra had no idea what specifically was inside them, but whatever it was, Miller and people like him couldn’t be allowed access to it. The government wouldn’t allow it. Lucian wouldn’t allow it. She didn’t blame him, she understood, but that meant there were precious few options.

  She slyly looked at Miller again. Certainly not many that didn’t involve lots of pain or the loss of her life.

  This went far beyond Cassandra, probably beyond Lucian’s ability to protect her.

  Which meant that she would have to protect herself.

  How would she go about doing that?

  She’d taken self-defense classes, was comfortable handling herself, but this was a delicate situation, one she definitely wasn’t trained for.

  Maybe a brute attack. Miller was stout, almost husky. Cassandra knew she didn’t have a chance at taking him in a one-on-one fight, but maybe if she surprise-attacked—

  “Relax,” he said.

  She just managed not to jump and instead looked over at him.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Women are so predictable. I can see the wheels in your mind spinning. You should stop them. We’ve had a pleasant morning so far, and I’d like to keep it that way, at least as long as Silver will let me. So, like I said, relax.”

  Cassandra didn’t even bother to deny his statement, certain he wouldn’t believe her, and decided not to waste the energy. He was right, but that didn’t mean she would just sit here and wait for Lucian to come. She’d fight for her life and the lives of the innocent people around her.

  Miller began to pace, and Cassandra couldn’t resist asking the question that popped up to the front of her mind.

  “Why are you waiting?” she said.

  He paused, turned to face her, his back to the large window. “Are you anxious? In a hurry?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then why so inquisitive?” he said, narrowing his eyes on her.

  “I’m sorry. An old habit, I suppose. I was just wondering. I mean, you were waiting?”

  “Okay,” he said, nodding. “I’ll humor you. You can’t just spring this shit on people. I need to really let him think about all the terrible things I could be doing to you right now. Let him stew. That’s half my work right there. So it’s a matter of being patient, and once he’s all worked up, imagining your pretty face not so pretty, he’ll be much more willing to talk.”

  “You don’t know him, do you?” Cassandra asked. Miller didn’t, or he wouldn’t try to extort Lucian.

  “I know he’s a man in love,” Miller said, smiling. “Which makes him predictable.” He shook his head. “I never quite understood the impulse myself. Who needs the added pressure?”

  He took a step closer, and Cassandra didn’t react. She wanted to, though, badly.

  “Since you raise the matter, I suppose I’ll let it be your choice. If you want my advice, I’d start with the ears. People always think fingers, because there are so many of them, but there are lots of little nerves in the fingers, lots of pain. Ears are mostly cartilage. You won’t feel a thing,” he said.

  “I…” Cassandra trailed off, her voice closing off as her sickness intensified. She knew she was giving him exactly what he wanted, but the wave of repulsion, the shudder of fear, were beyond her ability to control.

  Miller tsked. “Cassandra, how many times do I have to tell you? You need to relax. You’re going to give yourself a—”

  He cut off in the middle of his sentence and let out a low grunt. He looked at her, his face twisted in a mask of surprise, surprise that mirrored her own. She watched as he lifted his hand to his chest, and when he pulled it away, Cassandra stared at the dark, slick substance coating his fingers.

  Blood, she finally realized, and in the next instant she heard him give out another throaty grunt, but this time she heard the soft puff of air that came immediately before it, and when she heard yet another, she looked toward the glass window, seeing the three holes that now pierced it.

  The next seconds unfolded as if from a movie, the window cracking and then shattering as Miller fell to his knees.

  He looked at her again, and Cassandra stared back, at a loss for what else to do. He started to speak, but there was another grunt, and then a bloom of red blossomed across his forehead.

  For a moment, Miller stayed surprisingly upright, still, and then he collapsed, his body falling to the left with a muffled thud.

  25

  “You all right, Cass?” Seth asked.

  She was back sitting on Lucian’s sofa, her legs unwilling to move. Cassandra looked up at Seth, ignoring the countless others that streamed in and out of the apartment, the wind that rushed into the room through the windowless patio.

  At least it was quiet. She’d heard some talk about them finally reopening the streets once they were certain all of Miller’s explosives had been recovered. At that thought, she looked over to the spot where Miller had died, now vacant except for glass and blood, something she’d seen far too often recently.

  She looked up at Seth. “I’m all right, Seth,” she finally said.

  And, strangely, that was true. She was alive. Lucian was alive. Nothing else mattered.

  “I sent Adam downstairs to wait with Sloan. I can have him take you home if you want,” Seth said.

  Cassandra shook her head. “No. I’m going to stay,” she said, looking at Lucian’s closed bedroom door.

  The feds and Homeland Security hadn’t even bothered to take Lucian elsewhere and instead now questioned him in his own home. A place Cassandra had loved, but one she couldn’t wait to leave.

  She wouldn’t, though. Not without Lucian.

  Seth nodded curtly. “Let me know if you need anything,” he said.

  She nodded faintly and then said, “I will.”

  All she needed was Lucian, and Seth’s expression told her he understood that. So he crossed Lucian’s living room, grabbed a bottle of water, handed it to her, and then leaned against the wall, clearly waiting with her.

  Cassandra didn’t know how long she sat there, the hum of activity fading to nothing. She didn’t really hear or see anything, just felt frozen as she waited. Then, Cassandra felt something, a thawing of the ice that seemed to enclose her. A moment later, his bedroom door opened, and Lucian emerged.

  His eyes settled on her, and with that single look, the ice around her was gone. Cassandra didn’t stop to think, consider the ramifications, she simply gave in to instinct and ran to him. Lucian met her halfway and when they met, he locked his eyes on hers and then, without pause, he kissed her.

  It took a few moments for Cassandra to realize that her feet were no longer on the ground, to realize that she was moving. She opened her eyes and looked at Lucian, whose face was set in a rigid expression that made Cassandra want him even more than she already did. Before they exited, the mangled apartment door reminding Cassandra of what had transpired just hours ago, she looked up at Seth, who gave her a knowing smile.

  And then, they were in the elevator.

  “You could put me down,” Cassandra finally said as the elevator began its descent.

  Lucian met her eyes. “No. I have you now, and I’m never letting you go.”

  “What about the authorities? Don’t they have questions?” she said, her hands on his shoulders.

  “They can wait. I’m taking you home,” he said.

  True to his word, Lucian carried her until he reached the SUV, where Adam stood waiting with Sloan on the oppos
ite side of the vehicle.

  Sloan gave her a tentative smile that spoke deeply, one that Cassandra returned. A moment later, Lucian settled her in the vehicle, and then they were off.

  ••••

  “Where are we going?” Cassandra asked when Lucian’s home was no longer in sight.

  “Figured you wanted to go home,” he said, though he didn’t look at her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He didn’t respond, but Cassandra didn’t press. She could see Lucian was still wired, probably in no mood to talk, and she didn’t need to. Being with him was enough.

  He came to a stop in front of her house and then got out of the vehicle and led her out.

  “I had the place checked out, and it’s clear. Thought you’d want to be here,” he said as he unlocked the door and led her inside.

  “Thank you,” she said again.

  Again he didn’t respond directly and instead said, “I’ll get you something to eat while you shower.”

  “You gonna make me some orange juice?” she said.

  That got a tentative smile from him, but one that didn’t reach his eyes or do anything to slacken the intense atmosphere around him. Cassandra knew him well enough to know what he was thinking, what he was doing to himself, and she wouldn’t let that happen.

  Cassandra walked to him where he stood still strong, confident, but not her Lucian. When she reached him, she stood on her tiptoes and held his face in her hands.

  “I’m here, Lucian. I’m here, and I’m safe,” she said, wanting to chase away the clouds that darkened his eyes, wanting to smooth away the lines of worry that wrinkled his forehead.

  She moved forward and pressed her lips against his, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as tight as she could.

  He did the same, locking his arms around her waist and lifting her so that her body was crushed against his.

  In his rigid muscles, she felt the nervous energy that had been there since she’d first seen him, the pent-up emotion that he hadn’t expressed but that had vibrated off him.