Page 40 of Dark Prince

The lobby passes in a blur as I make my way outside, my eyes scanning for the bodyguards and our car. The sight of a familiar, black car with dark-tinted windows parked curbside sends a wave of relief through me, and I hurriedly open the back door and slip inside, not giving the driver a chance to open it for me. My relief is short-lived as I slide into the backseat and come face to face with my nightmare—Sharon—smirking like the cat that ate the canary, with Rory in the driver's seat ominously silent.

Sharon's voice is silk over steel. “Maura, darling, so very pleased you could join us.”

Panic grips me as I reach for the door, only to find it locked. Rory doesn't say a word; he simply pulls away from the curb, sealing my fate. Before we get too far, he reaches back with surprising speed and plucks my phone out of my hand, tossing it out the window with a quick snap of his wrist.

I'm trapped, my heart pounding in my chest as the car speeds away. Every instinct screams at me to fight, to find a way out, knowing that with every turn, I’m getting farther from safety, farther from Luk.

Sharon watches me, her gaze wicked and calculating. “You've been a busy bee, Maura. Digging into things that you shouldn’t be. We can't have that, now, can we?”

Her words are cold, a clear reminder of the danger I've stumbled into. It's not just about the inheritance anymore; it's about survival. The cruelty Sharon showed me throughout most of my life has followed me into adulthood, into marriage, and into the life I swore to keep her out of.

I weigh my options, desperate for any leverage, any angle to use against them. But Sharon's smug grin and Rory's silent compliance tell me I'm at a disadvantage.

I realize that this is it—the confrontation I've been dreading. But I'm not the same frightened woman I was when I married Luk two months ago. And I have more to fight for now than ever before.

Chapter 23

Luk

Tonight, the mansion feels more like a fortress, each tick of the clock amplifying the silence. I’m pacing the expansive living room when Elena bursts through the door.

Without missing a beat, I launch into her. “Where the hell have you been? And where's Maura? I asked you to keep an eye on her, Elena.”

Elena, completely unfazed by my towering frustration, raises an eyebrow and places her purse on the console with exaggerated care. “First of all, Luk, you need to calm down. And second, Maura's not a child that needs constant supervision. She went to try and solve this enigma, to figure out who is behind the attempts on her life. She’s taking matters into her own hands.”

The defiance in her tone and the challenge in her eyes only serve to stoke the fire already burning in my belly. They also force me to confront a fact I've been avoiding. Maura's spirit, her dogged pursuit of the truth, is part of what draws me to her. It’s a trait I admire, even when it scares the hell out of me.

“She’s definitely headstrong,” I concede, my voice gruff with pride and concern. “But this isn’t some game. The stakes are life and death. She shouldn't be facing this alone. And I don’t, in the slightest, appreciate her evading you and the guards to run off on her own—yet again.”

Elena crosses her arms, standing her ground as if she's the older sibling schooling me. “Maura doesn't back down, not from you, not from anyone. It’s one of her strengths.”

I want to argue that there's a difference between self-assurance and recklessness, but Elena's jawline tells me she's not done.

“And you love her for it,” she continues, softer now but with no less intensity. “She's out there because she can't stand the thought of anyone else getting hurt. Not you, not me, not anyone. Maura’s fighting for us as much as for herself.”

I feel the heat of my anger cooling in the face of Elena's unwavering logic. She’s right, damn her.

“But her phone's off. What if something's happened to her?” The worry that's been gnawing at me breaks free, coloring my voice with fear.

Elena's expression softens, her earlier fire replaced by genuine concern. “Hmm, that’s odd. But she’s smart. Maura knows what she's doing, and she’s on her way home now. The guards picked her up a little bit ago.”

Her words, meant to be reassuring, only serve to underscore the urgency of the situation. Maura is out there yet I’m in here. My place is by her side, protecting her, fighting alongside her.

“Maura’s competency isn’t the issue. The fact of the matter is that there are people out there who want to kill her. I need to find her.”

As I turn to leave, Elena's voice stops me cold. “What’s your plan? Are you going to tear down the whole of Chicago to track her down? I already told you. She’s on her way here; the guards have her.”

I pause, realizing that in my rush of fear and anger, I hadn't thought things through. “I can’t just sit here, wait, and do nothing,” I admit, the words tasting like defeat.

Elena nods, a knowing look in her eyes as if she'd been expecting such a moment. “Come with me to my computer room.”

I follow her through the mansion to a room that starkly contrasts with the rest of the opulent decor. Elena's command center is a tech enthusiast's dream—a sleek, modern setup with multiple monitors displaying various data streams, a high-end computer system that hums quietly in the background, and an array of gadgets that would be more at home in a spy movie than in a Chicago mansion.

“What is all this?” I ask.

Elena, booting up her systems, doesn't look up. “Let's just say I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Now, let's see how close she is.”

Elena's fingers fly over the keyboard; her focus is absolute as she navigates through screens with practiced ease. I watch, feeling oddly out of my element in this digital realm she commands so effortlessly.

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