Page 67 of Lukas

Chapter Twenty-Six

Fifteen minutes later,Lukas drove straight through the fence surrounding the abandoned warehouse without even slowing down. The thought of a knife piercing Reina’s smooth skin had cold sweat breaking out along his spine.

He drove as close to the door as he could possibly get before slamming on the brakes and turning off the engine.

“I hear you,” Simon said in a sing-song tone. “You made it just in time.”

Lukas disconnected the call and pressed the speed dial for Roman, leaving the phone sitting in the seat. If Victor hadn’t already contacted his brothers, this call was going to be too late to save Lukas, but at least it would give them some direction.

He ran towards the warehouse, knowing everything about this plan was foolhardy. Trusting that Simon wouldn’t hurt Reina. Trusting that drunk Peter would get a message to his brothers immediately. Trusting that there was any way he was going to make it out of this alive.

He entered the warehouse and heard Simon’s voice to his left. “I have to admit, I was hoping to cut on her a little bit more. That soft skin, am I right? It’s hard to resist.”

“Enough. You said you would let her go. You’ve got me, I’m unarmed and alone.”

Simon walked into the moonlight filtering in through the window, dragging Reina beside him. Fear loosened its fist on his throat. She was alive. A couple small cuts just below her ear, but nothing too bad.

Simon threw her toward him, and Lukas caught her before she fell, then set her beside him.

“You should’ve seen her when you showed up. She honestly thought you weren’t going to do it. She was talking all this trash about how she stole from you and you hated her. Get your hands up.”

Simon made sure Lukas had no weapons then stepped back.

Lukas looked down at Reina. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. But why are you here?”

He didn’t answer. He wanted to kiss her more than anything in the world but couldn’t. Couldn’t let Simon know what she meant to him. Lukas turned back to the other man. “She wasn’t lying. She did steal from me and we’re through. But that didn’t mean I wanted to see my ex cut up into pieces, so here I am. Now let her go.”

For a second he didn’t think Simon was going to do it. That he was going to keep Reina and hurt her in front of him. If the younger man had any idea whatsoever of how that would destroy Lukas, he no doubt would.

Lukas put a hand around her upper arm—because he couldn’t not touch her—but kept her held away from him.

“Fine,” Simon finally said. “She can go. But she walks.”

He thought of trying to slip her the keys to his car, but it wasn’t worth it. She would be out of here. Out of danger. That was all that mattered.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she said.

He pushed her towards the door. “Just get out. Be glad I came for you at all.” Those big eyes filled with tears and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to pull her against him. “Not get out and let the men talk.”

“But…”

“Now, Reina. Do as I say.”

Her face scarred over with pain, but she nodded and turned, walking out the door. Thank God.

Lukas turned back to Simon. Now this fucker was going to die. “So, you wanted to talk about working out some sort of deal?” He walked further into the room. He needed to buy as much time as he could. If Peter had gotten in touch with Roman and Dominic, they would be on their way. At the very least, Roman should’ve gotten Lukas’s call.

“You put my cousin in the hospital.”

“I did, but you have some of your details confused, Simon. We only attacked your cousin’s gang because they encroached on our property and area first. We were not picking a fight with them; we were defending our property.”

But this younger man with his hipster haircut and skinny jeans wasn’t interested in reason. “Your time in Louisiana is coming to an end. You are the old. My people are the new.”

“So, what exactly do you want to talk about?”

Simon took a step closer, pulling out that beloved knife of his. “I actually don’t want to at all. I’d much rather send a message.

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