Page 50 of Meet Me In The Dark

His enemy raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we? You, too, stopped at nothing to have Kara in your keeping. You’d have killed me in a heartbeat, had you had the chance.”

“To keep her safe,” Conor growled.

He’d only ever wanted her safe.

The professor shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. “To get rid of the competition. You didn’t want your other lovers to have her in the beginning either, did you? Came around to it, because of how close you all are. But if you could have had her to yourself, you would’ve. If she’d wanted to be with me, would you have let her go?”

“I wouldn’t have killed her.” Just kept her, forever.

The professor’s eyes flashed. “I do not—” he cut himself off. “I did not plan on killing her.” He rose to his feet and with a motion to his guards, walked toward the door. “You are like me, Mr. O’Connell, because you would never have set her free.”

Anguish burned like a fire in Conor’s chest. He wanted to roar and rail that it wasn’t true. But wasn’t it? If Kara were alive, if she wanted to leave him, leavethem,for someone else? He’d never have let her go. What if she had another lover? What if she’d jumped in front of the bullet to save another man?

He would’ve loved her anyway.

He hadn’t always wanted her to be happy. He’d only wanted that for himself. But as they’d grown closer over the past month, he’d realized how badly he needed that for her.

And now that she was gone…

“Wait.”

The professor turned back.

“Luke,” Conor said.

“What about him?”

“I want to make a deal. Let him go,” Conor said.

The professor shook his head. “I don’t see what benefit that is for me. See, I am also a sadistic man, and I am an angry and vengeful one. Since I cannot hurt your friend Mr. Feldman for his part in Kara’s death, I can hurt the two of you for your role in it, forever.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want,” Conor said. “I’ll be your little torture puppy, let you and your brothers experiment on me with whatever drugs they’re dreaming up, be your personal hitman and kill all your enemies without question. You can do whatever you want to me, take out your sadistic needs or your practical ones. Just let Luke go free, and I’ll do any of it. I’ll do it all.”

There was a strange light in the professor’s eyes. One that Conor should’ve thought more about, questioned. But what did it matter? All that mattered was his grief, and Luke’s freedom. Yes, the professor could renege, but it was Conor’s only chance. Luke’s only chance.

“Mr. James won’t like this,” the professor pointed out.

Conor shrugged. “Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“And how do I know, when I let him go, that you’ll keep your side of the bargain?”

Conor looked the other man dead in the eye. “Because I always keep my promises.”

“Yes,” the professor murmured. “I suppose you do.”

16

Luke had finally assembled some semblance of a backup plan when the door to his new cell opened. Chris Johnathan stood there, freshly showered, hair damp, his hands tucked in his pockets.

And he was alone.

Luke smelled the trap immediately. He didn’t know what type of trap it was, just that it existed. He’d been sure something was off when they’d never chained him up this time, just left in there to think.

“Mr. James.”

Luke said nothing.

“Mr. James, I know you’re mourning. But I have some good news…you’re free to leave.”

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