Augustine took a slow drink. "I used to think she wouldn't be able to handle all of me, that she'd run if she ever saw what my life truly is."
He paused, eyes hardening with certainty. "But tonight, I saw the truth in her eyes. She was ready to die beside me." He looked directly at Lucien. "So no… she won't leave. She is stronger than I ever imagined."
Lucien leaned against the bar, swirling his glass and watching the liquid.
"Who were they? Why were they after me?" Augustine asked.
Lucien's jaw tightened, and his grip around the glass stiffened.
"They are from a rival gang," he said through clenched teeth. "My godfather wiped it out years ago. But they have resurfaced."
He took a hard breath, finishing the scotch in one long pull, then slammed the glass onto the counter with a heavy thud. His eyes burned with fury.
"They have been rebuilding in the shadows, forming alliances with smaller syndicates across the globe. And now, they are provoking me."
