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“Why would they need Orlov if they have a willing chemist in Zaitsev?” Inda asked, catching on fast.
“They wouldn’t,” Lucas answered.
Braxton’s shrewd gray eyes narrowed. “Sheridan, I want a list of every job you’ve done for Carlisle. Names, details, special instructions. Everything.”
“Yeah, sure,” he agreed.
Inda liked that he didn’t hesitate. Lucas seemed like he was all in, but actions spoke louder than words. They’d expect him to deliver and if he didn’t…
She shivered. Well, it wouldn’t end well for Cipher.
They ended up grilling Lucas for almost three hours straight, and around midnight, Inda stifled a yawn. It had been a damn long day, and though she was glad to have Lucas on their side and helping, she was still confused as hell when it came to her own personal feelings.
When Lucas reached for his buzzing phone and excused himself to take a call, Inda tensed. Who would be calling him so late? Maybe she wasn’t the only one he enjoyed sexting with. Shemay have been in a bit of a dry spell pre-Lucas, but she knew the only calls that came in at midnight were emergencies or booty calls.
Braxton took the interruption as a sign and called it a night. As everyone began to shuffle off to bed, Inda stood up and stretched, and Zane moved up beside her. He leaned in and, in a low voice only she could hear, said, “Be careful. We can’t trust him yet.”
Her attention moved to Lucas on the other side of the room and she nodded. “I know.”
“Night, Bruja.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek then turned and reached for River.
Suddenly, everyone was gone and it was quiet. Inda slowly made her way over to where Lucas stood. He’d just hung up the phone, and when he met her gaze, his expression looked utterly forlorn. Heartbroken.
“What is it?” she asked.
“My mom…” His voice cracked and Inda reached for him without thinking twice.
???
“I have to go. I—” He looked around, feeling a little dazed, not sure how he was going to get to St. Peregrine’s. He didn’t have his car and a sense of shock worked through him, dulling his ability to focus and function. The doctor said his mom was fading fast and she might only have an hour or two left. Even though he’d been expecting this, it still hit him in the gut like a thousand bolts of lightning.
“I’ll take you,” Inda offered, voice laced in concern.
“Are you sure? It’s late and—”
“C’mon.” Her hand, already resting on his arm, lowered and she threaded her fingers through his. Squeezing tightly, her touch felt like a lifeline in a storm-swept sea, and he managed to whisper a thanks.
Inda drove him straight to the hospice center as he did his best to keep his shit together. His mom wasn’t gone yet and he needed to put on a brave face. He hoped she was awake and lucid so he could look into her pretty blue eyes one last time and thank her for being the best mother he could’ve ever asked for.
Sitting in the car just outside the building, he quietly asked, “Will you come in with me?” He couldn’t make eye contact with her, fully expecting her to say no and make a quick getaway the moment he was out of the vehicle.
“Of course.” She turned the car off, met him at the front of the SUV, and they walked in together, holding hands again.
More than anything, he wanted his mom to meet Inda before she passed. The closer they got to her room, the more intense the urge to make sure it happened filled him. One of the doctors appeared and informed him that she was in and out of consciousness, on some hefty painkillers, and he should be prepared to say goodbye.
Lucas’ heart clenched in his chest. They’d done everything to treat the cancer, but it hadn’t been enough. Vicious, fucking cruel disease. Doing his best to hold it together, he paused outside the door, unable to let go of Inda’s hand.
“I want you to meet her.” His voice was barely a whisper. For whatever reason, the idea of Inda never meeting the most important person in his world didn’t sit right.
Her eyes widened in surprise then seemed to melt like warm caramels. “I’d like that,” she said softly. “But…are you sure? I don’t want to intrude—”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay.”
Lucas squeezed her hand, opened the door and led her inside.
???
