Chapter 9 - The Devil's Bargain
A gunshot rang out.
But it wasn't Marcus's gun that fired.
Marcus's eyes widened in shock. A dark red stain began to bloom across the center of his white dress shirt. He gasped, dropping the revolver, and slumped backward onto the concrete, dead before he fully hit the ground.
Sienna opened her eyes, gasping for air. She looked toward the entrance of the garage.
Lucian stood there, his arm extended, smoke curling from the barrel of his Glock. He had handed Lily to Maria, who had just arrived at the stairwell, and stepped forward to end the threat to his family.
Lucian didn't look at the body of his former friend. He ran straight to Sienna, dropping to his knees beside her. "Sienna! Talk to me."
Sienna coughed, tasting copper. "Ribs... definitely broken again," she wheezed, managing a weak smile. "But I'm alive."
Lucian let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for a lifetime. He gently scooped her into his arms, being mindful of her injuries. "You crazy, reckless woman," he murmured, his forehead resting against hers. "I told you to stay back."
"I don't follow orders well," Sienna whispered, leaning into his chest. For the first time in seven years, she felt like she didn't have to fight anymore. She felt safe.
The sound of police sirens began to wail in the distance, mixing with the fading gunfire on the lawn. The surviving Bratva soldiers were either dead or retreating. The siege was over. The Moretti empire had held, but just barely.
Two days later, the dust had settled. The compound was swarming with contractors repairing the damage, and heavily armed loyalists securing the perimeter. The Russian syndicate had been dealt a crippling blow; in retaliation for the attack, Lucian had wiped out their leadership in a coordinated strike across the city. The war was over. Lucian was the undisputed king of Chicago once more.
But as he sat in the private hospital wing of his estate, looking at Sienna asleep in the bed, he knew he wasn't the one who had saved his kingdom.
Sienna stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The bruising on her face was fading into a dull yellow. She looked at Lucian, who was sitting in the same chair as he had the first day she arrived.
"Hey," she rasped.
"Hey yourself," Lucian said softly, leaning forward. "The doctor says you'll make a full recovery. Your ribs need time, but you're strong."
"Where's Lily?"
"Painting in the garden. She demanded I bring you out there as soon as you woke up so you could judge her artwork." Lucian smiled, a genuine, warm expression that made him look incredibly handsome.
Sienna smiled back, but it faded slowly. She looked down at her hands. "So... what happens now? The Bratva is gone. Marcus is dead. You're safe. I guess my debt is paid. I should probably get out of your hair."
Lucian’s smile vanished. He stood up, walking to the edge of the bed. He looked down at her, his dark eyes intense and unyielding.
"You think I'm going to let you walk out that door and go back to sleeping under a bridge, Sienna?" Lucian asked, his voice low and firm.
"I don't belong in this world, Lucian," Sienna said softly. "I'm a ghost."
"You were a ghost," Lucian corrected her. "Before you picked up a rusted metal rod and became the shield for my family. You bled for my daughter. You fought for me. You aren't a ghost anymore, Sienna. You're real. And you're here."
May you like
He reached out, taking her hand in his. His grip was warm and solid.
"I need someone I can trust," Lucian said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "I need someone who sees the battlefield, someone who isn't afraid to tell me when I'm blind. But more than that... Lily needs you. She hasn't stopped talking about her 'brave angel'. And frankly... I need you."
