Every word he said sounded more unhinged, but Agotia’s words brought me out of hiding.
“Let go of me, Lucas. Let go. You are hurting me. Stop!”
I stormed in, seeing red. Lucas had Agotia backed against the counter in the kitchen. She was leaning as far away from him as she could, but he had a tight grip on her hair, ruthlessly tugging her closer. His other hand wrapped around her back, pressing her into his chest.
"Get your hands off, my wife."
Chapter twenty-two
Agotia
Reliefcoursedthroughmeas I heard Alex's voice. I had never seen him so furious; it was anger not directed at me; it was anger for me. Relief turned into a sharp pain as Lucas yanked my hair back, taking my head with it before he shoved me away. With nowhere else to go, my back slammed against the counter, my face hitting the open cabinet. My vision blurred with tears as I heard a whack loud and clear.
“Stealing from me is one thing,” Alex said, another hard hit following his words. “But invading my wife’s home,” another hit, “and putting your hands on her,” another hit, and Lucas stumbled to the floor, “that is going to cost you your life.”
I opened my eyes then, my hands clutching at my stinging cheek. Alex was towering over Lucas, curled up in a ball on the floor, laughing maniacally. Blood poured from his nose as a bruise started to form on his left eye. Alex calmly wiped his knuckles clean before continuing.
“Agotia was right, you know. I have more than enough evidence to charge you. Between the theft and the assault, you will spend most of your miserable life in jail. I will make sure of that."
Without a backward glance at Lucas, Alex stepped over him and crossed to me. His hands were instantly on my face, his eyes roaming my body, searching for injuries.
“You’ll never find them, you know.”
Lucas's taunts drew our attention away from each other and towards him. He was standing at the front door but did not try to wipe the blood from his face. He looked insane.
“Get out.”
I could feel Alex shake with barely controlled rage. Lucas must have seen it, too, as he did not hesitate to sprint out of the house. His tires squealed shortly after, and the sound of his engine faded as he drove away.
“Are you okay? Let me see that.”
Alex blinked, and the fury was gone from his face. In its place was only concern.
"I'm okay," I said, but I couldn't hold back the hiss as Alex gingerly brushed a finger over my cheek.
"It's a small cut. You won't need stitches, and I don't think it will scar, but we need to clean it."
I started to argue with him, but he wrapped his arms around me as gently as possible and picked me up, silencing my thoughts. His arms were tucked under my knees and behind my neck, cradling me against his chest. It was warm and comforting, soothing my frayed nerves after everything that had just happened.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he carried me to the bathroom.
“I told you.” His chest rumbled against my ear as he spoke, “I need to clean this cut.”
I laid my head on him, allowing him to give me whatever comfort he would offer. I didn’t know how long it would last.
He set me on the counter so that I was at eye level with him, and then he turned to find whatever he deemed necessary for my face. Holding a cloth in hand, he looped his arms around my waist, stepping into my space to wet the rag in the sink behind me. His presence was warm, and he smelled of the leather couch from the library. It had been less than a day, and I had already begun to miss him more than I could admit.
“I didn’t invite him here,” I said, finding my words as he focused on washing away the blood from my face.
“I know.”
"I messaged him two days ago asking to talk. I started to put things together, but I wanted to give him a chance to explain it before I told you."
“Why?”
"I don't know anymore. At the time, I was protecting or giving my childhood friend a chance. But it's clear to me now that he isn't a friend. And he wasn't the man I should have been protecting."
His hand stilled as I spoke, and I watched as his eyes softened.
