"Please, call me Lincoln." His smile never wavered at my refusal. "Michael spoke highly of you. Said you helped him through some difficult times." He gestured to the woman beside him. "May I introduce my wife, Anastasia?"
Wife. Anastasia. Ana.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Luka. His pupils contracted to pinpoints, then dilated massively, leaving only thin rings of blue around black pools. Sweat beaded along his hairline despite the cool air. A muscle jumped violently in his jaw, then his throat. His lips parted, but rather than words, I heard only the soft wet sound of his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.
His expression screamed recognition, devastation, rage. But most of all, naked shock.
I shifted closer, my shoulder brushing his in silent support. The shudders intensified where our bodies connected, his muscles locking so tight I worried something might rupture.
She smiled politely, offering her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Matthews. Lincoln has mentioned your work several times."
Her voice carried no trace of a Bosnian accent, unlike the hints that still colored Luka's speech during emotional moments. She sounded American, cultured, refined. And no recognition flickered in her eyes when they slid to Luka. None at all.
"And this is?" Lincoln asked, gesturing to Luka.
“You know exactly who he is.” The words escaped me in an unfamiliar growl.
"I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced," he replied smoothly.
The game. He was going to make us play along. My jaw clenched as I forced out, "My partner. Luka."
"Ah." Pure amusement danced in those cold eyes. "A pleasure, Luka."
He extended his hand to Luka. For a long moment, Luka just stared at it. A single drop of sweat traced down his temple, following the sharp angle of his cheekbone. His right eyelid twitched once, twice. Then, moving like a marionette, he shook Prometheus's hand briefly.
I noticed how his knuckles whitened, how the tendons in his forearm stood out like cables beneath his skin. Prometheus's smile widened fractionally. He'd noticed too.
Anastasia smiled warmly at Luka, no recognition in her face. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luka."
Luka's breathing changed, becoming shallow and too fast. A visible tremor ran through him. His lips moved, forming what might have been "Ana" though no sound emerged.
Luka looked like a man watching his own execution. Every muscle in his body seemed locked in rigid control, as if the slightest movement might shatter him completely.
"Michael was working on something special before he died," Lincoln continued, addressing me, though his attention remained fixed on Luka. "I'd love to discuss it with you both. Perhaps dinner?"
"That's kind of you, but..."
"I insist." His tone remained pleasant. "Eight o'clock? There's a lovely Serbian restaurant downtown. My wife adores their cuisine."
Serbian. Of course. He was flaunting it, showing Luka exactly what he'd done.
"I promise we won't take much of your time," Lincoln added, already turning to leave. "Just a quiet dinner to honor Michael's memory. Anastasia is quite interested in meeting new people."
Anastasia smiled again, still oblivious to Luka's devastation. "I hope you'll join us. It's so rare Lincoln introduces me to his friends from work."
They walked away before I could properly decline, leaving me standing next to what felt like a Luka-shaped statue.
"What the fuck just happened?" I hissed, heart hammering with shock and rage. "That's... that's Ana, isn't it? Your sister. He has your sister."
Luka made a sound so raw, so broken, it barely seemed human. His face had transformed into something I barely recognized. Grief and rage warring with shocked disbelief.
"She's alive," he whispered, the words cracking on his lips. "She's alive, and she doesn't know me."
His knees seemed to buckle slightly, and I gripped his arm to steady him. His skin burned like a fever beneath my fingers.
"She's alive and he... he..." Luka couldn't finish the sentence, horror choking the words.
"He's married her," I said, the revulsion thick in my throat. "Your sister. He's been grooming her all this time."
