Poison & Wine [Eric Coulter]

35.

Olivia sighed as she emptied another magazine of ammunition into the man-shaped target at the far side of the shooting range. A smoking hole had appeared in the center of the target where every shot she fired landed, but she didn't feel any lighter. Her stomach was in knots and her mind was racing as mulled the day's events over in her head.

The man that she'd woken up with that morning - the kind, warm, safe Eric...was not the man she'd witnessed that afternoon. Her stomach turned as she thought back to Eric throwing Christina over the bridge at the Chasm. What hurt her the most was that he was there the night that Malcolm and Emma attempted to kill her in that very place. He had saved her and cared for her that night, and she realized that it was that night when she noticed the connection that they had. Olivia wanted so badly for that to be the man that she was in a relationship with, but she feared that the ruthless, reckless man she'd witnessed that afternoon was becoming his true self, and she didn't know whether she should run, or fight for the person she knew he was deep down inside - the man she was falling in love with.

Tears spilled from Olivia's eyes as she let out a frustrated scream and emptied another clip into the target, the sound of gunfire drowning out her voice. Once she'd fired the final shot, she slammed the gun down on the table in front of her and sat down against the cold concrete floor, her knees bent in front of her.

"Liv?" a voice came from the doorway a few feet away and Olivia wiped her tears, then looked up to see Lucian walking toward her, a concerned look on his face. "You alright?" he asked, taking a seat next to her, his shoulder pressed against hers. Olivia sighed and shook her head, letting it fall back against the wall as she stared up at the cold fluorescent lighting above them. "Is it Eric?" he asked, and Olivia could only sigh again in response. "He doesn't deserve you, you know." Olivia turned her head to look at him with furrowed eyebrows, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Liv, Eric's a dick. He doesn't care about anything except his position here and what he can do to climb in the ranks. He can't give you what you're looking for," Lucian finished and it took everything in Olivia not to let her mouth fall open.

"I thought you were friends," Olivia said, wondering where he was going to take this. Lucian scoffed.

"We are friends, but you and I both know that he can't give you what you want. You want comfort, you want stability. You won't get that from Eric."

"And how do you know what I want, Lucian?" she asked, attempting to keep her anger at bay.

"It's what everyone wants, Liv. It's human nature. You have needs," he continued as he reached out and placed a hand on her thigh, which Olivia quickly swatted away.

"What are you doing?" she shouted, scrambling to her feet. Lucian stood and looked at her with a smirk on his face, but his smirk didn't do to her what Eric's did.

"Come on, Liv," Lucian continued, stepping toward her. "You and me together? We could run this place! I know you've thought about it... late at night..." Before he could finish his sentence, Olivia was throwing her fist across his face. His head swung to the right, then slowly turned back to face her. The smirk was gone - replaced with a darkness like none she'd ever seen before. Lucian grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall, sending her head bashing against the concrete. Her vision blurred, but it wasn't enough to stop Olivia from raising her leg and throwing her knee into his groin, causing him to release his grip on her neck and stumble backward. She took the opportunity to send her knee into his stomach as he was doubled over, then her fist into the right side of his head, striking him on the ear. The man fell to the ground, clutching his ear and groaning in pain.