Heartstrings

(3) Vile

Lucas cracked his neck and tugged the first two buttons of his shirt loose. He strolled inside his office, his teeth grinding in his mouth as his temper arise. He knocked a few pieces off his desk, sending them in tiny shards on the floor.

Swanson has been killed. The other Societies thought it was bad. But he just heard the word that the bride has gone missing too. The South could've counted it as an attempt of her running away because there was no sign of break-in.

He raked a hand through his unruly hair, the city lights taunting him from right below. He thought this was just going to be murder. Now there's kidnapping too.

A soft knock cracked his train of thoughts. Agatha comes in and bowed her head meekly. "She refused to eat," she began.

"Why?" He sighed.

"She said she's simply not hungry. She refused everything I make her."

Lucas clicks his tongue. He needed to know what she saw that night. However little information he gets, he'll make use of it. "Make her dinner."

"She's already sleeping, sir."

He narrows his eyes. "Make her dinner. Take it to her room." He brushes past her, heading to the long corridors of the expansive manor until he got to the west wing. His men were having their night duties and he sent his brother to cover for him for the night. He slowly twisted the knob open and, for a moment, thought she was awake because all lights were on.

Lucas watches the figure curled up in bed. She sleeps with the lights on. He pauses when she rolls to her back, a frown marring her face. Then she lets out a helpless whimper as she trembled in her sleep.

She was having a nightmare.

He walks toward the bed and lowered himself to his side, tapping her cheek lightly.

The contact startled her awake. She bolted upright, her eyes snapping open as they search the room frantically. A name came out of her mouth like a shaky breath, "Gabby."

Who the fuck is Gabby?

When she's gathered her bearings, she scooted all the way to the headboard, clutching the blankets to her chest as she regarded him with big, round eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Agatha comes in with a tray, giving him time to contemplate his words. She laid it down the bedside table and left quietly. "Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

He lifted the tray off the bedside table and situated it in front of her. "Eat."

She scowls at him defiantly.

Unbelievable.

He lifted a fork and started impaling vegetable to it. He held it to her. "Eat or I'll shove them down your throat."

Lucas knew the threat of his words have worked when she flinched. She leaned close, her mouth closing over the lettuce and chewed cautiously. "If you think I'm trying to poison you, I'm not stooping that low." He dove the fork back down for another bite of the salad.

She shakes her head. "I can do it myself."

"You had your chances to do it yourself," he monotones, ushering two forkfuls of vegetables to her mouth.

She took the glass of water off the tray and took a sip, shaking her head again. "I'm full. Now leave me alone."

Lucas set the fork down, his brow lifting. "That's wishful thinking. You're under my roof."

"What do you want?"

He took the tray back to the bedside table. "Tell me what you saw that night."

Her brows creased then flattened with comprehension. "I told you. I didn't see much. The room was dark."

"Doesn't mean you didn't hear anything," he murmurs, his gaze catching the patch of skin of her slender arm peeking from the sheets.

"I hid under the bed. The man came from the balcony and slinked back out when he killed him. I heard footsteps when he approached the bed. I hear knife sinking to his flesh. I heard him cried out. I heard his labored breathing and heard it stopped."

Lucas was taken aback of her calmness. Women he knew would retch in disgust. They can't stand the sight of blood, let alone tell the story like it was just something she read on a magazine.

"Why were you in his suite in the first place?"

"Like I said, he asked me to be there."

He held her steady in his gaze. "He's not an idiot to dismiss the guards so carelessly."

"I asked him to." Her eyes darted down and came back up to his face.

Looking at her, it makes sense. Who wouldn't do her bidding? She's the most beautiful woman he's laid his eyes on. And he's been with a lot of conquests, so that's saying something.