Lucas leaned forward, elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together anxiously. His gaze fell to the floor, as though it held the answers to all the questions hanging between them.

“When I first met Damon, I didn’t realize who he really was,” Lucas began, his voice low, almost a whisper. “It was a different time—a different version of me. Back then, I was running from everything. My past, my family… myself.”

Jade watched him carefully, sensing that this was the beginning of something much deeper than Damon. She stayed quiet, letting him unravel the pieces at his own pace.

“I grew up in a small town, kind of like this one,” Lucas continued, his face hardening with the memories. “My dad… he wasn’t exactly a good man. He had a lot of power where we lived, but it wasn’t the kind of power people earned honestly. My family ran things—illegally. Drugs, weapons, the works. And I was supposed to follow in his footsteps.”

Jade felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn’t expected Lucas’s family to be part of this.

“But I didn’t want any part of it,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “I hated the way he ran his life, the way he controlled everyone around him. I left home when I was eighteen, thinking I could escape it all. That’s when I ended up in the city. But you don’t just walk away from a legacy like that.”

Jade’s throat tightened. “Your dad didn’t let you go, did he?”

Lucas’s face twisted with something between anger and regret. “No. He sent people after me, trying to drag me back. But I fought like hell to stay away. I thought I could start over. That’s when I met Damon. He was working with some of my father’s business associates, but I didn’t know it at the time. By the time I realized, I was already in too deep.”

Jade leaned forward, her pulse quickening. “So that’s how Damon had leverage over you.”

“Exactly,” Lucas said, his voice bitter. “When Damon figured out who I was, he used it against me. He threatened to tell my father where I was if I didn’t do what he asked. I thought I could outsmart him, that if I did a few jobs, I could pay him off and get out. But that’s not how it works in their world.”

Jade could feel her hands trembling as the weight of his story sank in. Lucas hadn’t just been running from Damon. He had been running from a life he never wanted—a life that had been forced upon him from birth.

“And now,” Lucas said, his voice hollow, “Damon’s back. And I’m afraid he’s not just after money or some old debt. He might want to use me to get to my father.”

Jade’s stomach dropped. “Does your father know where you are?”

Lucas shook his head. “I don’t think so. But Damon could change that.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, the enormity of Lucas’s past settling between them. Jade’s mind raced, trying to piece together what this meant for them now. Damon wasn’t just some thug with an agenda—he was a man with connections, and Lucas’s family was at the center of it all.

“So what do we do?” Jade asked finally, her voice steady despite the fear swirling in her chest.

Lucas looked at her, his eyes dark with determination. “We have to confront Damon. But we can’t do it on his terms.”

Jade nodded. “We need to make the first move.”

Lucas’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I have a contact in the city, someone who might be able to give us more information about what Damon’s really after. If we can figure out his endgame, we’ll have a better chance of stopping him.”

“Then let’s go,” Jade said, standing up. “The longer we wait, the more control we give him.”

Lucas blinked, surprised by her resolve. “You really want to do this?”

Jade stepped closer, her gaze locking with his. “I’m not backing down, Lucas. We do this together.”

He stared at her for a long moment, the tension between them palpable. Then, with a deep breath, he nodded. “Alright. We’ll leave tonight.”

The decision was made, but Jade could still feel the heavy shadow of Lucas’s past lingering over them. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were heading into something far more dangerous than either of them realized. But she also knew that whatever happened, she wasn’t going to let Lucas face it alone.

Later that night, as they prepared to leave, Lucas stood by the window, staring out into the darkness. Jade packed a small bag, her mind racing with the events to come.

“You know,” Lucas said quietly, “there’s something else I need to tell you.”

Jade looked up, her heart skipping a beat. “What is it?”

Lucas turned to face her, his expression grim. “There’s a reason I never told you about my family. A reason I never wanted you to know the truth.”

She waited, her pulse thundering in her ears.

“My father… he’s not just any criminal,” Lucas said, his voice barely above a whisper. “He’s the head of one of the largest crime syndicates in the country.”

Jade froze, the air knocked from her lungs. She had known Lucas’s past was dark, but this—this was something else entirely.

“And Damon,” Lucas continued, his eyes filled with dread, “he’s not just trying to get to me. He’s trying to use me to take down my father. He wants control of everything.”

Jade’s mind reeled as the pieces fell into place. Damon wasn’t just a threat to Lucas—he was a threat to everything Lucas had tried to escape.

“What do we do?” Jade asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Lucas looked at her, his eyes hard with resolve. “We take him down before he can take us.”