LUCIFER'S POV
The second I saw Red pacing by the car with that grim look on his face, I yanked the door shut behind me so hard it shook on its hinges.
"You better have a damn good reason for pulling me out like that," I growled, boots stomping across the pavement. "Because what I was doing was fucking important, your little emergency better be worth it."
Horny and unsatisfied, my voice still sliced like a blade.
Red didn't flinch, he knew better but his jaw tightened like he was holding back fire.
"One of our warehouses is gone."
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Gone?" I asked curiously.
"Burned to the goddamn ground," he confirmed, eyes shadowed. "Just got words, the fire started an hour go, nothing was salvaged. It is bad, Lucifer."
I didn't respond.
I didn't need to.
I turned on my heels and slid into the car, my voice was cold and controlled. "Drive."
The warehouse was a fucking graveyard by the time we got there.
Charred steel beams dropped like broken bones, the air was thick with smoke and ash. Water pooled on the ground, mixing with the blackened sludge of what used to be my shipment, money, weapons, tech, all burned beyond recognition.
I stood at the edge of the destruction, arms crossed, mouth a thin line.
"How?" I asked, turning to the two men standing behind the yellow tape… How the fuck did this happen, this can't be a random accident, can it?
"The flames spread fast, I think accelerant was used, probably planned."
Of course it was, it's pretty obvious but by who and why, who the fuck has the balls to play games with me, with Lucifer.
"Security feeds?"
The guard shifted. "Gone, everything melted. Server racks, cameras and everything is fried."
"Then pull the fucking traffic cam footage from the streets," I snapped. "Someone had to get here, someone had to leave. I want every car, every fucking pigeon that flapped past this place on file. Am I lucid?"
"Yes, boss."
Red stood at my side, silent, waiting.
I didn't speak again, I couldn't because rage had settled in my lungs like smoke, and I was one spark away from burning down the entire city.
...
We spent the whole night in the war room, screens up, footage rolling and names being ran through systems. All known enemies accounted for, none of them were nearby, no gang wars were active. Nothing made sense.
Which confirms that this wasn't just business as usual, this was personal.
By the time I got back to the penthouse, it was well past sunrise. My braid was a mess, my eyes bloodshot, and my mood? Fucking lethal.
Red was still with me, trailing behind like the loyal wolf he was but I needed answers, I needed to scream. I needed a face to blame. So, I paced the living room like a storm cloud, barking orders as I shed my coat and gloves.
"I want every snitch we have got on the street, every fucking rat with ears. Someone knows something. If I don't have a name by tomorrow, I swear on my father's grave…"
"I'll find them," Red cut in.
"You better," I snapped. "Because if I have to bury more product, I will start by burying you first."
Before Red could answer, the door opened and in walked Seb.
Perfect timing, perfect goddamn face.
White shirt hugging his chest, sleeves rolled up. Brown envelope in hand and I didn't miss the nervous hand brushing through his hair like he always did when he was worried and those eyes, deep hazel eyes with golden flecks landing on me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw my face. "Sabrina ... I just came from the bakery, you weren't there."
"I had to handle something," I muttered, my voice instantly losing some of its bite.
"I have been calling you all night, what happened?" Red took that as his cue to vanish, smart man.
I dropped onto the couch, rubbing a hand over my face. "Warehouse fire, one of our biggest storage sites. All gone, we are still investigating."
His brows furrowed as he sat beside me. "Are you okay?"
"I'm pissed."
He pulled me gently against him. "I know but you will figure it out. You always do." I stayed in his arms for what felt like an hour, and I felt significantly better.
I hated how those words and his presence calmed me, how his warmth pulled me back from the edge every damn time.
His fingers played with the edge of the envelope. "I brought the papers."
I raised a brow. "Already?"
"I didn't want to give you time to change your mind." He smirked, rubbing his thigh like he always did when he was nervous.
I chuckled for the first time in hours. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have accepted in the first place."
I reached for the envelope, broke the seal, and pulled the crisp documents out and before he could say anything else, I grabbed the pen from the table and signed the damn thing.
"Wait…" he blinked. "You didn't even read it."
I looked up at him, fierce and sure. "I trust you."
He stared at me like I just punched a hole through his chest. "God, you are really gonna ruin me."
"Already have." I smirked.
He leaned in and kissed me slowly, deep, like we weren't sitting in the aftermath of chaos and for a little while, everything was soft again, normal.
We didn't even bother moving from the couch.
I straddled him, lips locked, our hands exploring, unbuttoning, slipping under fabric and skin. I needed the heat from him, the safety, and the silence between wars.
His fingers dug into my hips as I rocked against him, his breath catching in my ear, his teeth grazing my collarbone.
"Seb." I moaned.
"I have got you." He whispered, hands slipping beneath my shirt.
We were halfway there, bodies tangled, breaths ragged… when my phone rang again.
I stilled.
He groaned, frustrated. "No, no, no. Don't pick it."
I reached for it.
"Sabrina, please. Not again."
Too late.
"Red?" I answered, still breathless.
His voice came sharp and low, "We found something, you are going to want to see this in person." I was already climbing off Seb.
"You're leaving?" he asked, still hard, still flushed, watching me with disbelief.
"I have to," I said, buttoning my jeans.
"You haven't even…" He cut himself off, running both hands through his hair now in frustration.
I kissed him quickly and placed one hand on his cheek. "I will make it up to you, I promise."
"Damn right, you will." He muttered.
As I headed for the door, he called after me.
"Sabrina!"
I turned.
"Be ready by seven," he said. "I'm taking you out, you have been running yourself into the ground and we need to talk about this wedding properly."
I gave him a look. "You are ordering me around now?"
He grinned. "Somebody's got to." I rolled my eyes but couldn't fight the smile.
Then he said. "Come back alive."
That statement alone left me breathless in a whole unusual way.