The Black Sparrow

LP: Chapter 8

As much as Lucian was playful earlier in the living room, now he was sound asleep. Georgina waited for him to fall asleep so she could do her research. She hadn’t even taken her medication for her hip injury yet. It would make her sleepy, and she had things to do.

She had been trying to gather more information on Elena, but there wasn’t much she could find. Elena was not married, but according to Lucian, the woman’s boyfriend was the one he had fought with earlier. Georgina had a strong feeling that it wasn’t just simple domestic violence. Everything felt too convenient. Whoever was plotting against them wasn’t very smart. On second thought, maybe that was indeed the plan to quickly get Lucian and her out in the open.

Another dead end. Georgina wanted to throw her laptop. Elena went to Stanford, where Lucian graduated. But she was of Spanish-Filipino descent. She didn’t know if there was any other ethnicity involved besides that. Her boyfriend was Italian. There was a big chance that Lucian was the target, not her.

“You’re still awake?”

Georgina was startled when she heard Lucian’s voice. His hair was messy, and he was only wearing pajama bottoms. His toned chest was fully visible. He had a few bruises, but not too many.

“Yes. I can’t sleep, so I thought I’d read a few… articles.”

Lucian furrowed his brow but then nodded. He sat down on the sofa, so Georgina closed her laptop and sat beside him.

“Did you have a bad dream?” She caressed Lucian’s cheek.

He shook his head. “I’m going to call Lorenzo. Why don’t you go to bed and sleep? It’s late.”

“I don’t have anyone to cuddle with.” Georgina snuggled up next to Lucian.

He kissed her forehead and said, “I won’t take long. Go.”

Georgina complied and went to their bedroom. Lucian watched her walk away. He feasted his eyes on Georgina’s figure. The natural sway of her hips, her long legs, and even the way her feet glided were all familiar to him. She was the only woman he knew who walked silently. And you know what they always say about that—those women are the most dangerous of all.

“Luc,” Lorenzo answered when Lucian called him. His voice was hoarse, clearly just having woken up.

“Lore, what’s going on with Dad?”

“The doctor came to see him yesterday. It’s his kidneys. They are failing.”

“By failing, you mean he needs dialysis?” He didn’t know a lot about medical issues, but that was the same illness his grandfather had. When his grandfather got sick, he had fully handed over the responsibility to Lucian’s father.

“Pietra might know more about it. She’s the one talking to the doctor.”

“Tell her to call me later. If Dad needs dialysis, then he should do it. We have to find a kidney donor too. Money is not a problem.”

“Yes, Luc. But the business problems are starting.”

“What do you mean?” Lucian frowned.

“I think they suspect that Dad is sick. Some people want to take his place, but they also know that you’ll be taking over. They might send someone to look for you. Pietra and I aren’t going out as much. It’s not safe.”

***

Lucian thought the same thing. And it wasn’t a good idea to bring Georgina to Italy right now. It would be better if she went to Spain to visit her father, but if he didn’t go with her, she might get into trouble. When his call ended, he didn’t go straight to their room. He needed a drink. He poured himself some scotch, and instead of savoring it, he drank it straight. It burned his throat like hell, but it made him feel alive.

There was only one friend he could trust while he was away in Italy. He could keep an eye on them while he was gone. When he rang a few times, his friend answered the phone.

“The devil rose from the dead.” His voice was hoarse, and instead of a normal hello, that was his greeting.

“Kons.” Konstantin Kozlov is a Russian man who is fluent in many languages, including Tagalog. “I need your help.”

They talked about what was happening with his family in Italy, and because Konstantin also came from an influential family, it was easy for him to help.

“Keep me posted, please.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. “Say hi to Georgina for me.” They had met in New York and had visited his home once or twice in Toronto. Georgina and Konstantin got along well, and he wasn’t surprised because Kons was easy to get along with.

Lucian had to stay away from his family for the time being, but he wouldn’t neglect them. He was the target. But it also meant putting Georgina in danger. He saw her sleeping on the bed when he entered their room. She was wearing his shirt, which had hiked up above her hip. It was big for her, but she had gotten used to it. And when he asked why, she always had the same answer— I feel closer to you.

Georgina was curled up as she slept and looked cold, but she had kicked the blanket down to her feet. He shook his head as he grabbed it along with the comforter and snuggled up next to her. Lucian covered them both and then wrapped his arms around Georgina. She instinctively nestled against him. It didn’t take much to arouse him, and the woman beside him was doing the job perfectly. She even wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his chest. Soon, she would be sleeping on top of him and would use him as a mattress.