Arise (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 3)

by L. Stoddard Hancock

  Lona sighed before exiting.

  As they walked, Luka stayed a step behind her at all times. After going through the gate to Middle City, he glanced back and noticed his father following them.

  “Here we are,” said Lona, stopping in front of a crowded restaurant.

  Luka knew the place. He’d been there several times with some of his regulars to keep them happy, and he couldn’t help but crinkle his nose as he realized what Lona was trying to do.

  “Why here?” he asked, pulling back as she tugged on his arm.

  “I haven’t eaten out much since I moved to Middle City and I’ve heard this place is the best,” she said. “Besides, don’t you like it?”

  Luka cocked an eyebrow. “Who told you that?”

  “Your father.”

  “Fine.” Game on.

  He let Lona pull him inside. The hostess smiled as they entered, her eyes sparking with recognition. “Oh, hi!” she said to Luka. “Are you here to see Bronson again?”

  Luka crinkled his forehead. “What -”

  “Well, hello,” said another hostess, walking over and leaning on the podium. “I remember you. Bronson and Mason’s Guardian friend, right?” She leaned forward, deliberately showing off her cleavage. Luka kept his eyes up but Lona still hugged his arm.

  “Table for two please,” she said.

  “Luka!” A waiter walked over and put his arm around the hostess, pulling her back and away from him. “Where the hell you been, mate? Ruby hasn’t been home in over a week. Should Bronson and I be worried?”

  Luka said nothing, but Lona asked, “Are you Xander’s neighbor?”

  “I am,” said the waiter with a smile. He held out his hand. “Mason Quigley. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Lona shook it, blushing a little as he gave her hand a kiss.

  “Ah, no way!” exclaimed the hostess who’d been flirting with Luka. She grabbed Lona’s arm and stared at Saevus’s crest on her wristband. “You’re a Guardian too? I’ve never met a female one before!”

  “Don’t grab the customers, Jenna!” snapped the other hostess.

  Lona yanked her arm back and pulled down her sleeve. “Umm ... a table?”

  The more professional hostess shook her head at her coworker and sighed. She glanced at her chart. “Did you want them in your section, Mason?”

  “Nah, I’m on my break,” said Quigley. Then a light triggered. “But you should put them in Warren’s section. He knows Luka too and I’m sure he’d be just delighted to see him!”

  “I don’t know who th’fuck that is,” said Luka.

  The hostess marked something on her chart and grabbed two menus. “Follow me,” she said, leading them to the dining room.

  “But other people are waiting,” said Lona, looking back as they followed her.

  “Guardians get privileges, Von. Start getting used to it,” said Luka.

  Lona frowned. “Call me Lona.”

  He shrugged and walked on.

  Hearing some whispering, Luka turned just in time to see Jenna mouth the words ‘is he the one’ to Quigley. Quigley nodded and the two of them giggled before scurrying into the kitchen.

  “Here we are,” said the hostess, motioning to their table. “Enjoy.”

  When she was gone, Luka looked at the door to the kitchen. Quigley poked out his head.

  “Do you remember him?” asked Lona.

  Luka looked back at her and said, “No.”

  “And this ‘Warren’ fellow. Nothing?”

  Luka shook his head and grabbed the wine menu. That was all he cared about.

  “Good evening,” said a waiter coming up to them. “My name is Warren and I’ll be your serv -”

  Warren’s eyes stopped on Luka, who was more than happy to meet his gaze. “Th’fuck you looking at?”

  Lona’s eyes darted between them. It was pretty clear by the look on Warren’s face that the two of them were not friends.

  “You,” Warren said accusingly.

  “Me,” said Luka, looking back at his wine menu. “Do I know you or something?”

  Warren’s eyes widened. “You little shit. You filthy. Little. Man-stealing. Shit!”

  Lona raised her eyebrows. “Man-stealing?”

  Luka looked up again, just in time to see Warren grab a plate of pasta from a passing tray and dump it in his lap.

  “Th’fuck!” he yelled, jumping to his feet.

  The entire restaurant turned in their direction.

  “Warren, what are you doing?” demanded the hostess as she ran over.

  “I am not serving him, Farrah! Kick him out!”

  Farrah paled. “We can’t kick him out! He’s a Guardi -”

  “Kick him out!”

  “What is the meaning of this?” asked an older man who must have been the manager. His eyes widened as he scanned Luka. “Sir, I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over him. Warren, apologize to our guest!”

  “No,” Warren said sternly.

  “Warren, he’s a Guardian,” said Farrah in a hushed tone.

  “So? What’s he going to do? Execute me because I poured pasta on him?”

  Lona shuddered at that word. Execute. She stared down at the tablecloth and sucked in a breath.

  “I could if I wanted to, you fucking dick,” hissed Luka. “You’re just lucky I’m not that spiteful.”

  Warren opened his mouth to say something but, before he could, someone grabbed his shoulder. He turned and flushed when Bronson smiled at him. “Warren, my friend. You look positively overworked. Perhaps it’s time you took your break.”

  “No! You treated me like garbage and I will not -”

  Bronson grabbed his collar and pulled him close. “This is neither the time nor the place, you melodramatic piece of shit,” he said through clenched teeth, somehow managing to keep a smile on his face. “Take your break. Now.”

  Bronson looked at Lona, winked and said, “Good to see you again.” Then he flashed a bright smile at the restaurant’s patrons and dragged Warren away. When he passed a laughing Quigley, he grabbed his tie and pulled him along with them.

  “I am truly sorry about this,” said the manager. “Of course, your meal is on us.”

  “Whatever. Just bring us some wine.” Luka looked at Lona. “I need to clean this shit off.”

  She nodded, still staring down at the tablecloth.

  Luka hurried to the bathroom and scrubbed the pasta stain with some wet paper towels. When it was as good as it was going to get, he splashed his face with water and rubbed at his temples. He’d always had horrible headaches, but in the last two weeks they’d gotten so much worse.

  Taking several deep breaths, Luka looked at himself in the mirror.

  He was in deep shit. He knew he was. There was no way his father recommended this place to Lona by mere coincidence. Barath was digging for something, and there was no doubt in Luka’s mind that his father had been out there somewhere watching the show.

  “Shit,” he whispered to himself.

  After a couple of minutes, Luka returned to their table. Wine was already waiting. Lona was halfway through her glass while Quigley leaned toward her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked Luka as he sat down.

  “Never better.” He picked up his wine glass and took a long sip.

  “Unfortunately, Warren had to head home early,” said Quigley. “But do not fret! I will be your waiter for the remainder of the evening. Anything you want is on us so don’t hesitate to order the entire menu if you’d like. I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your order.”

  Once he was gone, Lona asked, “Do you want to leave?”

  “No. It’s fine.”

  “I’m really sorry, Luka,” she said while tapping her finger against her wineglass. “I should have known better than to trust a recommendation from your father. Clearly, he is still convinced you haven’t lost your memory.”

  “How observant of you.”

  “My original plan was to just go to the Pit or s
omething and have a beer and some greasy bar food. Finley could have come too.”

  Luka smirked. “What exactly are you playing at, Lona?”

  She looked at him and blushed. “What do you mean?”

  “You like me or something?”

  She blushed brighter. “No! I ...” She sighed. “I had a crush on you in training. But you were older and friends with my sister. Out of my league.”

  Luka knitted his brow. As a teenager he’d been thin and awkward. It wasn’t until he became a Guardian that women started paying him any attention, so he had a hard time believing he was out of anyone’s league. But she was only thirteen when he’d finished training. Far too young for him. Still too young for him.

  “Didn’t you want to marry Xander a couple of months ago?” he asked.

  “Only because of my father,” said Lona with disdain. “He made it seem like he was my only option when all he really wanted was the Ruby fortune.”

  “If you’re looking for a husband, I’m definitely not -”

  “I’m not!” she said quickly. “I’ve pretty much accepted I’m going to be a Guardian for a long time. It’s just ...” She sighed. “Xander promised me that as long as he was in charge he would take care of me, but now he’s gone. I don’t have anyone, Luka. I’ve never really had friends, I don’t trust my father anymore, Finley’s never liked me, and you ... if nothing else I was really just hoping you would be my friend.”

  Luka kept his eyes on her as he took a sip of his wine. “You shouldn’t want to be my friend. Not now when I’m on the brink of execution.”

  That word again. Lona shuddered. “I don’t care about that. And I don’t care if you’re lying or not about your memory. I’d lie.”

  “I’m also never going to date you,” he added. “I feel the need to make that very clear.”

  She looked a bit sad about that but nodded all the same.

  “But I suppose I could always use someone new to drink with.”

  Lona smiled. “Really?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Luka looked across the room and accidentally caught Quigley’s eye. He started heading over. “I’m going outside for some air. Order me whatever.” He paused. “Get focaccia bread.”

  Lona nodded. Luka hurried out of the restaurant before he had to deal with Quigley again. When outside, he ducked into the closest alley to hide from his father’s watchful eye.

  Luka leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe before hearing a flick, followed by a familiar smell. He opened his eyes and turned his head. Bronson was only a few feet away smoking a cigarette.

  “All the alleys in the city and you just happened to walk into mine.” Bronson smirked. “Miss me, Luka?”

  Luka blinked.

  “You really have no memory of me?”

  “No.”

  “But you think you met me once?”

  Luka said nothing.

  “I have a hard time believing you don’t remember the night we met.”

  “I remember meeting you,” said Luka, glancing around the corner and seeing if he could spot his father anywhere.

  “Really?”

  Luka returned his head to the alley. He jumped when he noticed Bronson had moved so he was beside him. Bronson held out his cigarette and offered Luka a drag. On instinct, Luka took it.

  “Sorry about inside,” said Bronson, grabbing another cigarette and lighting it. “Quigley thought it would be funny.”

  Luka stared at the wall in front of him and took a drag of his cigarette.

  “Are you not even curious why Warren acted that way?”

  “I really don’t give a shit,” said Luka.

  “Sounds about right. So, about the night we met.” Bronson glanced sideways at him.

  “What about it -”

  Bronson moved in front of Luka, standing so close that he was practically pinned against the wall.

  “What are you -”

  “You really remember nothing?” said Bronson, his lips lingering just above Luka’s as he ran his free hand along his hip.

  “No, I -”

  “Nothing at all?” Bronson’s hands played with the button on Luka’s pants.

  Luka gulped. “No.”

  With a flick of Bronson’s wrist, the button was undone.

  “Okay, okay!” shouted Luka, shoving Bronson away. “I remember the night I met you. But I wasn’t about to admit that in front of my fucking father.”

  “Then why lie now?” asked Bronson, taking a step toward him again.

  “Because they’re watching me. They’re watching you! I don’t know what your association with Xander was, but being seen with me is only going to make it worse for both of us. Stay. Away.”

  Bronson smirked and took another step forward. “Is that what you want?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really?”

  Luka gulped again. “I was drunk off my ass that night.”

  “Yes.” Bronson unzipped Luka’s pants. “You’ve said that before.”

  Before Luka knew what was happening, his cock was out and Bronson was on his knees, sucking him off. Luka pressed his back firmly against the wall and bit his lip, trying to hold in his moans.

  “There’s nothing even vaguely familiar about this scene?” asked Bronson as he licked him from base to tip.

  “N-no.”

  Bronson looked up and winked. He engulfed Luka’s cock and sucked hard, making Luka’s knees go weak. Still, he managed to hold himself up.

  It was only a matter of minutes before he was coming. Bronson zipped him up, stood back on his feet and went in for Luka’s lips. He held him firmly against the wall as he kissed him, massaging his tongue, sucking on his bottom lip. And Luka kissed back with just as much vigor. For a moment, anyway. Then his eyes shot open.

  “Get off me!” he shouted, shoving Bronson away.

  Bronson smiled at the cute way Luka’s cheeks flushed as he rubbed his lips on his sleeve. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from me!”

  Luka threw down his cigarette butt and ran out of the alley.

  Bronson stood there alone. He put his hands in his pockets and smiled. Progress.

  “Holy fuck!”

  Bronson’s eyes widened. He turned around and saw a familiar woman standing near the dumpster.

  “I wasn’t aware we had an audience,” said Bronson, glaring at her. Shit. She was a Guardian, he knew that much, and quite possibly Xander’s ex.

  “I admit, I was a bit surprised when Xander and Deryn said Luka was seeing someone. But this ... My mind is literally fucking blown.”

  Bronson went white. “Who’s Deryn?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me,” she said, taking several steps toward him. “I know you’ve been helping them. I helped them too.”

  Bronson took a step back. He wanted to ask if she was the one who’d helped Deryn escape Utopia, along with his houseguests, but he also felt like this might be a trick.

  “I’m Finley,” she said, holding out her hand.

  He didn’t take it.

  She chuckled and put it down. “No matter. You know, you really shouldn’t mess with Luka like that. Not with his father watching his every move.”

  Bronson cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Barath followed him here,” Finley explained. “Set this whole thing up to see if Luka is lying about losing his memory. He’s just waiting for him to crack. You’re lucky he’s still inside. If he saw what just happened he’d kill you on the spot.”

  Bronson’s bottom lip dropped slightly. “You think Luka is faking?”

  Finley shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve been testing the waters but he’s given me no signs.”

  Bronson stared at the ground and sighed. “I have to get back to work.” He tried to move but Finley stepped in front of him.

  “Hold on. I need to talk to you and this is the first opportunity I’ve had. You’re going to listen to me.”

  “Why should I
?”

  Finley reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “A peace offering, since I’m sure you’re being wise and avoiding the Black Market.”

  She handed it to him. While Bronson wanted to reject the offer, his body acted of its own accord. The cigarettes were soon stored safely in his pocket.

  “I helped them escape,” Finley continued. “If you were wondering. And then I risked my own skin to make sure Luka wasn’t killed. If I’d gone to the president about the mind-control chip minutes later he wouldn’t be here now. You understand?”

  Bronson tensed and nodded.

  “Okay then. I have something for Odette.”

  He tensed further. “Who -”

  “She and Neo got word to me that they’re hiding at your place. You don’t need to know how,” she said.

  Bronson took a deep breath and said, “I’m not interested in being your go-between.” He moved toward the kitchen door.

  Finley stepped in front of him. “When the president comes for you, you’re going to want me on your side.”

  “You’re the one who gave Deryn those scars,” said Bronson, suddenly recalling what his friend had told him about Finley.

  She paled. “I gave her a way to treat them. I was young. I -”

  “What do you need?” he asked.

  Finley sighed and took an envelope out of her pocket. “This is for Odette. From her sister.”

  Bronson took it. “I’ll do it this once but let’s not make it a regular thing.” He knocked into her shoulder and finally reached the door.

  “If you care about Luka at all you’ll stay away from him,” she said. “Another encounter like this and you just might succeed in getting him killed.”

  Bronson closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t do that. He needs someone.”

  Finley nodded. “He does, but let me worry about that. I’m not going to let his father hurt him.”

  Bronson opened the door, stepped inside and shut it.

  Once he was gone, Finley crossed her arms and sneered. Why did everyone have to be so damn difficult?

  CHAPTER 28

  Dinner was slow and tedious. Deryn sat at a table between Talon and Everett with Harper and Adrian directly across from them. Sam and April had yet to arrive and Dakota was ... well, he wasn’t there.