radicalducati 2.26
2.26
Lucas’s POV
I practically saw her invisible walls snap up to a towering height inside her as soon as I was done with my little suggestion.
She whipped her head forward and a composed tamed expression replaced all her curiosity.
“Unless you’re afraid of my questions or you’re afraid of me catching you in another lie again” I said under my breath, but loud enough for her to get provoked by my intended words to her.
“I’m not afraid, I’m just not interested in giving you any sort of answers that you don’t deserve knowing about and most importantly, answers I’m not willing to give to you even if my life depended on it” she said rigidly without looking at me.
Liar.
You’re afraid as fuck.
“Another lie right there. Stop lying Merida, it will only get you in more trouble with me” I taunted her darkly.
She stopped in her tracks and looked at me in a mixture of anger and hurt “Stop threatening me Lucas. If you’re going to do something, just fucking do it. Don’t throw words at me just to scare me into giving in to you because that’s not going to happen”
“Are you sure it won’t?” I asked her in a hard tone.
I saw that familiar flash of fear in her eyes before she blinked it away forcibly and stared at me with upset “I’m sure”
I decided to test that statement right away as I asked steadily “who were you begging for when you were screaming ‘Please don’t kill her’ earlier?”
Her jaw tightened as she gritted her teeth, her nostrils flared, and if I had supernatural hearing, I’d bet her heart was racing right now.
“It was a nightmare, it didn’t mean anything” she spit out through her gritted teeth, her eyes not leaving mine for a second, playing that lie on me like a pro.
I took a step closer towards her, and much to my surprise, she didn’t flinch or move backwards like I expected her to. She was holding her ground, her eyes never wavering from mine with that heated, angry look still on her face.
It only made me more angry at her as I threatened her coldly “Lie to me one more time, and I will fucking make you regret it”
She blinked back her tears before they spilled as she said flatly “Then don’t ask me questions I can’t answer”
“Why can’t you?” I asked more softly, my voice softening against my fucking will, wanting her to confide in me, even though that would be a mistake on her part as I can’t be trusted not to use whatever she tells me if it helps me against Zade. And she knew that quite well, hence all the lies and secrets she carries inside of her.
Her eyes blaze fire as she says sternly “Because I don’t trust you Lucas, I never will”
And damn it if that doesn’t slice my stupid heart open.
Maybe because it was true, and the truth is what made it cut me deeply.
This is fucking getting me no where.
I’ll have all my answers by the end of this day, if not from her, then from her father.
That’s the only reason why I adjust my face back to nonchalance, and let it the fuck go as I turn away from her and continue walking.
When I don’t hear her steps behind me, I turn my head to see her standing right where I left her, staring down at the snow with a lost expression.
“Come on” I speak strictly again to jostle her out of her own thoughts.
Her eyes snap up to meet mine as she says stubbornly “I’m done walking, I want to go back to your house”
Yeah, with that expression on her face, my mom will behead me before I cross our front door.
I instantly come up with a way to buy more time for me to turn this around.
“I still need your picture taken to start working on your fake ID. The photography studio is just around this corner. We snap your picture and head back home right away” I said firmly.
She purses her lips but lets go of her stubbornness as she starts walking up to me.
We stay silent the whole way to the studio, and she deliberately places a distance between us just to fucking spite me further.
The town people walking around us were giving us curious looks as they passed by us.
A new face is instantly recognized around here where everyone knows everyone.
I walk inside the studio as she follows behind me.
“Hey Stewart, how’s it going?” I greet the old guy behind the counter. He’s a Snow, has two sons working a shift at the border entrance right now.
“Lucas, wasn’t expecting you here. Things are fine. What brings you into my studio?” he asked curiously.
I nodded my head towards Merida; who was gazing at Stewart with narrowed, untruthful eyes, as I said casually “I need you to take an ID picture for her, and send it to my phone once it’s done”
“Sure thing, this way” he motioned for Angelina to follow him into a second room further down the studio where the man does his thing.
I walk behind her and enter the small room consisting of two huge, studio lights, a white background, and a single, wooden stool in front of it.
The professional camera already positioned on a tall tripod, facing the stool.
Angelina didn’t waist time as she removed her beanie and went directly to sit on the stool looking straight at the camera.
She didn’t bother to look in the tall mirror mounted to the wall beside me to tidy that wild hair around her head.
Apparently, she didn’t give a fuck about her appearance on the ID as long she gets one.
Not that there was anything wrong with how she looked right now. She was as gorgeous as ever. Her untamed hair not taking away from her natural beauty by one bit.
Stewart gives me a confused look wondering what this was all about, but doesn’t open his mouth to ask anything as he returns his focus back on lighting up the place and readying his camera.
A few snaps later, we’re walking out of the studio and going back the way we came from.
Angelina didn’t utter a single word after she asked to go home before I convinced her to get her picture taken.
I find myself ending that silence as I answered her earlier question about our borders as I speak firmly while staring straight ahead “The government doesn’t intervene in our town, it hasn’t in a very long time since my ancestors established the town and made sure to stand up to any one who dared to shut us down. They tried many times at first but my great, great grandfather was a badass leader and kept the government at bay from intervening in our business, not just the government but anyone else attempting to take them down in order to control the borders for themselves. You see the town was established over the smuggling business coming in and out of the borders. And our family has been leading that operation from the start”
I carry on talking because I know she won’t dare ask anything in fear of me demanding an exchange of answers again.
“We smuggle a lot of products to and from Canada. Weapons, ammunitions, and guns are the main source but we also work with medicines, technology equipment of all types, textiles, and some other stuff. We store them in our warehouses then distribute them all around the US. Or ship them to Canada depending on where they were originally shipped from”
“With that money, my ancestors slowly started building up the town and attracting people to come work here. At first, most families were involved in the smuggling operation but as more time passed, Snows became about half the population until we dominated that business exclusively and gave the town people legal, established, businesses to run here”
She looked at me quizzically, a question just at the tip of her tongue, but before she could voice it, she pursed her lips and diverted her gaze ahead, changing her mind.
“Ask anything, I won’t demand anything in return” I said casually as I stared ahead.
She looked at me sideways for a long time before she asked in a strained voice “Where does Zade fit into this story?”
“He doesn’t fit. He forced his way into our lives in the most evil, rotten method” I said darkly.