Leather & Lark

Lark stands on the edge of a reservoir, watching as a car sinks beneath the water, its male occupant, Jamie, still inside. Lark recently discovered that Jamie was a predator and approached him on social media, pretending to be a teen. They messaged each other until he begged her to meet him. Lark tried to shoot his tire out and failed, so she used her own SUV to run his car into a reservoir instead.

Now, when the car sinks, she calls her stepdad, who is having a Halloween party. He sends her the number of a “cleaner,” who comes three hours later. Lark immediately dislikes this man, whom she calls “Budget Batman.” He wears a wetsuit and a mask, and he is unpleasant to her. He assumes that she was drunk or was on her phone and had a car accident; he does not care that she killed someone. Budget Batman’s associate, Connor, tows away Lark’s damaged SUV as Budget Batman retrieves the body. Then he forces Lark into the trunk of his car despite her protests. She is deeply panicked at being in a dark, enclosed space, but she manages to break out of the trunk when he stops driving.

Chapter 2 begins one year after the previous chapter and opens with Leander throwing darts at a bound man named Robbie. Lachlan, his subordinate, takes part in the scene and reflects, “Can’t say this is the life I imagined for myself, pulling teeth with pliers and playing darts with some guy’s face in my boss’s basement on a Friday night” (23). Lachlan wants to leave, but Leander does not allow this. Instead, he insists that Lachlan throw a dart at Robbie.

Leander explains to Lachlan that Robbie was selling fentanyl to children; the children’s parents have hired Leander to torture and kill Robbie. A pizza delivery man arrives, and Lachlan retrieves the pizza. Lachlan wants to leave so that he can attend the opening of his brother’s restaurant. Leander blends the pizza and beer, along with some of Robbie’s teeth, and then forces Robbie to drink the slurry.

Lachlan wants to kill Leander, but he knows that Leander’s brothers would kill him and his own brothers if he did. Now, Lachlan shoots Robbie, killing him. Lachlan tells Leander that he wants to retire, but Leander refuses to allow this because Lachlan made a crucial mistake last year and lost business by putting someone from the Covaci family (Lark) in a trunk.

Lachlan goes to his brother Rowen’s apartment, and his brother Fionn lets him in. Several friends of Rowan and his girlfriend, Sloane, are present, including Lark. Sloane introduces Lark to Lachlan, and Lachlan thinks that Lark is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He focuses on Lark as the conversation continues around them, and he notices that she is very good at uplifting those around her. When she goes to the balcony, Lachlan follows her. They flirt, then kiss passionately.

Suddenly, Lark realizes that Lachlan is the same man who came to clean up her murder scene a year ago. Furious, she begins arguing with him; she doesn’t understand why he would kiss her if he knew who she was. He denies recognizing her and tells her that she ruined a contract that day. She counters by asserting that he ruined the contract with his poor customer service. However, because her best friend (Sloane) loves his brother (Rowan), she decides to ignore him. Lachlan feels disoriented by the situation.

The Phantom enters Rowan and Sloane’s apartment. He wants to get revenge for an unnamed event and has surveilled the couple for a long time. He also witnessed Lachlan and Lark’s interaction on the balcony and observed that “there was anger between them. But beneath it, there was need” (59). The Phantom is motivated by the Lord, whose voice he hears whispering to him. Because the Phantom wants to bring pain to Sloane, Lachlan, Lark, and Rowan, he decides that the worst thing he could do to Lachlan would be “to ensure anyone left behind believes he is the cause of Lark Montague’s destruction” (60).

One year later, Lark lets herself into her great aunt Ethel’s home, and her sister Ava greets her. Ava and Lark discuss the surprise elopement that Rowan is planning for Sloane. Aunt Ethel sends Lark a text, asking her to bring an item upstairs. Lark’s mom and stepdad (Nina and Damian) are meeting with an associate named Stan Tremblay. Lark overhears them talking about Lachlan Kane, so she eavesdrops and learns that many of Nina and Damian’s associates have recently been murdered. Tremblay says that Lachlan has the skill to do it and might blame Damian for getting Lachlan in trouble with his boss. 

Lark’s parents discuss Rowan and consider the possibility of eliminating both him and Lachlan. However, her parents conclude the conversation without making a decision, and all three leave the room. When Lark gets to Ethel, she quickly realizes that Ethel wanted her to overhear this conversation; Ethel does not believe that either Rowan or Lachlan is involved in the murders. Ethel cryptically states, “It’s your happiness that is their priority. Your heart they can’t bear to break” (78). Ethel asserts that Lark’s parents would never hurt a man to whom she was married. Ethel then asks about Lachlan Kane.

Lachlan is escorting Sloane to her wedding, and she tells him to dance with her maid of honor, Lark. Sloane is anxious, and Lachlan comforts her. He walks her down the aisle to Rowan, who is crying. Lark is acting as the musician for the wedding, and Lachlan cannot help but admire her as he and Sloane walk down the aisle. After the wedding, they go to a restaurant in town and then go dancing. Lachlan realizes that his own life feels empty in comparison with his brother’s happiness. Lachlan’s other brother, Fionn, asks him why he has not asked Lark to dance.

Lark asks Lachlan to dance but shows little enthusiasm, and the two finally begin talking. Lark makes him a proposition. She can get his boss two contracts—the Montagues and the Covacis—which will give him his freedom. In return, she wants him to help her investigate the murders of her parents’ associates. When Lark tells him that they have to get married to prevent her parents from having him killed, Lachlan asserts that he can take care of himself. Then Lark explains that she believes her parents will also kill his brother Rowan. She urges him to make a decision by the end of the night.

It is Lark’s wedding day. She has just trapped another predator, Patrick O’Neill, and is in the process of encasing him in a plexiglass casket, which she is filling with resin. He yells at her and begs her to let him go, but he also admits to abusing children. Lark plans to use the resin-filled casket to make a coffee table. Patrick O’Neill suffocates as the resin is poured onto his face. When the entire casket is filled, Lark leaves it to cure as she returns to her apartment to prepare for her wedding to Lachlan.

Sloane picks Lark up and asks her why she would marry Lachlan when she seems to hate him. Lark tells Sloane to trust her, but Sloane continues to question her.

At the courthouse, Lark is surprised to see Aunt Ethel beside Lachlan. Ethel gives Lark her engagement ring and tells Lark that she is proud of her. Lachlan and Lark exchange vows, and Lachlan kisses lark as though she is “[h]is key to survival” (115). Lark kisses him back but feels sadness to think about all that she is giving up by marrying him.