A shot in the Dark

The night was thick with silence, the kind that carried unspoken warnings.

Aria knew she should have stayed in her room and listened to her instincts, screaming at her not to step into the dark. But instincts were a luxury she had long learned to ignore.

She moved cautiously through the empty hallway, each step light, careful. The warning note still burned in her memory—“You don’t belong.”

Who had left it? Who knew?

She exhaled slowly, pushing the thought aside. There are bigger problems now. Luca had mentioned something about a body—someone Damien trusted, executed as a message. She needed to find out more.

That’s what she told herself.

But the truth?

She needed to prove she wasn’t afraid.

She reached the back entrance of the mansion, her fingers hesitating on the handle. The cold steel sent a shiver up her spine. One step outside, and she wouldn’t be under Damien’s protection anymore.

She stepped out anyway.

The City Moves in Shadows

Luca’s intel had led her to a hidden warehouse near the docks—an old, abandoned place where people disappeared without a trace. The kind of place where blood dried faster than it was cleaned.

She kept close to the shadows, moving silently, every nerve in her body on high alert. Years of experience had taught her how to become invisible.

But someone was already waiting.

The second she stepped into the alley, a hand wrapped around her wrist, yanking her back.

Cold. Unyielding.

A gun pressed against her spine.

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t panic. She wouldn’t panic.

“Did you really think you could walk in unnoticed?” a deep voice murmured, rough with amusement. “You’re either brave or foolish.”

Aria clenched her jaw. Both, actually.

She slowly lifted her hands, calculating her next move. If she could shift just a little—

Then came the gunshot.

Loud. Sudden.

The grip on her wrist vanished.

The man behind her crumpled to the ground—lifeless, blood pooling at her feet.

Her pulse pounded as she turned, heart hammering against her ribs.

And there he was.

Damien.

Standing in the dim streetlight, gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.

His face was unreadable, but his eyes were dark, burning, and dangerously told her everything she needed to know.

She had crossed a line.

And now, she had his full attention.

...****************...

A Dangerous Game

Damien didn’t speak for a long moment. He simply stared at her, his presence overwhelming even in the quiet.

Aria swallowed hard. “I had it under control.”

His smirk was slow and dangerous. “Did you?”

She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to hold his gaze. She refused to shrink under his intensity.

Damien stepped closer, his boots barely making a sound against the pavement. When he finally spoke, his voice was low—measured, almost deadly.

“You don’t understand what kind of game you’ve just entered.”

Aria stiffened. “Then maybe you should explain it to me.”

Damien tilted his head slightly, as if studying her. “You’re too reckless, Aria.” His voice dropped, dangerously soft. “And one day, that recklessness will get you killed.”

She swallowed, but she refused to look away. “And what if I don’t scare that easily?”

For a split second, something flickered in his gaze. Amusement? Admiration? She couldn’t tell.

Then, he did something she didn’t expect.

He reached out.

His fingers brushed against her chin—barely a touch, just enough to make her breath hitch. A fleeting moment, a test.

Then he smirked. Dark. Knowing. Lethal.

“Then I guess I’ll have to make sure you don’t die too soon.”

The Storm is Coming

Back at the mansion, Luca was already waiting, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

“You’re getting too close,” he warned Damien quietly as Aria walked past.

Damien didn’t answer.

Because he knew Luca was right.