Chapter 15%
Darius dragged me outside, his grip like iron around my wrist as he pulled me toward his car. His face was set in stone, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might snap.
“Let go,” I snapped, twisting my arm, but his hold didn’t loosen. “You’re acting like a damn babysitter
He didn’t slow down. Didn’t even acknowledge my words.
“I’m acting like the only person who gives a damn whether you live or die” he growled, yanking open the car door and shoving me inside.
I barely had time to glare before he slammed the door shut and rounded the front, sliding into the driver’s seat!
Ronan was already in the back, watching silently, his expression unreadable.
The moment Darius started the engine, I spat. “You had no right to interfere.
Darius let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “No right? Are you even listening to yourself, Valeria? Lorenzo is spiraling. He’s out of control, and instead of cutting ties, you’re feeding his obsession 7
I narrowed my eyes. I can handle him.”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “No, you can’t
I opened my mouth to argue, but he slammed his foot on the gas, speeding through the streets like a man possessed
“You’re playing with fine,” he muttered. “You keep pushing him, keep testing how far he’ll go. And what happens when he finally breaks? You think he won’t drag you down with him?”
I clenched my fists, refusing to look away.
“Lorenzo won’t kill me.” I said.
Darius scoffed. “You think that’s the worst he can do?“%
Silence filled the car, thick and suffocating
In the rearview mirror, Ronan exhaled slowly
“You should listen to him, Val, he muttered.
I turned toward the window, watching the city blur past, ignoring the sudden tightness in my chest.
I’m heading on my office when the first bullet missed by an inch.
The second grazed my shoulder.
Pain ripped through me, sharp and searing, but I didn’t stop moving. I hit the ground, rolling behind a dumpster just as more shots exploded through the night, the echoes bouncing off the alley walls.
Three men. Armed. Fast.)
I forced a breath through clenched teeth. My knife was already in my hand.
They weren’t here to scare me. They were here to kill me.!!
Their footsteps closed in.
Wait. Count the steps.
One… two… three-
I lunged X
The first man never saw me coming.8
I drove my blade into his throat, twisting it hard before yanking it free. Blood sprayed, hot and thick, as he choked, collapsing in a heap.8
The second one turned, gun raised.!!
I kicked it out of his hands, sending it skidding
idding across the pavement. But he was fast–his fist crashed into my ribs before I could block. A sickening crack. My vision blurred.
I gasped, but I didn’t let myself fall. Stay up. Stay sharp.
I grabbed his wrist, twisting hard until I heard the snap of bone. His scream was short–lived–I slammed my elbow into his face, shattering his nose, and finished it with a quick, brutal stab to his chest.
Two down.
Then a third body crashed into me from behind
I slammed into the wall, my skull bouncing off the bricks. Stars exploded in my vision. A cold barrel pressed against my temple.
My breath hitched
“Say goodnight, bitch,” he sneered.
Then
Gunfire.
A body hit the ground. Then another. And another}
Silence.
I forced my eyes open, vision swimming, breath coming in ragged gasps.
And then I saw him.
Danus.
Gun in one hand Fury in his eyes ||
He stepped over the corpses like they were nothing, his presence swallowing the entire alleyway
Before I could move he reached me
His hand shot out, grabbing my arm. He yanked me up, shoving me back against the cold brick wall
His
gro on my wrists was iron. His body pressed into mine, the heat of him scorching even through my pain
His chest rose and fell in sharp, angry breaths.
“What the hell were you thinking?” His voice was a snart, barely controlled. “You could ve died!”
I met his glare, heart hammering handled it
His grip tightened. “You were bleeding out on the damn pavement, Valena. That’s not handling it.
For the first time. I saw something beneath his fury. Something deeper
Fear
Not for himself.
For me.
And that scared me more than the bullets ever could
1 swallowed “Why do you care so much?”
He let out a harsh breath, his fingers twitching against my wrists.
“Because you’re not just some pawn in Lorenzo’s twisted game,” he said, voice low. “Because-
He stopped
But I already knewz
Because Ronan had told me before
Darius had learned to love me.
My breath hitched, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know what to say
Then my phone buzzed
I glanced down, stomach twisting at the unknown number.
I answered.
A distorted voice filled the line.
“You should’ve died tonight, bitch. But don’t worry–next time, I’ll make sure they finish the job.”
The call ended
My fingers clenched around the phone.”
Danus watched me carefully. “Who was that?”
I met his gaze, something sharp settling inside me.
“Isabella,” I whispered.
She wasn’t just desperate.
She was trying to kill me.
Danus exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “This is exactly what I meant. You need to walk away before this gets worse.”
I stared at him.
Then Haughed I
Cold. Hollow
“Walk away?” I tilted my head, voice dripping with mockery.
“No, Danus.” I met his eyes, my voice like steel.
“I’m going to end this.”
