The night felt different.
Emma could feel it — a subtle shift in the air, like the way animals sense a storm before it strikes. The city still moved around her — cars honking, people yelling, lights flashing — but she no longer moved unseen through it.
She was being watched.
At first, she thought it was paranoia.
Then she caught the glimpse — dark suits leaning against lamp posts, black SUVs lurking at the corners.
Emma pulled her jacket tighter around her and walked faster.
No way. No way it's about yesterday.
But deep down, she knew it was.
Skyler Romano.
His dark, furious eyes haunted her dreams now — and not just with fear.
There had been something else when he looked at her... something raw and unguarded, something that terrified her more than his army of men.
She turned the corner toward her apartment building and froze.
A black car idled in front of it.
Her stomach twisted.
Stay calm. Stay smart.
Emma slipped her keys between her fingers like makeshift brass knuckles — a trick she learned working late nights at the diner — and kept walking, head high.
But before she reached the door, a man stepped out of the car. Not Skyler — another one, heavy-set and grim.
"Miss Carter," he said politely, like a threat wrapped in velvet.
Emma's heartbeat went wild.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
The man nodded toward the car. "The boss would like a word."
She backed up a step. "Not interested."
Another man appeared behind her — she hadn't even heard him move. Professional. Trained.
Panic clawed up her throat.
"I said, no," she snapped, raising her fists.
The men didn't flinch. Didn't reach for guns. Just stood there, patient.
Because they knew something she didn't.
The back window of the car slid down.
And there he was.
Skyler Romano.
He lounged casually in the backseat, one hand resting on his thigh, the other draped lazily over the seat — but his eyes?
His eyes were locked on her like a hunter who'd already chosen his prey.
"Emma," he said smoothly. "Get in."
She didn't move.
"I'm not your puppet," she said.
A faint smile ghosted his lips. "No. You're something else entirely."
The way he said it — like she was a mystery he was desperate to solve — sent a chill down her spine.
Emma glanced at the two men flanking her. They weren't touching her. Not forcing.
A choice. Skyler was giving her a choice.
For now.
She inhaled sharply and yanked open the door, sliding into the seat beside him.
The door shut with a heavy finality.
Inside, it smelled like leather, smoke, and something darker — power.
Skyler studied her in the dim light, his jaw tight.
"You helped my son," he said. "You didn't have to. Most people would have walked away."
Emma shrugged, keeping her hands on her lap. "I'm not most people."
A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. "I'm beginning to see that."
Silence stretched between them — thick, electric.
Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Why am I here?"
Skyler's smile vanished.
"Because you helped my son," he said simply. "And in my world, debts are paid."
She stiffened. "I don't want anything from you."
"I know," he said, voice low. "That's why you're dangerous."
She blinked. "Dangerous?"
Skyler leaned closer, and her pulse skyrocketed.
"Most people," he murmured, "want money. Or favors. Or protection. I know how to deal with them. But you..." His gaze raked over her face, lingering on her lips before meeting her eyes again. "You're unpredictable."
Emma's mouth went dry.
Skyler's hand moved — slowly, carefully — brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek.
"I need to know," he whispered, "if you're going to be my salvation..."
His fingers brushed her skin, sending sparks skittering through her veins.
"...or my ruin."
Emma's heart slammed against her ribs.
She was in a car with the most dangerous man alive.
And he was looking at her like she was both his greatest threat — and his only hope.
"You don't even know me," she whispered.
His lips curved into a wolfish smile. "Not yet."
The car pulled into motion, gliding through the city like a shadow.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice.
"Someplace safe," Skyler said. "Until I decide what to do with you."
Her temper flared. "I'm not your prisoner!"
"No," he said softly, his gaze darkening. "You're something much worse."
Emma glared at him. "And what's that?"
Skyler's voice was like silk — smooth, lethal.
"My weakness."
The words wrapped around her like chains. Beautiful. Terrifying.
And somehow...
She didn't want to escape.