RANON POV
The docks seemed to have exploded alive with different activity.
Men yelled into their radios, sparks flew from a burning machine, and a bunch of boxes were broken open; my boxes, my stuff torn apart like someone wanted to send me a message. The thick, oily smoke went up to the sky, and every second I looked at it, something inside me broke a little more.
"Boss," Luca said quietly, "they came in three vans. They wore masks. They knew the way. They knew when to come."
Of course they did.
Someone wanted a fight.
My fingers wanted to grab my gun and start something that would go on until morning
I wanted to make sure they knew who they were dealing with and the consequences that came with it. "Find every car within a couple miles," I said, trying not to grind my teeth loudly for everyone to hear.
"I want to know who they are. I want to see their faces."
"We already got traffic camera footage."
"Not good enough." My voice had gotten darker and sharper.
"Call our drivers. We're going after them. Nobody steals from the Vescari and gets away with it."
Luca didn't move right away. "Ranon, you're not thinking clearly."
"I'm thinking just perfectly " I replied sharply, glaring down at him, daring him to disobey my orders.
"Ranon."
Her voice cut through the sirens and the far-off sound of fire.
Seraphina.
She walked around a fallen box, her face lit up by the flickering fire, her eyes going between the damage and me. She didn't belong in a place like this, not with her soft sweater, her hair hanging down, and the calm feeling in her eyes. She seemed like the only normal thing in a world I made from fighting.
But tonight, even she couldn't calm the anger inside me.
"You shouldn't be here," I said sharply.
"And you shouldn't be about to kill everyone in the city," she replied.
I looked hard at her. "This isn't your world."
"No," she said, moving closer, "but you brought me into it. And I'm not letting you do something you can't undo."
I held my gun tighter. The men nearby stopped moving as she came toward me like I was some wild animal she thought she could calm down.
Her hand touched my arm.
Soft.
Warm.
Steadying.
"Look at me," she said.
I did.
And for the first time since the attack started, the anger inside me slowed down. Her eyes were strong, not scared. "You're angry. But this? This isn't how you win, Ranon."
A muscle moved in my face. "They went after what's mine."
"And you'll go after them smarter," she said. "Not like this."
For a moment, we just stood there, her hand on my arm, my heart beating fast under her touch, the feeling between us growing as quietly and dangerously as the smoke behind us.
I moved closer before I knew it.
Like I needed something more than what was going on, like I saw through her eyes she was calling for it, but as soon as I stepped closer, she stepped back just as quickly.
Whatever happened between us was gone as fast as it came. The tension broke, like glass.
Her expression had returned to the way she would usually present them, like she hated it all but I could see within it all, she didn't In fact hate all of this, she was more curious.
"I need to go," she said quietly, backing away. "Be careful." carefully still scanning the area trying to make shape of what was happening.
I couldn't get the words to form in my mouth as I watched her step back still scanning the area. Everything around me seem to have
And she was gone.
Hours later, the mansion was quiet.
I was by myself in my workspace looking over video clips, making plans to get back at them, thinking about everything except getting her out of my thoughts. Every time I shut my eyes, I pictured her hand on my arm, felt how she kept me steady, how she looked at me like I wasn't a terrible person.
But the silence was broken when the front door made a quiet clicking noise.
She had arrived.
I stayed quiet as she went by the hallway, talking softly to herself, looking like she was very tired.
"…I can't believe he put me on leave…" she said angrily.
On leave?
I moved closer where it was darker.
"…all because of some silly piece of paper. A made-up one, too."
Her voice was tight with anger, sadness, and something that seemed like she was about to give up. She held her phone to her ear.
"Yes. Adam turned it in," she stated. "He's been wanting to get rid of me for a while now. And now he finally had a reason."
I stopped moving.
Her dishonest boss.
The same guy who always stood too close. The same guy who had put her job in danger more than once.
Now he had really done it.
"…I don't know what I should do," she whispered. "If the people in charge believe what he wrote, I'm finished. Therapy license or not, I'm finished."
Another break in the talking.
Then she sighed in a way that hurt my heart.
"I'll just… take care of it. Somehow."
The phone call was over.
She stood quietly for a second, looking at nothing, her shoulders shaking just a little before she stood up straight and pulled herself toward her bedroom.
She did not see me watching her.
Did not see the anger that covered my face.
Did not hear me making a promise to myself.
Adam had gone too far.
He messed with what belonged to me, even if she didn't know she was mine yet.
Very carefully, I picked up my jacket.
Then I grabbed my gun.
And without saying anything, I walked out into the dark, because some issues were okay to leave alone.
But Adam was not one of those.