ZANE.

My phone buzzed, and I ripped the device out of my pocket. Unlocking the screen, there were messages from a private number, skimming the content with impatient eyes, "watch this epic treatment of your girl."

I sucked in a deep breath before pressing play on the attached video. It shows Sienna hanging from the ceiling by a rope. "Let's get started," the scarred-faced man's voice came from the background. I watched with shock as they used a prod to electrocute her, while Sienna breathed heavily through the pain. Her eyes flicked to the camera, and I wanted so badly to reach through the phone, but instead I was forced to watch.

For a moment, she looked directly into the camera lens, and I knew she was speaking to me. The fucker behind her pressed the prod onto her back again and kept it there until she lost consciousness.

I sent the same video to my brothers, asking into the talkie "Noah, do you know where this is?"

"His phone signal is bouncing off three towers. I have the area but not a precise location." Noah responded.

"Where?" I barked, "We're heading out," I roared. "Right fucking now!"

My phone started to ring, and seeing it was a private number, I knew it was the same number as the one that sent the torturing video of Sienna. "Noah, track this call. I will engage him as much as possible."

"Got it," Noah said, just as I accepted the call and waited for him to speak first. "Calloway," he snarled, "do you have good news for me?"

"Just how fucking stupid are you?" I said, my tone quite deadly.

"Careful. I have the upper hand."

I almost fucking laugh. "You do? Let's say a miracle happens, and you get rid of me and my brothers. Do you really think others will call you their leader?"

"They will have no choice."

"This isn't the nineteen-eighties. You don't get to just kill and take over."

Noah gestured on the CCTV that he now had the caller's location. "Step down, or Sienna and the rest of you die," he hissed.

I just need enough time to get to her. Fuck.

I sucked in a harsh breath, and then I lied through my fucking teeth, "I'll step down."

The scarred-faced man lets out a burst of laughter. "You made the right choice."

"What now?" I ask.

"You have one hour to send me a video of you killing your brothers, and I'll let Sienna go."

I shook my head because it was fucking hard to believe that he was so stupid and arrogant to think his plan would work. "Let's see who dies first. You or her." The scared-faced man turns around to face the camera, "You're running out of time, Zane. The sooner you get here, the sooner this will end. Miss the hour mark."

He ended the call, and dropping the phone, I grabbed the nearest cabinet and ripped it from the wall. The glass shattered into a million pieces as it hit the floor, yet it did nothing to calm the violent storm in my soul. When I stopped to suck in a harsh breath, it was to find Liam, Ethan, Noah, and Damian all staring at me.

"How the fuck did they penetrate our system enough to get Sienna?" I roared at them, my entire body vibrating with rage, every muscle in my body tensed until it felt like I might snap.

"Calm down, Zane, I think we've been double-crossed," Liam's voice said, his tone the same as mine, shocked.

I ran out of the building with my brothers and the rest of my army, waiting for their orders. "Move out!"

They fall into step beside me as we walk to one of the SUVs at the front of the line, and I climb into the passenger seat. Liam shoved a bulletproof vest at us. "Put this on right now."

Letting out a frustrated growl because every second was precious, I got out of the SUV and put on the fucking vest before climbing back in and yanking the door shut. "Go!" I ordered.

Ethan slides into the back with Noah, who drops a heavy bag of weapons on the floor between the seats.

"I have sent the GPS coordinates to everyone on the team," Damian informed me.

I watched as Liam brought up the map on the GPS screen, and after starting the engine, he steered the SUV away from the mansion. "How do you want to handle this?" he asked.

"We attack and end this, leaving none of them alive."

"The warehouse is nestled between trees," Damian began to give us a rundown of what to expect. We will head up North Road until it becomes Mill. "There aren't many houses, and it's a fucking long stretch of road."

My eyes flicked to the map, and I hated that it would take another hour and five minutes to get there.

"Faster, Jason," I growled. "We need to make it to them in fifty minutes." Glancing over my shoulder, I looked at Noah and asked, "Can you get plans for the property?"

"I can try," he muttered before he got to work. My eyes flicked to the GPS, and I saw we were ten minutes out.

"What time did we leave?" I asked.

"We have nineteen minutes," Noah answers. "We'll make it in time."

"We have better," I growled. Glancing over my shoulder, I order, "Give me a submachine gun and knife."

Ethan opens the bag and begins to hand out weapons as our convoy races down a dirt road that looks like it's heading into the woods.

Please stay alive for me, Sienna

Silence fell between us, and when we were twenty minutes out, my phone buzzed. I unlocked the screen, and seeing another video from the private number, the blood chilled in my veins. My thumb hesitated over the video because I couldn't bring myself to watch Sienna die.

"Zane," Liam said to get my attention. My eyes flickered to his. "Let me watch the video."

I shook my head hard. "No." She's the love of my fucking life. I must only see these videos. I turned my gaze back to the screen and pressed the play button. I saw the scared face come into view as he moved closer to Sienna.

"Still calling my bluff, right?" he sneered.

Sienna starts to shake her head. "No! Zane." She clenched her jaw, her eyes burning with rage at the bastard.

He moved closer, and reaching out a hand, he trailed a finger from between her breasts to her navel.

His tone was low as he said to her, "You'll be a widow soon." Fucking bastard, get your hands off her! Sienna lifted her chin and stared ahead of her, wearing an expressionless mask. Don't show any emotion. Stay strong. I'm coming.

"Faster!" I roared, hoping to arrive just in time to change what was about to happen by getting there sooner.

Sacred-face walked out of sight, and when he came back into view, he was holding a knife. No. Don't do this to me. Don't make me watch her die.

"But I don't want your leftovers," he said as he dragged the blade over her stomach. My breathing speeds up as I stare at the screen.

Every muscle in my body tensed until it felt like I might snap. Slowly, he pushed the knife into her right side, and I saw every single excruciating inch of the blade sinking into her.

"Motherfucker!" I roared as I slammed my fist into the dashboard.

No. Fuck.

Sienna's body twitched, and for a moment, her eyebrows arched together as pain flashed over her face. But then she fucking schools her face into a neutral expression again as she let out a breath.

֍

Dirt shoots into the air as we come to a screeching stop in the lot at the front of the property. There were a dozen armed men scattered around the property, and they opened fire on the SUV while they tried to find cover against the sides of the house.

I shoved the door open and ordered, "Launch the fucking grenades!"

Damian sends a grenade flying into the side of the house where a group of men were taking cover, and bodies fly into the air. Using the door as a shield, I opened fire on the gang members who were shooting from inside the house, and I had to reload the magazine before I was able to move away from the SUV. With the submachine gun held in position, I ran toward the house while shooting every fucking man I laid eyes on.

My vision tunnels on the front door, and I riddled it with bullets before my body slammed into the wood. It gave way easily, and I kept going, taking out target after target until I was out of fucking bullets.

As I dropped the submachine gun so I could reach for my Glock, a body plowed into me. I grabbed the knife from my belt, and before my back even hit the floor, I plunged the knife repeatedly into the side of his neck.

Blood sputtered over me, and I slammed onto the floor with a grunt. Shoving the dead fucker off of me, I quickly darted back to my feet. I moved the knife to my left hand and ripped the Glock from behind my back.

Liam and Noah joined me, and while they took out the rest of the men, I heard Damian shout from behind, "I have got the east covered!"

"Good, rain it on them," I thundered through the house as I hurried from room to room, searching for the scared-faced man.

When I opened a door with stairs leading down to a basement, a bullet slammed into my bulletproof vest, forcing me a couple of steps backward.

My arm swung into the air, and I pulled the trigger as I moved forward.

Another bullet zipped past my head just as Damian grabbed hold of the back of my vest, yanking me to crouch on the stairs.

"Take a breather while I take care of the asshole," Damian mutters, breathless from all the action.

Reluctantly, I stayed crouched as Damian crept down the stairs, and when he reached the bottom, a short gunfight ensued before he took out whoever was down there.

"Clear," he shouted. "She's not here."

"Fuck!" I snarled, and turning around, I ran back into the hallway.

"Zane!" Carlo called, wanting me to wait for him, but I needed to find the scared-faced man. Entering a kitchen, I saw a back door and headed outside. With my gut telling me to head for the trees, I broke out into a run.

My breath exploded over my lips as I ran into the woods, and every few steps, I paused to listen for any movement or screams from Sienna, hoping for confirmation that she was out there.

Damian caught up to me as I ran in the direction I heard movement, and I finally caught sight of the scared face as he forced some of my men to run barefoot through the fucking woods.

Letting out a growl, I lifted my arms and trained my barrel on the fucker's shoulder. I pulled the trigger. The bullet hits, and he spins to the side, his hand coming up as he opened fire on me. Another shot echoed through the woods, and the blood in my veins chills with fear.

The scared-face threw one of my men off him and trained his gun on him. Damian and I opened fire as we rushed toward them, one bullet after the other slamming into the fucker. His body jerks with each shot before he falls backward, gasping through the shock and pain. Coming to a stop beside him, I trained my barrel on his head and locked eyes with him before I pulled the trigger again.

The amount of relief flooding through my soul paralyzed me for a few seconds, and I was only able to suck in desperate breaths of air. It was short-lived the moment Noah and Ethan joined us.

"We found Sienna. She's in a terrible state," Ethan said, his eyes darting towards a lone shed. Without a second glance, I ran over there, praying hard that she was still alive.

֍

I felt every shade of emotion as I ran into the room. Then my eyes drifted over her shivering body, and not seeing any gunshot wounds, I darted forward. My arms locked around her. A painful gasp from her had me instantly easing my grip, and I quickly crouched down so I could check the stab wound on her side. I have stabbed enough people in my time to know whether the wound was serious or not, and I let out a breath when I saw it was not life-threatening.

I straightened up again as I saw the breaths rushing through her lips when her eyes flickered open. The fight for life shining from her eyes eased the tension in my chest. The realization shuddered through me again, and I thank all that's holy that I got to her in time.

"You're bleeding," she said as she reached her bloody hand to my face.

"It's not mine," I muttered while I gripped her hand. Feeling how fucking cold she was, I was hit by another wave of anger.

"Zane!" I hear Damian shout.

Taking a step back from Sienna, my eyes flicked over the lace bra and panties, and I quickly took off the bulletproof vest so I could get the long-sleeved shirt off my body. Once I had the shirt covering her, Damian handed me his coat, and I quickly wrapped it around her.

I hated that Damian saw her half-naked, but I was too relieved to feel any anger. When I bent to pick her up, she shook her head. "No. I can walk."

"The fuck you can," I snarled.

"Zane," she snapped at me.

Our eyes lock, and she lifts her chin. "I will walk out of here. I need your men to see I haven't been broken."

As much as I hated the idea of her walking barefoot, I relented because that was important to her. She wanted to show them she was their queen, and that no matter what was thrown her way, she would survive. Nothing could break her.

Standing in the middle of the fucking woods on an icy winter's day with blood soaking into the ground, I fell in love with Sienna all over again. Needing to touch her, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders before we walked back through the trees.

When the rest of my men came into sight, I dropped my arm from around her and took hold of her left hand, where her blood was drying, and linked our fingers.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked as we reached them.

"Yes," Liam replied.

When we broke through the trees, all the men, one by one, looked in our direction. Sienna tightened her grip on my hand, and I heard her suck in a trembling breath before she pushed through her pain and walked toward the nearest SUV.

Once I had her safely inside the vehicle, I wrapped my fingers around the back of her neck and pressed my forehead to hers. "I'm so fucking proud of you."

She nodded, her skin way too fucking pale. Letting go of her, I turned to face my men. "Clean up the shit."

"Yes, boss,"

Glancing at my brothers, I nodded before locking eyes with Damian and Noah. I ordered, "Stick with the former plan, make the rest of the gang know we have taken down this fucker, and we will be coming for them too if they refuse to end this fight by surrendering."

"Got it, boss," Noah nodded. I climbed into the backseat and pulled Sienna into my arms. She was shaking badly, and I struggled not to hold her too tight.

Jason slid behind the steering wheel. "I've let the doctor know we're coming," he informed me while tossing a first-aid bag at me.

I quickly opened the bag, took out antiseptic wipes, and moved the clothes out of the way so I could get to the stab wound on Sienna's side.

Once it was clean, as it can be in the backseat of the SUV, I grabbed some gauze and pressed it firmly against the wound. I said, "Hold it in place."

She did as I instructed while I dug out an adhesive dressing, and when I had it stuck to her skin, I took a few seconds to clean the puncture marks from where they stapled the fucking paper to her stomach.

"I'm fine," she muttered. "I can hold out until we get to the house."

I only nod as I take hold of her chin, nudging her face up so she can look at me.

Our eyes locked, and I stared at my woman with so much fucking pride pouring into my chest.

"I am sorry they hurt you this badly. I am here now." I whispered, thankful I got to say the words to her again. "It's okay," I murmured, seeing how hard she was holding back the tears. She shook her head and shot a glance at Jason, and she somehow shoved all her pain away and held her head high, refusing to break down in front of them.

SIENNA.

The weight of my newly found freedom crushed me harder than the fear of my past ever could. I sat cross-legged on the plush cream-colored couch in Zane's study, the city skyline glittering beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Absorbing the dazzling flood of the rising sun.

I heaved a deep sigh, soaking at the moment. The rival cartel had vanished as if they never existed. Zane and his men had wiped them out in a brutally bloody clash, and even though it had been a week, I was still haunted by the gory experience even when wide-awake.

I had known Zane Calloway was going to be the one to help me get rid of the consequences of my father's sins. His greedy obsession with power that had shackled me to a life of running and fighting was finally buried with the bodies of my enemies. I felt a budding of pride thinking back at the decisions that had brought me to that day. I didn't make a mistake coming to Atlas; Zane had not stopped until we were free of the cartel and everything from our past that had been haunting both of us. We were free.

Yet, as I stared at the glass of bourbon in my hand, I felt a restless itch, knowing I was truly free. But I had no idea what to do with it. It felt foreign.

Belinda, who was sprawled across the armchair opposite me, her auburn curls spilling over the cushion, was swiping through her phone, her fingers moving with casual precision. She must have felt my eyes on her because she suddenly looked up, and stared in my direction. Her eyes were soft, watching me with that quiet intensity that always made me feel seen.

"You're brooding again, Sisi," she said, tossing the phone to the space between the couch and the huge flower vase.

I snorted, swirling the bourbon but still not drinking. "I'm not brooding. I'm... thinking."

"Same difference to you." She sat up. "Spill it, Sienna. I don't like that look. Tell me I am wrong?"

I leaned back and let my gaze drift to the ceiling first, and the bar was stocked with liquor I had never heard of before. I became a full-time guest in Zane's home.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I thought ending the cartel would feel finally, like I had won something. But now that it's over, I feel like I'm floating without an anchor or a direction for my boat. Just... nothing."

Belinda tilted her head, her lips pouted as she considered me. "You're saying the chase was what kept you going." It wasn't a question. She always had a way of cutting through my mess of thoughts, laying them bare for me.

I nodded, my fingers tightening around the glass. "All those years of running and hiding from the cartel kind of gave me a purpose. A reason to keep moving, and without it, I don't know who I am. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, her eyes glinting with warmth. "Sienna, you're not your father's shadow. You're not the cartel's prey anymore, either. You're free to live as you. And you get to decide what that means now. That's the scary part, sure, but it's also the best part."

I let out a soft chuckle, shaking my head. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not," she said, shrugging. "But you're not alone in it. You've got me, for one. And..." She hesitated, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "You've got Zane."

My stomach did a little flip at his name, and I hated how transparent it made me feel. Zane. He had fought beside me, bled for me, and somehow wormed his way into my heart despite my best efforts to keep him at arm's length.

I was in love with him without a doubt, but the idea of handing over the drive, which was my only leverage from my father's empire, felt like surrendering a part of myself. I wasn't ready to let go of that control, not even for him. Was I my father's child after all? Power-hungry like him.

"I don't know if I'm ready to give him the drive," I said, in a whisper. It's not that I don't trust him. I just need to stand on my own. I've spent my whole life running from someone else's choices. I want to make my own for once."

Belinda's smile softened, and she reached across the table, squeezing my hand. "Then don't give it to him. Not yet. Figure out what you want first. Zane's a big boy, he can handle waiting. And you know I'm with you, whatever you decide."

I squeezed her hand back, grateful beyond words. "Speaking of decisions," I said, leaning forward with a smirk. "What's this about you and Travis? You've been blushing like a schoolgirl every time he's mentioned."

Her cheeks flushed pink, and she swatted at me, laughing. "Oh, shut up! I do not blush."

"See? You totally do," I teased, pointing at her. "Come on, Bel. Talk to me. You are going to go on that dinner date. You owe him for helping us back then, and don't you dare try to tell me it's just because he cracked the encryption on the drive."

She groaned, flopping back on the couch and covering her face with her hands. "Okay, fine. He's kind of adorable, alright? He's all nerdy and awkward, but there's this spark in him. he akes me feel giddy." She peeked through her fingers, "I want to see where it goes. Is that crazy?"

I grinned, warmth spreading through me at her admission. "Not crazy at all. Travis is a good guy. A little too obsessed with his tech toys, but good. You deserve someone who makes you giddy."

She dropped her hands, her smile wide and unguarded. "Thanks, Sienna. I mean it."

We leaned across the table, wrapping each other in a fierce hug. Her curls tickled my cheek.

A throat cleared behind us, sharp and deliberate. I froze, my heart lurching as I pulled back from Belinda. Zane stood in the doorway, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. He leaned against the frame, hands in his leather jacket stretched tight over his shoulders. The man looked like he had stepped out of a movie, all charming and quiet intensity.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked, noting how my pulse raced, half from surprise, half from the way his gaze locked onto mine, like he could see right through me.

"Long enough," he said, a deep smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Heard you talking about being your own boss. I've got to say, it's pretty damn hot."

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, he crossed the room in three strides, swept me off the couch, and kissed me. His warm lips were stealing my breath and scattering my thoughts. I melted into him, my hands fisting in his jacket, the world narrowing to the heat of his body against mine.

Belinda whooped, clapping like a cheerleader. "Get it, girl!"

Zane pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my lips. "I love you, Sienna," he murmured, "Hearing you talk like that... knowing you're carving your own path? Makes me love you even more."

I snickered, caught off guard by the confession I'd been waiting to hear for so long. "Took you long enough to say it," I teased.

He grinned, that rare, boyish smile that always undid me. Without another word, he scooped me up, my legs dangling as I giggled, actually giggled, like some lovesick teenager. Belinda's laughter followed us as he carried me out of the study, knowing where we were headed. The master bedroom. There, Zane would show me that I would never be a guest again.

I wanted that too, since I was bound to Calloway's heir from the minute I walked into Atlas. Or as my father's locket had eventually revealed, it was way before our path crossed. I was bound to be Zane Calloway's bride.

Prologue.

NOAH BENNETT.

The night trouble came to find me. It didn't just knock and walk in politely; it kicked the door down and walked in wearing the lightest shade of red dinner dress. And it chose the one night I had chosen to socialize to find me.

I was at the Eden, the exclusive lounge that my brother, Damian Pierce, had opened two weeks after Zane and Sienna's engagement, and, as it had been since its opening, it was filled with the one-percent elite of the city of Los Angeles. It sat on the penthouse floor of his central city empire, chandeliers dripping with jagged crystal gold, filling the entire space with light that reeked of money...and lots of it, too.

The air was so thick with expensive fragrances blended with cocktails of aged bourbon, and the vibrant tang of ambition of networkers. If I didn't belong to the Atlas Group and the extravagant lifestyle my four brothers lived, I would choke on the intensity of everything the second I got into the lounge. Way into the hall, I saw a brunette in a sequined red gown near the VIP ropes as she tossed her head back. My eyes caught her diamond earrings flashing at me like warning flares. A tech mogul by the velvet curtain argued over a deal, his Patek Philippe catching the light as he waved a hand that could buy half the city.

Every breath was a reminder that this was no ordinary lounge, and you had to hold some bars to actually be there. I sat at the bar, my black hair had been styled and slicked backward to give my face a more defined look, making my jawline stand out. I had picked a gray tuxedo, with its sharp cut, leaning against my body while I let the chaos sink into my bones. My fingers gripped a tumbler of Macallan 25, the amber liquid swirling like a storm I was ready to dive into. It was the last drop of the old wine, which meant one thing. I was drunk.

When the people around me started to float, I knew I had gone way above my liquor limit. I was drunk, not the kind that made you stumble, but the kind that made the world too vivid, too raw. Every sound in the room, from the clink of glasses, the low growl of the bass, the brittle laugh of patrons across the room, pierces through me.

Suddenly, the DJ's bassline thrummed through hidden speakers, urging me to let go of the weight I carried.

I saw Damian move through the crowd, his deep green eyes glinting with that dangerous charm that made him untouchable. He owned this place, not just the deed but the souls inside it, every smile and deal bending to his will. He had caught me earlier, whispering as he walked by.

"Keep your head, don't finish that bottle."

I smirked, raised my glass, and told him to shove his warnings. I wanted a night to live without being bothered. I wanted bliss, and I would take it, consequences be damned.

The bartender, seeing I had finished the bottle with me, slid another bottle of whiskey my way. I barely acknowledged him, my gaze drifting back to the crowd, restless, searching for something I couldn't name. That was when she appeared, gliding through the crowd of patrons.

Her red dress hugged her curves, and boy, she does have curves. The voluminous hips she got could either be from a strong mama's gene, years of active gym, or liposuction. It was perfect with the tiniest waist to complement it. I must have been lost trying without success to trace the outlines of her body contours as she walked closer. I snapped out of it, taking my eyes back to her face, oval with pouty lips that called to me. Her honey-blond hair spilled over one shoulder, brushing her full boobs as she moved with a sexy grace. She stopped at the bar, inches from me, and I picked up her distinct vanilla perfume, and the more I inhaled it, it spiked something darker in me.

"Double shot of Negroni," she said, reaching out perfectly manicured fingers to take the order from the bartender.

Since I was sitting directly at the bar, her shoulder brushed mine as she reached for her glass, and it sent a jolt through me. I turned, meeting her eyes, a light tone of blue. "You look like you're carrying the world, you should chill on that," she said, her lips curling, towards the whiskey bottle.

I leaned closer, "And you look like you're here to steal it," I shot back while I locked my eyes on hers.

She chuckled, a soft yet throaty sound that cut through the room, and I felt it in my gut, a pull I hadn't expected. Her name was Lila, she said, though I didn't care if it was real. Names were masks in a place like this, and we were both hiding something. She sipped her drink, her lipstick leaving a faint wine stain on the glass, and I watched, too aware of the heat building between us.

We flirted hard with words and glances that felt like foreplay. She leaned in each time she spoke, her breath warm against my ear, letting her hairbrush my cheek.

"This place is chaos," she murmured, her fingers trailing down my arm. "Too crowded. Don't you want to escape for a little while?" Her eyes held mine, bold, daring me to take the bait.

I knew better. I had built my life on control to spot the kind of traps she was hinting at. The Atlas Group didn't survive by chance but thrived because I saw the moves before they were made. Yet with Lila, I let the whiskey fill me with adrenaline.

I studied her, searching for the lie, but her smile was too perfect to be an act.

Lila's hand settled on my wrist. "I'm staying next door," she said. "The Elysian Hotel. Room 2304. Quieter. Private." Her eyes flicked to my lips, then back up, and I felt the pull.

My pulse kicked up, but the Macallan had dulled my caution, and against my better judgment, I wanted a blissful night. One where I wasn't the Atlas Group's enforcer, nor the man who had buried his past in blood. I wanted her, and I was ready to deal with the fallout later.

"Lead the way," I said, as I tossed back the last of my whiskey, the burning sensation grounding me as I set the glass down. She smiled slowly and turned, her hips swaying as she moved toward the exit.

The crowd parted for her to walk through because she made heads turn to get a better look at her curvy shape. Damian tried to get my attention as I followed Lila with my gaze fixed on her without a single care about him and his lavish lounge I was already leaving behind.

We reached the private elevator and she pressed the button. The huge doors slid open with a soft chime. We stepped inside the small space. The doors had barely closed when she turned to me with a deep smile beaming at me. "You're not like the others here," she said, stepping closer enough to get her fingers to brush the lapel of my jacket.

"And why is that?" I asked, letting my eyes fall on her boobs.

"The rest are players, but not you. You don't strike as one who just plays the game, you own it."

I grabbed her wrist, feeling her pulse under my thumb. "You don't know me," I said, letting my thumb trace a slow circle on her skin.

"Maybe I want to, Noah," she whispered, fanning my face with her warm breath.

The elevator hummed along as we descended, then flung its doors open onto the street. The cool night air hit me at once, and I felt the shift in the wind against the heat of the lounge.

"The Elysian Hotel is just across the street," Lila said as she stepped out, slipping her hand into mine like we were old lovers.

"Don't I know that?" I whispered back. Even as I crossed the street, my focus was on her soaking in everything about her. I felt like an artist trying to paint his muse. I studied the way her dress caught the streetlight, the curve of her neck as she glanced back at me, and her smile that revealed the dimples on both cheeks.

We reached the hotel's revolving doors and let the glass spin us into the lobby. The male clerk was busy working on the desktop in front of him, and he barely glanced at us as we walked past. Even Lila's heels, which clicked on the marble, did nothing to get his attention. He must be doing the numbers. Only that could make a man miss out on Lila's captivating presence.

When we got to the elevators, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I knew it had to be Damian without any doubt. I ignored it, since my hands were busy anyway, tightening around Lila's waist.

She leaned against the wall, her eyes locked on mine. "Last chance to walk away," she said.

I stepped closer, my hand on the wall beside her, locking her in. "I don't do walk-aways," I said, loving the way her smile widened.

The elevator dinged when we got to her floor, and the doors opened just as my phone buzzed again. I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. Damian.

I sighed, swiping the screen as I switched to flight mode. I didn't want to be disturbed. I wanted to have Lila to myself and nothing else mattered. Lila's hand grazed my arm, her touch pulling me in, but her eyes suddenly held a glint I hadn't seen before, like a predator who'd just sprung her trap.

I realized before the first light of day that I had simply walked into trouble's lair.