The black SUV rumbled low in the driveway, headlights off, engine idling like a beast ready to pounce
Dominic was already there, standing by the driver’s side door, dressed flead to toe in black tactical gear, a grim reaper carved from rage and shadows.
I stood on the front steps, barefoot no longer this time, in boots laced tight, a slim black jacket pulled over my parkour dress. It was a dress made for movement, for speed–not for seduction. Something found tucked into one of the safehouse closets meant for emergency escapes.
I squared my shoulders, heart pounding so hard it felt like it rattled my ribs.
Dominic turned and froze.
His mouth parted slightly, eyes narrowing, a look of pure disbelief crossing his face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was low, lethal.
I lifted my chin. Blood and brave. Stupid maybe. But I didn’t care what he thinks though.
He must be having an hypertension right now.
I didn’t care.
“I’m coming with you.”
The rain misted lightly over us now, silvering everything in the dim porch light. He stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You’re staying here,” he said, firm and final. “That’s an order.”
I smiled sweetly, stepping down the steps one by one, boots clicking softly against the stone. “You know I’m not really good at taking orders.”
“Aria-” His voice cracked with warning, frustration. Maybe even fear.
“I can help,” I said before he could finish. “I’ll stay out of sight. I’ll watch your back. I know how to move, Dom.” I gestured at the outfit. “This isn’t just for show.”
He exhaled harshly, running a hand through his hair. “You could get killed.”
“You could get killed,” I said back, stepping right into his space. “And what then? I’m supposed to sit here, safe and stupid, waiting for a phone call that may never come?”
We stood there, breathing each other in, the night folding tighter around us.
For a long moment, he didn’t move.
Then-
He cursed under his breath, low and savage.
“Fine.”
I blinked. “Fine?”
He grabbed my chin gently but firmly, tilting my face up to meet his glare. “You stay close. You don’t question me. You do exactly what I say, when I say it.”
I grinned wide, the relief rushing through me so fast I almost laughed. “Yay!”
He groaned, tipping his forehead against mine for half a second like he couldn’t decide whether to strangle me or kiss me.
Then he opened the passenger door with a sharp jerk.
“Get in before I change my damn mind.”
I slid into the seat, heart hammering with fear and excitement.
Tonight, we faced the devil.
****
The car rumbled to a stop outside an abandoned opera house on the edge of Beldova, its great stone columns cracked and crumbling under years of neglect. The grand staircase that once led ladies in silk and men in tuxedos now wore nothing but grime and moss. Heavy wooden doors hung ajar, creaking in the wind, and somewhere inside, a single light glowed–a crooked, pale beacon calling us into the wolf’s den.
I swallowed thickly, the stale air outside the SUV carrying the metallic bite of rain and rotting wood.
Dominic turned off the engine but didn’t move, his fingers lapping once against the steering wheel before curling into a fist. “Stay close to me,” he said low, without looking at me. “No matter what.”
I nodded, heart hammering too fast, too loud.
Chapter 120
We stepped out into the damp night, boots crunching over broken stone
Mikael’s men were already there–leaning against pillars, lounging in doorways, all of them armed to the teeth and wearing expressions that made it clear we were not welcome. Their eyes followed every step we took toward the building, filled with thinly veiled contempt.
Dominic didn’t blink. He didn’t show one ounce of hesitation. He walked like he owned the ground under his fest, his hand hovering casually near the gun under his jacket. I stuck close at his side, chin high, refusing to show them the fear clawing inside me.
The opera house interior was worse.
The velvet seats were ripped and moldy, the great chandelier hanging by a thread from the ceiling, tilted drunkenly Dust floated in the single beam of light like a thousand tiny ghosts.
And at the center of the grand stage, waiting like a king in his crumbling palace, stood Mikael Petrov.
Tall, broad, his expensive black suit tailored perfectly to his wide frame. His blond hair slicked back, a smile curling his mouth that didn’t reach the cold deadness of his eyes.
It was him.
The man who had tortured me.
The man who had smiled while I bled.
I felt Dominic stiffen beside me, his rage simmering so close to the surface it was like a living thing.
Mikael’s cold blue gaze slid right past Dominic and landed on me.
And he smiled wider.
“You’re more beautiful the more I see you, Aria,” Mikael said smoothly, his voice, echoing off the cracked marble. “I hope you haven’t forgotten my little… time with you.”
Dominic’s body tensed, about to lunge, about to explode-
But I beat him to it.
I stepped forward, my smile sharp as broken glass.
“Funny,” I said sweetly. “Because the only thing I remember… is you screaming like a stuck pig when Dominic broke your ribs.”
The air snapped tight.
Some of Mikael’s men shifted uneasily.
Dominic’s hand brushed my back briefly–a silent approval, fierce and proud.
Mikael chuckled, but it didn’t quite reach his dead eyes.
Dominic stepped forward, cutting the distance between them with two casual strides. His voice was lethal silk.
“Where’s your obsessed wife, Mikael? Hiding behind your men like you usually do?”
Mikael’s smile froze for a second. His jaw twitched.
“Indisposed,” he said shortly.
Then he gestured with a lazy wave of his hand, like a man inviting guests to dinner.
“Shall we?”
He turned, leading the way deeper into the gutted opera house, toward a cluster of battered chairs arranged like a makeshift negotiating table.
Dominic didn’t move immediately. He glanced down at me once, searching my face for any sign of hesitation.
I gave him none.
He turned back to Mikael then and said, “We shall.”
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Chapter 121
Chapter 121
