The Devil You know

Ava stopped breathing.

The voice outside the apartment sounded calm. Smooth. Almost polite.

Which somehow made it more terrifying.

Luca didn’t move.

Gun still in his hand, eyes fixed on the door, body tense like a predator seconds before attacking.

Another knock echoed through the penthouse.

“Open the door,” the man called out. “Before this becomes difficult.”

Ava swallowed hard. “Who is that?”

Luca answered without looking at her.

“Someone worse than me.”

The backup lights finally flickered on, casting the loft in a dim amber glow. Shadows stretched across the walls, sharp and distorted.

The voice outside laughed softly.

“She can hear me, can’t she?”

Luca stepped closer to Ava protectively.

“Get to the bedroom.”

“I’m not leaving you—”

“Now.”

Something in his tone made her obey.

Ava hurried toward the hallway, heart pounding violently in her chest, but before she disappeared fully, the front door suddenly exploded inward.

The sound was deafening.

Ava screamed.

Three armed men stormed inside dressed entirely in black.

And behind them walked the owner of the voice.

Tall. Elegant. Terrifyingly composed.

He looked younger than Ava expected. Maybe early thirties. Dark tailored suit. Black gloves. Silver watch glinting beneath the low light. His face was handsome in a cruel sort of way.

But his eyes—

Empty.

Cold enough to freeze blood.

He smiled when he saw Ava.

“Well,” he said softly, “there she is.”

Luca raised the gun instantly.

“Don’t.”

The man ignored the weapon completely.

“You’ve caused me a very inconvenient night, Luca.”

“You broke into my home.”

“You killed three of my men.”

“They shot first.”

Ava stood frozen near the hallway entrance, unable to move.

The stranger finally looked directly at her.

And smiled again.

“Ava Sinclair,” he said. “Twenty-four. Junior editor at Blackwell Publishing. Lives in Brooklyn. Drinks too much coffee and lies to her mother every Sunday about being happy.”

Fear crashed through her body.

“How do you know that?”

“Because,” he replied calmly, “I know everything Luca touches.”

Luca stepped forward dangerously.

“Enough.”

The stranger tilted his head.

“You like this one.”

Silence.

That silence told Ava everything.

The stranger noticed too.

His smile widened slightly.

“Oh,” he murmured. “That’s unfortunate.”

Luca’s voice turned lethal.

“Say what you came to say and leave.”

The man sighed dramatically and adjusted his cufflinks.

“My father wants you home.”

“I don’t work for him anymore.”

“You don’t get to leave the family.”

Family.

Ava looked between them in confusion.

The stranger noticed.

“Luca didn’t tell you?” he asked. “That hurts my feelings.”

“Damien,” Luca warned.

So that was his name.

Damien stepped closer slowly, completely unafraid of the gun pointed at him.

“Our family runs half this city,” he said casually to Ava. “Politics. Clubs. Judges. Police. Weapons. Drugs. Violence.” He smiled faintly. “The glamorous side of New York.”

Ava’s stomach dropped.

No wonder people wanted Luca dead.

He wasn’t just a criminal.

He was mafia.

Damien looked amused by the horror on her face.

“Ah,” he said softly. “Now she understands.”

Luca grabbed Damien suddenly and slammed him against the wall hard enough to crack the marble behind him.

The guards raised their weapons instantly.

Everything happened at once.

“Drop the guns!” Luca roared.

Ava couldn’t breathe.

Damien, somehow still calm, stared at Luca with cold amusement.

“You’re emotional,” he said quietly. “That’s new.”

Luca pressed the gun harder beneath Damien’s jaw.

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“She does now.”

Those four words changed everything.

A heavy silence filled the room.

Damien slowly turned his gaze toward Ava again.

And for the first time, she saw genuine danger in his expression.

Not anger.

Not cruelty.

Calculation.

“She’s a weakness,” he said simply.

Luca’s face darkened instantly.

“If you touch her—”

“You’ll kill me?” Damien interrupted with a smile. “You won’t. I’m still your brother.”

Brother.

Ava felt dizzy.

This entire night felt unreal.

Damien carefully pushed Luca’s gun aside and straightened his suit.

Then he reached into his coat pocket and removed a photograph.

He tossed it onto the counter.

Ava looked down.

And her blood froze.

It was a picture of her apartment building.

Taken tonight.

Damien’s voice became terrifyingly gentle.

“You can keep pretending she’s not involved,” he said. “But the moment enemies saw her with you…” He glanced at Ava. “Her old life ended.”

Luca went completely still.

Ava looked at him desperately.

“What does that mean?”

But deep down—

She already knew.

Damien started walking toward the destroyed front door before pausing.

“Oh, one more thing.”

He looked back at Luca.

“Father knows about the girl.”

For the first time all night, Luca looked afraid.

Real fear.

Damien smiled at the reaction.

Then his eyes shifted toward Ava one last time.

And his next words shattered whatever safety she thought remained.

“Run while you still can,” he told her softly.

“Because once our father meets you…”

His smile faded.

“…he’ll never let you go.”

End of Chapter Three