Chapter 11: The Shadow of Lord Mendez

Monica lingers in the hallway instead of leaving, her gaze fixed on Avyanna with a weight that suggests there’s more she wants to say. She crosses her arms, her jaw tight.

“Look, I’m not trying to be cold about it,” she begins, her voice lower now, more serious. “But you need to think this through. Kairus seems like a good guy, sure. He’s kind, stable, grounded. But that’s exactly the kind of person who doesn’t understand the kind of fire we’re walking through.”

Avyanna looks up at her, already feeling the tension growing in her chest.

Monica steps a bit closer, voice firm but not unkind. “Lord Mendez isn’t just some distant threat. His reach is wide, and his interest in you hasn’t exactly disappeared. You’ve kept a low profile lately, but if he finds out you’re close to someone new—especially someone outside the circle—it’s not just your life at risk. It’s his too.”

Avyanna’s lips part slightly, but she doesn’t speak. There’s too much truth in Monica’s words.

“He could use Kairus,” Monica continues. “As leverage. As bait. Or worse—he might see him as a loose end that needs to be cleaned up. Mendez doesn’t get second chances. You know that.”

Her voice softens a little. “I’ve seen what happens to people who get caught in the middle. People who thought love was enough to shield them from the ugliness of this world. And every time… it ends in blood or silence.”

Avyanna swallows hard. The warm memory of the kiss is still lingering in her chest, but now it feels tainted by the reminder of everything that surrounds her. Everything she’s tried to keep separate from him.

“I know you care about him,” Monica says, her tone shifting again—this time more gentle, even sad. “But if you really do… you have to ask yourself: are you willing to drag him into this? Into Mendez’s world?”

There’s a long pause, the silence stretching between them like a loaded question.

“I just don’t want to see you lose someone else,” Monica finishes, voice barely above a whisper. “Especially not because of all this.”

Then, without waiting for a response, she turns and walks away, the sound of her footsteps fading down the hall.

Avyanna sits there, motionless, her thoughts louder than ever, spiraling endlessly in her mind. Monica’s words echo in her head like a warning she can’t ignore, laced with memories and fears she thought she’d buried long ago. The warmth from earlier—the kiss, the closeness, Kairus’s voice—now feels distant beneath the weight of what could come next.

Monica eventually leaves her there on the couch, disappearing into the quiet apartment without another word. The door to her room stays open, but Avyanna doesn’t move. The reminder Kairus gave her—to sleep early, to take care—flickers faintly in her mind, but she ends up doing the opposite. Sleep doesn’t come. Instead, she lies on the couch for hours, staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts she can’t untangle.

By the time dawn rolls around, her body feels heavy and her head aches with exhaustion. Her limbs are sluggish, her eyes sore. Finally giving in, she drags herself to her bedroom and lies down, telling herself it’ll just be a short nap to reset her thoughts.

But the nap turns into an entire sleep cycle.

When she finally wakes, the world outside her window is already painted with the warm tones of late afternoon. Her phone buzzes on the nightstand, its screen lighting up with an incoming call. She blinks groggily and reaches for it.

“Hello?” she answers, her voice still hoarse from sleep.

“Good thing you’re awake. Can you accompany me?” Ruth’s voice comes through the line, casual but expectant.

Avyanna lets out a slow, tired sigh. Another good deal, she thinks to herself. That’s what Ruth always says—and it always means getting involved in something bigger than it first appears.

“Where do we meet?” she asks bluntly, not bothering to hide her fatigue.

“At the city library,” Ruth replies without missing a beat.

Avyanna doesn’t even argue. She just nods to herself, though Ruth can’t see it. “Alright.”

She ends the call and sits at the edge of her bed, rubbing her temples. Whatever Ruth is planning, it’s not going to be simple. Nothing ever is these days.

But part of her welcomes the distraction.

The city library was the last place anyone would expect to find anything illegal, which was exactly why Ruth liked to use it. A public place, quiet, with just enough corners and blind spots to make a subtle exchange unnoticed. It wasn’t about books—it was about blending in.

Avyanna arrived just past five-thirty, the skies already tinted with the soft orange glow of early evening. The tired buzz of the city outside was muted here. Inside the library, the air was cool and still, filled with the soft rustle of pages and the occasional footsteps on old tile floors.

She spotted Ruth near the back, seated in one of the reading nooks by the tall windows. She was pretending to browse through a large hardcover, though Avyanna could tell from her stiff posture and darting eyes that she was on edge.

Ruth looked up and nodded as Avyanna approached.

“Took you long enough,” she whispered, closing the book without looking at it. “They're almost here.”

“Who is it this time?” Avyanna asked quietly, sliding into the seat across from her, voice flat.

“An associate of Delgado. One of Mendez’s rivals, technically… but not exactly safer.” Ruth’s eyes flicked toward the far side of the room where a shadow had just moved past the shelves. “He won’t recognize you, which is why I asked you to come.”

Avyanna’s stomach tensed. So that’s what this is. I’m the unknown face. The insurance.

Ruth continued, voice low. “I just need you to stand by while the exchange happens. Watch my back. No talking, no reacting. If things feel off, you get out. Understand?”

“Why here, Ruth? This place is crawling with cameras.”

“Exactly,” Ruth said with a quick smirk. “They won’t try anything stupid when the risk of being caught is this high. It’s neutral ground.”

Avyanna didn’t respond. She glanced at the library doors, mentally noting the exits, the security cameras, and the positions of anyone nearby. Old habits kicked in—the ones she wished she’d forgotten how to use.

A few minutes later, two men entered. Well-dressed, clean-cut, but their eyes gave them away. Too alert, too careful. One of them carried a book under his arm, but his attention was nowhere near the shelves.

Ruth stood smoothly, as if stretching. “That’s them. Follow my lead.”

The exchange was quick—barely more than a murmured conversation and a small object passed between hands beneath the table. Ruth handled it like she always did: calm, professional, detached. But Avyanna could see the tension in her jaw, the way her fingers tapped nervously against her side.

Then, just as the men turned to leave, one of them paused and looked over his shoulder—right at Avyanna.

Their eyes met for a brief, electric second.

Not suspicion. Recognition.

He’s seen me before.

Avyanna’s breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t flinch. She held his gaze until he finally turned away and disappeared through the front doors with his partner.

Ruth was already packing up the fake book and heading for the exit.

“We need to move,” she said under her breath. “Now.”

Avyanna followed Ruth, but her mind was a storm of thoughts, each one crashing into the next. The man’s gaze had unsettled her far more than she cared to admit. He knows me, she kept thinking. Or at least he knows of her. The recognition was clear in his eyes. The unsettling familiarity. If he was tied to Delgado in any way—and by extension, to Mendez’s world—there was no escaping the fallout. This is just the beginning.

And worse: if Mendez ever found out she was getting involved with someone outside his reach, someone not part of the game, someone like Kairus...

The thought made her stomach twist violently. She could already feel the cold weight of his wrath—his power, his control. She and Mendez had a deal, a twisted bargain she had made years ago to protect herself, to keep her family safe. And that deal came with consequences. Consequences that could end her life.

And Kairus could be dragged into it, whether I want him to or not.

She had known the risks of being close to someone in this world, but knowing didn’t make it any easier. She had built walls around her life for so long—walls meant to keep people out, to keep them from getting hurt because of her. She couldn’t let him in. Not now. Not when she knew how quickly things could spiral out of control.

As they walked through the darkening streets, she instinctively pulled her coat tighter around her body, as if trying to shield herself from the growing sense of dread that gnawed at her chest. The city was quiet now, the kind of silence that came just before the storm. A few lights flickered in the distance, casting long shadows across the sidewalk.

Ruth glanced at her, the same smirk still playing on her lips. “See? Easy. Told you it was a good deal.”

Avyanna didn’t answer. Her feet seemed to move on their own, each step heavier than the last. Ruth’s words bounced off her like they meant nothing. The excitement, the adrenaline of the transaction—it didn’t matter anymore. All she could feel now was the hollow weight of what she had just done, and the consequences that could follow.

Every part of her wanted to scream at Ruth. To demand why she kept dragging her into these deals, these dangerous games. But Avyanna knew better than to voice it. She had no choice. Ruth wasn’t just a friend—she was a lifeline. A partner. And this transaction, this dangerous dance with the edges of the criminal world, was their daily work. Mendez’s reach had woven itself into their lives years ago, and it was a deal that couldn’t be broken, not without consequences.

Ruth led these operations, taking the risks, making the calls. Avyanna was just the shadow that followed, the one who assisted, who made sure things went smoothly. But that didn’t make it any easier. Sometimes it felt like she was walking through hell with Ruth, and the heat of it all was starting to feel unbearable.

Avyanna’s mind kept drifting back to Kairus. She couldn’t shake the image of his smile—the way his eyes softened when they looked at her, the warmth in his voice that made her feel something she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in years. Maybe there could be more between them. Maybe there could be something beyond the dark world she had built around herself. A future that didn’t have to be dictated by power, danger, and fear.

But now, as the hours passed and the weight of her decisions pressed down on her, the line between her past and her present was blurring. Her past, with its tangled alliances and dangerous liaisons, was never far behind. And no matter how much she wanted to keep Kairus safe, to keep him untouched by the world she was drowning in, she knew that her reality had a way of pulling everyone into its chaos. Whether they wanted to be a part of it or not.

I have to keep him away, she thought fiercely, her fists clenched at her sides as they walked through the dimly lit streets. I have to protect him from this.

But deep down, a cold, sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She knew it was already too late.

Ruth’s voice broke through her thoughts, low and careful. “You’re so occupied in your mind, Avyanna…” Her words were heavy with understanding, but there was something else there, something that made Avyanna stop in her tracks for a moment. “I don’t want to ask you about it, because I know it. But just always remember this: make sure that person can’t lead to your regret and weakness. Make sure that person doesn’t become a distraction from our work with Mendez.”

The words hit Avyanna like a physical blow. She wanted to argue, to deny it, but Ruth was right. Ruth always was. And the truth in those words dug deeper than she was ready to face.

She clenched her fists, trying to ground herself in the present, but the thought of Kairus lingered, his face flashing in her mind. He was everything that felt right, everything that seemed safe. But she couldn’t afford to let her emotions get the better of her. She had seen it before—people who let themselves get tangled in feelings, let themselves get distracted by something they couldn’t control. And it had always ended badly.

If Kairus became her weakness, her distraction, then everything she had fought for, everything she had sacrificed, would crumble. She would drag him into a world he had no business being in, a world where there were no second chances.

“Yeah,” she said quietly, barely above a whisper. Her voice felt hollow, as though speaking the words took all the energy she had left. “I know.”

Ruth looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Good. Just remember that. The moment you let your guard down is the moment they’ll use it against you.”

Avyanna didn’t respond, but she couldn’t shake the weight of Ruth’s words. The moment you let your guard down…

She knew that feeling all too well. And she couldn’t let it happen again.