로그인Gideon’s eyes flickered, confusion crossing his face as he watched Damon stalk off without so much as a backward glance.
“Was it… something I said?” he asked carefully. Lena gave a small, apologetic smile. “I don’t think so. You shouldn't think that.” Gideon’s brow furrowed slightly, but he chuckled. “I understand. It's hard to watch another man flirt with his partner.” No, Mr Hales couldn't be that person, Lena thought with a laugh. Was Gideon implying that he was jealous? On a more serious note, Gideon just confirmed that he was flirting. “I better go see what’s wrong. But thank you, Gideon—it’s been wonderful talking to you. Really.” “The pleasure’s all mine,” he said, inclining his head with that same easy charm.“I hope we run into each other again tonight.” “Likewise,” she replied, before slipping back into the crowd. The moment she turned away, the low hum of conversation swelleDamon spotted her before she saw him.Suzy sat in the farthest corner of the small, close-knot café, hunched over her phone, scrolling without purpose, her nails tapping rhythmically against the screen. Her hair—still the same glossy brown he remembered from college—fell over one shoulder in deliberate waves, the kind that required time, effort, and an audience.He exhaled slowly.This was his chance.He could turn around, step right back out the door, blame some emergency later. He actually took half a step back.But then—“Heeyyy!!”Her voice shrieked across the café, bouncing off ceramic cups and hushed conversations, and every head turned. Damon froze. Of course she saw him. Of course his one second of hesitation was enough to betray him. She waved wildly, as if she were trying to flag down an aircraft.He forced a tight smile, one that strained at the corners of his jaw, and walked toward her. Each step felt like a decision he regretted. When he reached the table, she stood abru
THREE NIGHTS AGOThe rain that night didn’t fall so much as it slashed—thin, knifing sheets that made everything outside the hospital blur into streaks of drowning yellow light. Perfect weather for slipping into places one didn't belong in. He stood across the street first, hood drawn low, hands shoved into the pockets of a stolen orderly’s jacket. Gideon hadn’t said much when he gave the order—just that flat, cold “Find out.” The kind of command that meant come back with the truth or don’t come back at all. Diego swallowed, pulled his mask up over his nose, and crossed the road.He moved through the lobby toward the elevators, passing nurses with paperwork, a security guard scrolling through his phone, a janitor leaning on her mop. None of them looked at him twice.Good.He slid into the elevator just as the doors began to close.The fluorescent light overhead buzzed as he tugged at the collar of the too-tight jacket and watched the numbers climb—3… 4… 5…When the doors opened, the a
Marco handed Gideon the rod with a stiff arm, his face tight, jaw braced. Gideon’s fingers curled around the cold steel like it belonged there—as natural to him as breath. His gaze never left Diego.“You have one last chance to answer me correctly,” Gideon spat, the words razor-sharp. His fingers moved to the front of his shirt, popping open the top two buttons with slow, deliberate flicks. The small motions echoed tension. He wanted mobility. He wanted no restrictions for what was coming.“Did you or did you not fuck her?”The rod gleamed as he shifted his grip.Diego swallowed hard. His Adam's apple bobbed like he was physically forcing the truth—or a lie—down his throat. His eyes darted briefly to Richard, then to Marco, then back to Gideon.“I didn’t, sir.”Gideon stared at him for three seconds.Four.Five.Then he reached for the whiskey glass on the crate beside him. He lifted it, emptied it in one burning swallow, tossed his head back slightly as the alcohol slid down, and exh
Somewhere in New York A single bulb swung overhead in the dimly lit warehouse, casting uneven shadows that dragged and stretched as the men shifted.Richard sat at the head of the old metal table, fingers drumming in an unbroken rhythm. His jaw was locked, his posture composed, but the tension brewing underneath was volcanic.Across from him, Gideon Vale reclined in his chair with the unhurried confidence of someone who owned fear. He didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. His expression was unreadable as he lifted a cigarette to his lips and took a long, slow drag.The ember glowed, reflecting briefly in his eyes.Then he exhaled—one lazy plume of smoke drifting upward, curling in the cold air.Marco, one of his men stood at his left, hands clasped, eyes fixed on the ground. Diego leaned against a support beam near the table, arms folded, chewing the inside of his cheek. Tomas paced, restless, his large boots thudding softly on the cracked floor.Gideo
Steam still clung to Damon’s skin as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel slung low around his hips and another draped over his shoulders. Droplets ran down his chest, as he rubbed the towel through his hair, brisk and impatient, before tossing it aside—only to freeze when his phone lit up on the nightstand. Two missed calls. One from Barnes, and the other from Felix. His jaw tightened, muscles flexing beneath damp skin. “What the hell…” he muttered under his breath. He ignored Felix for now and tapped Barnes’s number. The line connected within a ring. “Barnes,” Damon said, “What’s gotten you so worked up you’re calling me at—” He glanced at the wall clock. “—this early?” On the other end, the officer’s breath came a little fast, like he’d been pacing. “Sir—I’m glad you’re in Spain and not back in New York.”Damon’s brows drew together, slow and dangerous. Water still trickled down the lines of his torso, but he didn’t reach for a towel this time. He stood perfectly still.
The next morning, Lena stirred under the warm weight of the cotton sheets, a faint stiffness pulled through her lower back, a reminder of everything she’d done…and everything she shouldn’t have done. She blinked her eyes open slowly. Damon was sitting up beside her, propped against the headboard, staring at her. She'd been intimate with a couple of people but no one ever stared at her like some creepy psychopath. Her stomach tightened. So it hadn’t been a dream after all. She actually shared a vulnerable moment with her boss—or whatever the hell he was to her now—and then proceeded to fuck him afterward. There was nothing normal about that. She forced a small sound out of her throat, a shaky attempt at normalcy. “Morning,” she mused, her voice softer and scratchier than she expected. Her fingers curled instinctively toward the sheets, tugging them up over her chest. “I um—” “About last night.” He started before she could finish, his voice low, gravelly in the morning quiet.







