dangerous sensation

Dave’s POV

I walked into the warehouse, a dark and murderous aura settling around me. My face turned cold as my eyes locked onto the man, fury taking over my senses instantly.

Without a word, I raised my gun and fired two shots at his knees without hesitation.

He cried out and dropped forward. Two of my men immediately grabbed him and held him in place. I walked toward him slowly, my expression stone-cold.

“Who sent you?” I asked.

He laughed through his pain, refusing to answer. I crouched in front of him and studied his face.

“Who do you work for? Why are you after Celine?”

The man groaned this time, still tight-lipped.

I gestured to my men, and they searched him thoroughly. One of them suddenly stopped.

“Boss.”

He turned the man around and pulled his shirt aside, revealing a tattoo beneath his shoulder blade.

My expression hardened. That mark—I recognized it.

It belonged to an infamous assassin network whose members were known for taking contracts no ordinary criminal would dare accept.

This meant that this wasn’t a random attack. Someone had planned it, and not just anyone.

“Did Joseph Castillo send you?”

I watched the expression on the man’s face shift for the briefest second. That was enough proof for me.

I straightened and put my hands gently in my pockets. “Tell me who else is involved, and I might spare your life.”

A bitter sneer crossed his face.

“That would work on an amateur, Montessori,” a bitter sneer crossed his face. “I’m an assassin. I don’t betray.”

I studied him for another second. Then I raised my gun, and a single shot ended the interrogation. I lowered the weapon and turned to Jeff.

“Find out whether Joseph Castillo is active again.”

He immediately nodded.

I moved to walk away, but then something came to me, and I paused. “Also, put a check on the Marino family. I want to know every single movement and contact they’ve made in the past few days.”

Jeff frowned slightly.

“Marino family? They already pledged allegiance to us,” he said.

I glanced back at the body on the floor before answering. “The Marinos control Blackstone District. Most of the underground operations in this city pass through their territory.”

I pointed toward the tattoo.

“That mark belongs to the assassin network they have connections with. If Joseph is active again, the Marinos may know something.”

He nodded slowly. “Understood.”

I turned and walked toward the exit as the men began dealing with the body, with Jeff following beside me.

**

I walked back into the house and immediately saw Celine fall to the ground. Her cry followed, along with the words that made me stop.

“I’m sorry, Sabrina.”

My eyes narrowed at Sabrina, and I rushed forward instantly. I found Celine clutching her face, tears gathered in her eyes. For a moment, I almost fell for it, but I knew my little girl.

There wasn’t a mark on her face, and there was no way she would have simply stood there and allowed Sabrina to hit her.

She was faking it. Again. That mischievous little troublemaker.

Yet, instead of exposing her, I reached down and helped her up. “Are you okay?” I asked, playing along.

She gave me a weak nod, looking as innocent as she possibly could. I almost sighed. She really was something else.

Then I heard what Sabrina had said.

A pest.

My countenance changed instantly. I turned my glare toward Sabrina, and whatever amusement I had felt disappeared.

“Did you really say that to her?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.

I didn’t wait to listen to her explanation. I passed my judgment immediately. I won’t tolerate anyone hurting Celine.

“From now on, you’re not allowed to show yourself here without my permission.”

I bent down and lifted Celine into my arms. She immediately wrapped her arms around my neck, settling against me with suspicious ease.

My gaze dropped briefly to her.

There was something strangely possessive in the way she held onto me. The thought stirred something uncomfortable inside, but I dismissed it.

I carried her upstairs, instructing Jeff to handle Sabrina.

The moment we reached her room, I dropped her onto the bed. “Are you done acting?” I asked.

Her innocent expression vanished instantly. She started complaining about Sabrina, her anger spilling out in a rush. I listened quietly, and seeing how upset she was, I couldn’t help but feel responsible for it.

I took a seat at the edge of the bed. “Do you hate her so much?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

She answered immediately.

“Yes.”

A low exhale escaped me. I reached out and gently held her shoulders, making sure she looked at me.

“…I have to get married someday,” I told her.

I expected an argument, a tantrum. But instead, she went strangely quiet, her expression shifted.

The childish anger disappeared and was replaced by something serious and unexpectedly compelling. She stared directly into my eyes, and for a moment, I couldn’t read her at all.

“Marry me.”

I stiffened.

I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly. Was she joking? Another childish tantrum brought on by jealousy? I almost lifted a hand to flick her forehead and bring her back to reality.

But before I could decide, she leaned toward me. My brows drew together slowly.

What was she doing?

Then her lips touched mine. Everything inside me stopped.

A dangerous rush tore through my body, so sudden that my mind simply went blank. For one impossible second, I couldn’t react. It felt like I’d been struck by something lethal. I couldn’t move or think.

I felt her lips move against mine, and in that second, I snapped out of the shock and pushed her away.

“What the hell are you doing?!” My voice shook with panic.

I got up quickly, staring at her, still in shock.

She looked startled by my reaction, and I watched her panic a little. I took a few deep inhales and shut my eyes for a brief second.

Without a word, I walked out of the room and shut the door after me. I walked straight to my study and tried not to let myself think about it.

Why did she…? I couldn’t find an answer.

The soft, warm taste of her lips seemed to linger in my head. The more I tried to push it away, the more I remembered it.