CHAPTER 14

Chloe’s POV

The soft chime of the doorbell breaks the quiet atmosphere of the café. I glance up to see a man stepping inside. He’s tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, exuding an air of confidence that immediately catches my attention. His eyes scan the room with sharp precision, and when they land on me, it feels like he’s studying me—like he knows something about me that I don’t even know yet.

I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Something about him feels… dangerous.

He doesn’t approach the counter, though. Instead, he walks past me, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than necessary, and heads straight to an empty table near the window. There’s no mistaking the calm authority in his movements, the kind that makes you realize he’s used to being in control.

I glance over at Nicholas, who’s sitting in his usual spot. His eyes narrow when he notices the man, and the tension between them is palpable. Nicholas doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s aware of this man—this stranger—as much as I am.

The man settles into his seat, glancing at the door as if waiting for someone. He leans back, taking a deep breath as if he’s in no hurry, and for a moment, everything in the café seems to pause.

I keep my distance, moving to the back of the café to busy myself with some cleaning. I can feel Nicholas watching the man, his gaze never wavering.

A few minutes later, Nicholas stands up and walks over to the table where the man is sitting. I can’t hear their conversation, but I can see the tension in their body language. Nicholas lowers himself into the chair across from the stranger, and they begin talking in hushed voices.

The man doesn’t seem at all concerned about the others in the café. He’s too calm, too composed. His focus is entirely on Nicholas, and occasionally, his gaze flicks toward me, his eyes dark and knowing, like he’s waiting for something.

Nicholas’s POV

Nicholas watches Adrian carefully from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge his every move. He can feel the tension thickening between them, and the way Adrian’s eyes flicker toward Chloe sends an unsettling pang through his chest. Adrian had been cryptic, and that wasn’t a good sign.

Adrian leans forward slightly, just enough to capture Chloe’s attention, and Nicholas knows exactly what that look means. It’s calculated, precise—Adrian doesn’t waste time, not on anyone, and certainly not on Chloe.

Nicholas doesn’t speak immediately, letting the weight of the moment hang in the air. Adrian’s smile is barely noticeable, but it’s there, curling like he’s sharing a private joke only he’s in on. It’s unsettling. He knows exactly what Adrian is doing—playing his game. He had always been good at it. But this time, it’s different.

Adrian’s gaze stays locked on Chloe for a moment too long, making the hair on the back of Nicholas’s neck stand up. Something about the way Adrian watches her makes him feel uneasy, protective. And when Adrian’s gaze shifts back to him, the flicker of a knowing smile is enough to make Nicholas want to snap.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, Chloe,” Adrian says as he rises, his voice smooth but with an edge, the words hanging in the air like a threat wrapped in a compliment.

Chloe freezes, her expression betraying her confusion, but Nicholas doesn’t miss the way Adrian’s eyes linger on her, as if she’s the only thing that matters in that moment. And then, just as quickly, Adrian’s attention shifts away, and he stands to leave.

Nicholas watches as Adrian walks out, the door closing with a soft click. But it’s not the sound of the door that lingers in the air. It’s the sense of something off, something wrong. Adrian knows something—about Chloe, about him, about the situation—and Nicholas doesn’t like it one bit.

He gives Chloe a quick glance, but she doesn’t say anything. She’s still standing there, looking like she’s trying to piece it all together, like she doesn’t understand what just happened.

But Nicholas knows. He knows exactly what’s going on here. Adrian Grey had just marked Chloe. And Nicholas can’t let that slide.

As he turns to leave, his steps are heavy with the weight of what’s to come. He doesn’t want Chloe involved in this world, not in any way. But there’s no escaping it now.

This isn’t just some random customer. This is a warning. And Adrian Grey never forgets.

Nicholas exits the cafe, his jaw clenched, his mind already working through the next steps. He can’t let Adrian get too close. Not to Chloe. Not now.

As the door closes behind him, Nicholas takes a deep breath, trying to clear the rush of thoughts that flood his mind. He doesn’t like this. He doesn’t like it one bit. Adrian’s visit was no coincidence, and neither was the way he looked at Chloe. There’s something far more dangerous at play here, and Chloe’s involvement, whether she realizes it or not, has just escalated things.

He walks briskly down the street, his mind racing through the possible scenarios. Adrian Grey is not just a businessman. He’s a man with too many connections, too many fingers in too many pies. And if Adrian is making a move on Chloe, that’s not a game he’s willing to let him play. Not without consequences.

Nicholas’s phone buzzes in his pocket, pulling him from his thoughts. He pulls it out and glances at the screen—an encrypted message from one of his men.

It’s done. The package is in your safe. But you might want to keep an eye on Adrian. Something doesn’t feel right.

Great. As if things weren’t already complicated enough.

Nicholas taps a reply, his fingers moving quickly over the screen.

Keep me updated. Don’t trust anyone who isn’t on my list.

He shoves the phone back into his pocket and picks up the pace. Adrian is a loose thread that needs to be cut before it unravels everything. But for now, he needs to get back to his own men, make sure everything is secure, and then figure out how he’s going to handle this with Chloe.

When he reaches his car, he pauses for a moment, staring at the sleek black exterior. The city lights reflect off the windows, but Nicholas’s mind isn’t on the view. It’s on the fact that Chloe is now involved. She may not realize it yet, but she’s been dragged into something much bigger than a simple café encounter.

He doesn’t want to drag her into this world—doesn’t want to expose her to the dangers he faces daily. But he knows the truth: as long as Adrian Grey is out there, Chloe is a target.

And Nicholas will protect her, no matter the cost.

With a grunt, he pulls open the car door and slides into the driver’s seat. His hands grip the wheel tightly, the tension in his body escalating with every passing second. He starts the engine, the roar of the car’s power filling the silence, but his mind is elsewhere—on Chloe, on Adrian, on what’s coming next.

Chloe’s POV

The moment the door clicks shut behind Nicholas and the strange man, I feel the unease in my stomach deepen. I stand frozen for a moment, still processing what just happened. My head feels foggy, my heart beating a little too fast.

The strange man. The way he looked at me—it wasn’t casual. There was something intense in his gaze, as if he knew something I didn’t. His eyes lingered too long, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was studying me, sizing me up in a way that made my skin crawl.

Why did he say he’d be “seeing me soon”? Why did it feel like a warning? There was something unsettling about the way he spoke, and I couldn’t ignore the chill that crept up my spine.

I try to shake off the feeling, telling myself it’s nothing. He’s just some customer. But the knot in my stomach tells me otherwise. Something about him feels different, like he wasn’t just passing through.

I take a deep breath and step behind the counter, trying to regain a sense of normalcy. The café has quieted down, the last of the evening rush trickling out the door. The dim light from the streetlamps outside casts long shadows, and the usual sounds of the city seem muted, like the world is holding its breath with me.

The calm should be comforting, but instead, it heightens the anxiety in my chest.

My thoughts drift back to Nicholas—the man who sat with the strange one. He doesn’t seem like the type to get involved in anything shady, but the way he reacted to the man’s presence made me wonder if I really knew him at all. There was something off about the whole situation.

I glance out the window, the street outside looking unusually quiet tonight. The dim lights from the buildings across the street flicker, casting strange shadows on the pavement. It’s almost as if the world outside feels… off.

Suddenly, a soft knock at the door startles me out of my thoughts. I jump, my heart racing. I quickly glance at the clock—it’s almost closing time. I wasn’t expecting anyone else.

I peer through the glass and see a familiar face—one of my regulars. He waves and smiles, a casual greeting.

“Can I come in?” he calls, his voice muffled by the glass.

I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding and unlock the door. “Sure, come on in,” I say with a forced smile, trying to push the unease aside.

As he walks in, I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. Something’s shifted, and I’m not sure how or why. But I feel like I’m about to find out.

Nicholas’s POV

Nicholas grips the steering wheel, his knuckles white under the pressure. The city lights blur past him as he speeds through the empty streets, the hum of the engine a constant backdrop to the storm brewing inside him. His mind is a mess of thoughts, each one more dangerous than the last. Adrian Grey has crossed a line tonight, and Nicholas knows that there’s no going back. What happened between them—it’s personal now.

But Chloe… Chloe is something else entirely.

She’s been on his mind since the moment he first laid eyes on her. The way she carries herself with that quiet strength, the way she doesn’t back down, even when she’s surrounded by people like him—people who live in a world full of lies, deceit, and violence. And then there’s the way she looked at him, her eyes wide with curiosity and wariness, like she could sense that there’s more to him than just the man who walked into her café. She has no idea what she’s getting herself into.

And that’s the problem.

She’s caught up in this whirlwind because of him—because of a dangerous game he’s been forced to play. She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into a world of shadows and blood, a world that’s been his prison for far too long.

But there’s no easy way out now. He’s already made his choice. And no matter how hard he tries to convince himself that he should walk away, that it would be better for her if he just let her go, he can’t.

Chloe has unknowingly become a part of his life—a part of this game. And he won’t let her slip through his fingers. Not now. Not when everything he’s built, everything he’s fought for, is hanging by a thread. Not when Adrian Grey is watching, waiting for an opening to exploit her.

Nicholas’s thoughts churn with the intensity of a storm as he turns off the main road and drives deeper into the city. He’s heading to a secluded spot now—his safe house. It’s a place he can disappear to when the world outside becomes too chaotic, too dangerous. But tonight, it’s not just about escaping. It’s about regrouping, recalibrating, and figuring out his next move.

His mind shifts back to Chloe. The way she stood there, frozen, after their conversation with the strange man. The unease in her eyes when Adrian looked at her—it didn’t escape him. She knows something isn’t right. She’s aware that there’s more to this than meets the eye. But she has no idea how deep it goes. And Nicholas can’t decide if he wants to protect her from that knowledge or if he wants to pull her closer into the mess, keep her by his side where he can make sure she’s safe.

He can feel the weight of it all pressing down on him. He has no right to drag her into this, to pull her deeper into a world that’s already swallowed him whole. But it’s too late. He can’t change what’s already been set into motion.

As the car winds down the dark streets, Nicholas’s mind keeps drifting back to Adrian. The man is dangerous, relentless, and knows no bounds. Nicholas knows that if he doesn’t act fast, Chloe will be caught in the crossfire. But that’s not going to happen. Not on his watch.

He pulls up to the gate of his safe house and stops the car, cutting the engine. The silence of the night surrounds him, and for a moment, he just sits there, staring at the house in front of him. It’s secure, discreet, and exactly what he needs right now. But it feels empty.

He’s been fighting alone for so long, always keeping a distance from the people he cares about, because he knows how dangerous it can be to get too close. But with Chloe? The rules are different. She’s not just some innocent bystander. She’s someone who’s already woven her way into his heart, even if he hasn’t fully admitted it to himself yet.

Nicholas slams the car door and heads inside, but even as he locks himself away in his sanctuary, he can’t shake the feeling that the real battle is just beginning. Adrian will make his move soon. And when that happens, Nicholas will be ready.

Because Chloe? She’s not going anywhere without a fight.

And that fight is coming. Fast.