All Chapters of Dangerously Hers: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The old dockyard smelled of salt and oil and the sour tang of old rope. Crates leaned against one another under a bruise-gray sky as if the wind itself had arranged them in awkward, defensive positions. The chain-link fence that guarded the yard had a rent where a truck could slip through at night, and that rent was where men like Mr. Jack liked to meet when they wanted to solve things quietly — or to make them worse.Jack arrived with the kind of swagger that had kept him safe for years. He stepped from his car, the hem of his coat sharp and neat, his jaw set like someone determined not to show fear. Two boys — younger, thinner, eyes more wary than brave — flanked him. They moved with the practiced readiness of men who had been given orders without question. In Jack’s world you either took orders or you learned how to give them.Jack stopped at the center of the yard and looked around. Nothing moved but the hanging bulb swinging slightly in the breeze. He clicked his teeth once and t

“Elena—let’s do it,” she said, voice low.Raphael looked at her, surprised. “What? Now?”“Come on. Let’s do it now,” Elena urged.“No. Elena—no,” Raphael protested, but there was a smile in his voice.They were crouched behind a hedgerow, the late light making everything around them soft and shadowed. Raphael stuck his head out and called teasingly into the dark. “Elena? Where are you, darling? Come out!”Elena stifled a laugh and stayed hidden. “I’m not coming,” she said, muffled.Raphael laughed too. “Baby, come on. I don’t understand why we have to do this out here. We have a great house — a proper bed, warm and clean. I even took your mother’s keys so she can’t barge in on us. Honestly, that woman’s got a radar for awkward timing.” He shook his head, grinning. “It’s far better inside than doing this in some scruffy hedge.”Elena slipped from her hiding place and came up behind him, making him jump. “Jesus, Raphael!” she said, and both of them burst out laughing.“Did I scare you?”

The next morning, the house felt empty.Elena woke up to the soft light slipping through the curtains. The air was still, almost too quiet. She reached across the bed instinctively, but Raphael wasn’t there. The pillow beside her was cold.“Raphael?” she called softly, glancing toward the living room. No answer. The sound of her voice echoed back through the silence.Five minutes later, her phone rang. She snatched it up immediately.“Good morning, babe,” she said, trying to sound casual, though her voice cracked slightly.“Morning,” Raphael replied, his tone groggy but calm. “I didn’t want to wake you. I had to leave early. Things are a mess at work.”“You were really drunk last night,” she reminded him, pacing the edge of the bed. “I tried to talk to you, but you fell asleep before I could even finish a sentence.”He sighed softly on the other end. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, babe. I just… I’ve been under pressure. Work, deals, and stress. You can tell me what it was when I get back,

Elena and Clara had been staring at Scarlett for so long that they didn’t even realize how obvious they looked. The sun was bright on the beach, shining against Scarlett’s sunglasses, making her look even more striking as she stood near the shoreline.The moment Scarlett turned her head and caught them staring, both Elena and Clara snapped their eyes away in panic. Clara glanced back again a second later, unable to help herself—just in time to see Scarlett begin walking toward them.Clara’s fingers tightened instantly around Elena’s arm.“Elena… I think she’s coming here,” she whispered, her voice shaking with nerves. “I’m scared.”“Don’t be scared, Clara,” Elena murmured, though her own heartbeat was hammering hard enough to drown out the waves. Clara held onto her like she was bracing for impact, her nails digging lightly into Elena’s skin.With every step Scarlett took through the sand, Elena’s heart beat faster. The soft crunch of her footsteps mixed with the ocean breeze made the

The next evening arrived faster than Elena expected.All day, she kept checking her phone, rereading Scarlett’s invitation from the night before.Scarlett:Dinner tomorrow night. 9 PM.Here’s the address.Dress however you like… but don’t hold back.The message was short. No emojis. No explanation.But it was enough to make Elena’s heart explode in her chest.She had stared at the screen for more than ten minutes before it truly sank in.Scarlett wanted to see her.Alone.Privately.At night.Not at a club. Not by accident.This was a date—Scarlett had invited her.The moment her brain accepted that reality, Elena jumped off her bed, screamed into her pillow, and spun around her room like someone who just got proposed to.“Yes! Finally!” she shouted, practically dancing.She covered her mouth, laughing at herself, then whispered dramatically to her reflection:“I’m going to seduce a mafia queen tonight.”She didn’t care if it was crazy.She didn’t care that she was engaged.She didn’t