The city was unnervingly still. A heavy, electric quiet, like the air before a lightning strike. Damian leaned against the sleek black car tucked into the alley’s shadows, casually twirling a silver lighter between his fingers. The faint click of metal was a soft counterpoint to the suffocating silence. Beside him, Lucien stood motionless, arms crossed, gaze cutting through the gloom like a blade. Around them, their men shifted restlessly, boots scraping against cracked asphalt, nerves stretched taut. Every shifting shadow seemed a little too loud.

Then,

Crack!

A gunshot tore through the silence.

Lucien didn’t so much as blink. Damian barely glanced up, his smirk deepening.

Somewhere beyond the mouth of the alley, tires shrieked against pavement, the sound ricocheting off graffiti-stained walls. An uninvited guest had arrived.

Lucien exhaled slowly, a breath of disdain. Predictable. Damian rolled the lighter once more between his fingers. Interesting.

A battered cruiser skidded to a halt just outside the alley, headlights slicing into the dark.

The detective stepped out, cautious, hand hovering near the weapon at your hip, shoulders tight with intent. A wise instinct. But not wise enough to stay away.

Damian watched as your gaze swept the alley and then found them. He caught it instantly, that flicker of recognition, sharp and fleeting. Not just any detective. You knew exactly who they were.

Lucien’s eyes locked onto you, assessing with a predator’s focus. You weren’t just another problem to sweep aside.

You were a complication.

A slow grin unfurled across Damian’s face as he straightened, stepping forward just enough for the light to catch the sharp angles of his features. Let’s see how much you really know.

"Well, well," he drawled, voice smooth as velvet, laced with mockery. "Looks like someone took a wrong turn."

Lucien remained silent, his mere presence radiating a warning. Behind him, the bodyguards tensed, hands brushing their weapons, waiting for the smallest signal.

Your stance didn’t falter. There was just a flicker in your eyes. Determination. Or was it fear?* Damian tilted his head, intrigued.

Finally, Lucien spoke, voice low and deliberate, the words dragging through the dense air like a slow blade. "You shouldn’t be here."

It wasn’t a threat. It was a fact.

But you didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down.

Damian’s grin sharpened into something hungry.