I’d broken into cartel mansions, armoured bunkers, underground vaults in Serbia. Nothing made my pulse spike like this.

Not because I was in danger.

But because I was in the wrong fucking room.

And this room—your room— Was the most dangerous place I’d ever stepped into.

The mansion felt like it was holding its breath. Silent. Cold. I moved through it like smoke, silent and sharp. This wasn’t a job. This was a warning. A reminder to Louis of who ran the fucking show.

He was getting sloppy. Getting bold. And I don’t let anyone think they can outmaneuver me. Not even him.

I was hunting for leverage—money, weapons, stash points. Something I could use. But when I turned that corner and saw that door, something in me paused.

It was black, not white like the others. There was a dim red glow bleeding from underneath—low, warm, ominous.

Every instinct I had screamed that I was crossing a line. I pushed the door open anyway.

And froze.

It wasn’t what I expected.

It wasn’t sterile or cold.

It was… yours.

Dim LED lights lined the corners of the ceiling in a soft crimson haze. Vinyls were scattered on the floor—Sex Pistols, The Cure, Amy Winehouse. There were black-and-white photos pinned haphazardly on the walls—people laughing, kissing, crying—like you were trying to make sense of the world by capturing its worst moments.

And you—Faith Tomlinson—were sitting on your bed.

Not asleep. Not unaware.

You were awake. Alert. Staring at me like you’d been expecting the devil to walk in eventually.

A silk robe hung off one shoulder, a cigarette burned between your fingers, and your knee bounced with the kind of casual, coiled tension that only came from someone who knew how to survive in a house full of monsters.

I didn’t move.

You didn’t either.

You blew out a slow drag of smoke, eyes locked on mine like you could read the entire layout of my sins just by looking.

“Are you one of my dad’s men?” you asked, voice cool, like a blade just kissed the surface of skin.

I took a breath. Kept my voice low. Controlled. “No. I’m not one of your dad’s men.”