DAMIAN.
They say every man has a price, mine was silence, and Eden, my exclusive lounge, was the currency. Everyone who walked in left their real name at the door to let their alter ego live, and that's how I liked it.
Tonight, Club Eden pulsed with the finest people toasting its success. I leaned against the private bar on the upper floor, watching Zane Calloway and his woman, Sienna, who was glowing radiantly. His arms rested lazily around her, showing the world he owned her and everything she breathed. She didn't mind; she played her role perfectly. They made a stunning couple, and if I weren't in the inner circle and were privy to the affairs of Atlas, I would have been fooled too.
I raised a glass of whiskey to my lips, letting my real focus fall on Kamar Sadiq, an Arabian logistics kingpin. He sat in the VIP suite with his entourage, pretending to sip champagne while we quietly negotiated a new supply route. I was this close to sealing it.
And then the door slammed open intentionally, loudly, meant to be heard, making my head turn on instinct. There she was.
Ava Sinclair.
She strode in like she owned the place, more like she was ready to burn it down. Her dark auburn hair was pulled into a sleek twist, giving her green eyes a lighter glow as her hips swayed with each step she took inside. Every man in the room looked completely charmed, yet none of them dared approach. She didn't belong with them there that night, and she damn well knew it. That was her point about making such a loud entrance.
I set the glass down and straightened it, already moving before the staff could intercept her. I covered the stairs hurriedly, getting to the last one just as she got closer.
She spotted me instantly and made her way through the crowd. Every step she took brought memories of the summers we shared that still haunted me more than I would ever admit. But those days were over. She was no longer our little sister; she was a woman now, and I couldn't extend my desire for her publicly. She was Zane's half-sister. Making Ava off-limits and untouchable for us all.
"Damian, we need to talk," she said.
I reached her halfway, towering over her, "You're not supposed to be here, Ava."
"I don't care." She tipped her chin defiantly. "You've been dodging me."
I lowered my voice, "Because this isn't the time. Or the place."
She crossed her arms. "Then make time."
God, she was fierce and beautiful. She was the only woman who had ever looked at me like she wasn't afraid. I exhaled, running a hand through my hair.
"Not here. Not now. We've got real business happening." I glanced toward the mezzanine where Kamar sat waiting, one brow already cocked.
Her eyes narrowed, a flash of fire in their depths. "Zane doesn't own me, and neither do you. I need five minutes. Now."
The audacity of her tone sparked admiration in me. I glanced at the supplier, who was watching us with unmistakable interest. It was bad timing, but knowing Ava was not going away until she had her way, I knew it was a lost cause arguing with her. I gestured toward a secluded corner in an alcove, away from the prying eyes. "Five minutes," I said, "And you have to make it quick."
She didn't wait for me to lead before brushing past me with the scent of her delicate fragrance that made my loins hum with excitement. I followed her, eating up the distance with my long strides, wondering why she had to see me in such a gathering. What the hell was she doing here? She was supposed to be in her high-rise office, fighting corporate battles, not wading into our world. Zane had been clear about keeping Ava out of it. Yet here she was, dragging me into a mess I couldn't afford.
The alcove was dimly lit, with wall-to-wall curtains that shielded us from the main floor. Once inside, Ava turned on me, arms crossed, giving her a posture that screams control. "You're making a mistake," she blurted. "This deal you're cooking up tonight is going to blow up in your face."
How did she know? I tilted my head, studying her. "Care to elaborate, or are you just here to throw around vague warnings?"
"Don't play dumb, Damian." Her voice was cold, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of concern, maybe. "I have sources. This supplier you're cozying up to? He's a liability. He's been skimming from his own people, and they're not the forgiving type. You tie Atlas to him, and you're painting a target on Zane and you all's back."
My gut twisted as I pondered her words. Ava wasn't wrong, but the fact that she knew this much meant someone close was talking. I stepped closer, towering over her, using my height to reclaim control. "You're out of your depth, Ava. This isn't your world."
She lifted her chin in defiance. "It's my brother's world, which makes it mine. You think I don't see what you all do? I'm not blind, Damian."
"You need to leave," I said. "This isn't your fight."
She stepped closer, erasing the space I had tried to keep. Her fragrance enveloped me, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. "You don't have to dismiss me, Damian. I'm not one of your lackeys."
Ava didn't even look. "Zane wouldn't talk to me. You're the only one who still has a spine in that circle."
"Watch it." My voice dropped. "He's your brother."
"He's a dictator in a tailored suit."
"You say that like it's news."
She stepped closer. "So, help me take him down a peg."
I laughed once quietly. "You think that's what I do now? Undercut Zane?"
"You used to think for yourself."
"I still do." I leaned in, lowering my voice to a near-growl. "That's why I know getting involved with you again would be suicide."
Her eyes flickered, just for a second. That damn spark. "Again?" she repeated.
"Don't."
A pause stretched between us, filled with everything we weren't allowed to say.
The air vibrated with all we wanted, the regret, and our history. God, I had missed her. But loyalty had a cost. And I'd already paid it in full.
She broke the silence first. "So that's it? You just follow orders now?"
I stepped back, folding my arms. "I don't follow anyone. But I protect what matters."
She blinked, the hurt too fast to hide. "Right. And I don't? I know you feel it too, this pull between us. You've felt it for years."
My heart stuttered, but I clamped hard down on it. She was Zane's sister. "You're wrong," I said, "You're Zane's sister. That's all you'll ever be to me."
"Liar," she whispered. "You can't even look at me when you say it."
I forced myself to meet her gaze, my jaw clenched so tight it ached. "Go home, Ava. Stay out of this."
For a moment, she didn't move, her eyes searching mine for a crack in my armor. Then she laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that cut deeper than I expected. "Fine. But when this goes south, and it will, don't say I didn't warn you." She turned and stormed out, the curtains swaying in her wake.
I stepped out of the alcove, watching her walk away, hurt, but I let her. Because the alternative was a line I couldn't cross. Not without betraying the one man I would take a bullet for. But as she reached the far side of the room, I looked back. She paused at the edge of the crowd, glanced over her shoulder, and for a heartbeat, our eyes met. The fire hadn't gone out. It had just buried itself under loyalty to our comradeship bond.
Every step Ava took felt like something being ripped from under my skin. Something I had buried. I watched her thread her way toward the center of the room, and then she stopped to chat with Sienna. I couldn't hear what they said, not from where I was.
I moved through the lounge like nothing had happened, towards where Kamar was waiting in the VIP suite, maintaining an expressionless poise, which was my trick to staying alive in our world, by not showing any cracks.
But even as I stepped inside the suite, I nodded at Kamar's amused expression as he poured himself another drink.
"You always have such interesting visitors," he said. "Is she part of the package?"
"She's not for sale," I replied flatly.
His grin widened. "Pity."
I didn't respond to that comment as I began buttressing my points on the contract routes and numbers. Though my mind was moving, my mind was still tracking Ava's steps out of the lounge, wondering why she always came back to me even after knowing I would turn her away.
There was a part of me that wanted to chase her. Not to apologize but to explain. To say all the things I never had the right to say out loud. Especially when Zane made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that his half-sister was off-limits to all of us if we wanted to stay breathing. He had said it with a smile, yet I didn't miss the undertone of threat in his friendly words. That was the night I killed whatever it was we had. Not because I stopped feeling it.
"Damian?" Kamar snapped his fingers once. "You're drifting."
I blinked. "No. I'm with you, Kamar."
He leaned in, curling his lips into his smile. "Make sure you stay present. I don't do second chances."
"Neither do I," I said almost immediately.
"That's why I am here to close the deal," Kamar said, reaching out his hand. I took it, and we shook hands. While he signed the contract, I offered him a final drink at the house and left him visibly pleased and satisfied, but Ava's warning gnawed at me. She was right about one thing: trouble was coming. I could feel it in my bones.
And, through the hallway of my own damn lounge, surrounded by everything I had built, I couldn't help but realize that the one thing I had spent years avoiding had just walked back into my life, shaking the very root of my loyalty to Zane Calloway.
