AVA.
"Uhmmm D..." I whispered, as I leaned in to give him a peck on his jaw. The air in the room was thick with the lingering warmth of our closeness, the kind that made the world feel soft and safe for a fleeting moment. Damian and I were snuggled on the old leather couch, my head nestled against his bare chest, his heart beating slowly beneath my ear. His boxers were the only thing he wore, just like me. After the blissful moment we shared, he had kept whispering promises we both knew might be tested soon. But who cares? I only wanted the moment to last longer.
Damian's fingers traced lazy patterns on my back, his touch sending a shiver through me, reminding me yet of the cartel's threats. I could feel the weight of it in the tension in his shoulders too, even now, when we were supposed to be lost in each other.
A sharp knock at the front door pulled me back to our reality, ruining the moment at once. My body stiffened, and Damian's hand paused mid-stroke.
"Expecting someone?" Damian asked, his tone hinting at his guard.
"That's probably the food delivery," I murmured, trying to sound casual as I untangled myself from him. "I ordered some jewelry for my Paris trip, a few days ago."
Damian sat up, his eyes narrowing toward the hallway. "I'll come with you," he said, already shifting into that protective mode. He stood, the morning light catching the lean lines of his body, his boxers riding low on his hips. That made my breath catch at the sight of his beautiful body.
"You don't have to," I said, but he was already leaving for the door. I followed. My heart thudded, not just from the knock but from the way Damian scanned the windows, his posture alert.
What if it wasn't just a delivery? What if the cartel had found us? Stop it, Ava. It's just jewelry.
At the door, Damian peered through the peephole, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Can't see the delivery guy," he said, but he stayed close as I unlocked the door and swung it open.
But before I could swipe my key card, the door clicked and it chimed unlocked. My stomach dropped in fear. Damian's hand had tightened on my arm too. When the door swung open, my breath stilled, seeing who was standing before us.
It was Zane, my brother, his broad frame filling the doorway. He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Beside him was Sienna, his fiancée, her eyes bright with excitement, her mouth opening to shout, "SURPRISE!"
The word died in her throat as Zane's gaze landed on Damian, who was shirtless, in boxers, standing in my house. His face darkened, and I could see a storm brewing in his eyes. Sienna's smile faltered immediately, her hands fluttering as she sensed the shift.
I opened my mouth to explain, but Zane moved faster than I could think, his fist swinging toward Damian's jaw.
"No!" I screamed. Damian staggered back, catching himself against the wall. Zane rushed in, raining more blows on Damian until blood trickled from his lip, and he raised a hand to touch it.
"Zane, stop!" I threw myself between them, my hands on Zane's chest, pushing against him. "Calm down! I can explain!"
"Explain?" Zane yelled, his voice echoing in the hallway. He loomed over me, glaring at Damian. "He's half-naked in your house, Ava! What the hell's going on?"
Sienna grabbed Zane's arm, her voice high and panicked. "Zane, let's just talk..."
"Stay out of this, Sienna," he snapped, not taking his eyes off Damian. "You got some nerve, man, prancing around my sister's place like you own it."
Damian straightened, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. His voice was controlled, but I could hear the edge in it. "You wanna hit me again, Zane? Go ahead. But maybe listen to Ava first."
I turned to Damian, my heart pounding. I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clenched at his sides. He was holding back, for me.
"Let's take this inside," I said, grabbing Zane's hand and ushering everyone into the house. Zane stormed in, tossing his duffel onto the floor, while Damian lingered by the door, his posture guarded expecting another attack.
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The air in my sprawling living room hung heavy with the scent of leather and the faint metallic tang of blood from Damian's split lip. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering city skyline, but right at that moment, it all felt like a fragile facade. Zane, my brother, the cartel leader whose name sent shivers through underground circles, had finally uncoiled from his rage. His massive frame slouched in the oversized armchair, the kind I had bought during a Milan fashion week splurge, his tattooed knuckles no longer clenched into fists. Sienna, his fiancée and co-leader of the cartel, perched on the armrest beside him, her lithe body pressed close, one hand resting possessively on his shoulder. Her nails, painted blood-red, drummed lightly against his collarbone, a subtle signal of her readiness to unleash the brutality she was known for orchestrating hits with a smile that could charm and chill.
I stood by the bar cart, pouring myself a glass of scotch with hands that trembled slightly, the amber liquid sloshing against the crystal. God, I wanted nothing more than to cross the Persian rug and sink into the couch beside Damian, to feel the heat of his body against mine, his arm draping over my shoulders like a shield. His love had thawed the ice in him, turned the cold-blooded enforcer I had fallen for into something almost tender. But Zane's dark eyes, like our father's, tracked every movement. One wrong step, one brush of my fingers against Damian's, and he would erupt again, his cartel instincts kicking in.
He's always seen me as the little sister to protect,
I thought, bitterness twisting in my gut. Even now, with my face on billboards from New York to Tokyo, billions in the bank from endorsements and my own line, he treats me like I'm still the girl hiding behind him from bullies.
I chose the chaise lounge across the room instead, far enough to keep the peace, but close enough to catch the subtle hitch in Damian's breathing. He sat on the edge of the couch, still in those damn boxers from our stolen moment earlier, his muscled chest rising and falling with controlled restraint. The bruise on his jaw bloomed like a dark flower, a mark from Zane's earlier punch, but his eyes were cold steel, the kind that had earned him a reputation for brutality, now held a flicker of the softness only I saw.
Zane cleared his throat, the sound rough like gravel under boots, breaking the stifling silence. When he spoke, his voice carried the authority of a man who'd built an empire on loyalty. "Alright, since we've all cooled our jets," he said, glancing at Sienna with a nod. She leaned in, her lips brushing his ear in a whisper I couldn't catch, her eyes flicking at me with a mix of sisterly concern and cartel wariness. "Sienna and I didn't come here to start a war in your fancy pad, Ava. Though walking in on... that," he gestured vaguely at Damian, "didn't help."
Sienna's lips curved into a sly smile, she was as brutal as Zane, co-running operations with a ruthlessness that had expanded their territory. She personally handled interrogations, leaving no loose ends. "We were worried, Ava," she added,
"Zane's been hearing things on the streets. With the wedding coming up, we thought a drop-in might clear the air. Show you the invites, talk dresses." Her hand slid down Zane's arm.
I nodded, sipping the scotch, "It's good to see you both. Really."
Good to see them, but not the storm they brought.
Damian shifted, his bare feet planted firmly on the rug, his posture straightening into that cold, unyielding stance I knew too well, the same one he had used to dismantle rivals before we met. "Zane, I got the surprise visit. But let's cut off the bullshit. You want to know why I didn't loop you in on the threats against Ava."
Zane's eyes narrowed, leaning forward, elbows on knees. Sienna mirrored him, "Damn right. She's my only blood left, Damian. After what happened to our parents..." His voice roughened, "You know the score. Threats on her? That's Cartel business."
Damian met Zane's gaze without flinching, his voice dropping to that icy timbre that had once commanded fear in boardrooms and back alleys alike. "I kept it quiet to protect her. You and Sienna, you're swamped with wedding prep. Venues, security details for the event, all that. Last thing you need is this blowing up, pulling resources from your operations."
Sienna's laugh was low, "Protect us? Sweet, but cliché, Damian. The cartel's our life. If threats are circling Ava, they're circling us. And I don't like loose ends." Her fingers tightened on Zane's shoulder.
Zane nodded, "The wedding's important. Yes, Sienna's making it a fortress affair but family's priority. You've gone soft, Damian. That cold side of yours, the one that used to gut rivals without blinking? You're becoming a shield instead of a sword."
Damian's eyes flashed as he replied, "I haven't gone soft," Damian growled, his voice low and lethal. "I'm strategic. The company's under threat from Vanessa Kane or some other rival sniffing for weakness. I'm protecting Ava by handling it my way."
Zane leaned back, a predatory smile curling his lips. Sienna mirrored it, her eyes gleaming with approval. "Your way? Hiding like a rat. No. It's time we bring in Liam, Ethan and Noah, the whole crew. Draw up a plan. Eliminate the threats. Whether it's Vanessa Kane or another cartel pushing boundaries. We end it. Brutal, clean."
I set the glass down with a clink, my voice steady despite the storm inside. "Zane, wait..."
But Damian cut in, standing now, his body taut with restrained fury. The boxers did nothing to diminish his presence; he looked like a predator ready to strike. "I think we can handle it between us. Why involve the others? You're talking escalation, Zane. If Vanessa or whoever hits full force, we'd be ready. But your bloody plan? I won't risk Ava like that."
Zane surged to his feet, Sienna rising with him, her hand slipping to her waist. "Risk? You're the risk, Damian! Keeping secrets, playing house while rivals' circle. Ava's a target because of you, her fame makes her visible, but your softness makes her vulnerable."
Sienna's voice sliced in, her eyes locking on mine. "He's right, Ava. We love you, but this? The cartel's no place for half-measures. We have to bring in the brothers."
Damian stepped forward, "You forget who I am, Zane. Before Ava, I was the one leaving bodies in alleys, building this company on broken bones. But now? I protect what's mine. Full force from Vanessa means war, yes but your way invites it home."
Zane's face twisted, "Vanessa has to die, or whoever. End it!"
I couldn't stay silent any longer. "Stop treating me like a prize to protect! Zane, Sienna, you're both right, these threats need ending. But Damian's worry is real too. We have to handle this wisely, or we lose everything!"
Zane turned to me. "Ava, that's why we act! Once they see our empire's weakness, we are done. We've eliminated the worst anyway."
Sienna nodded, "For Atlas, we would burn it all."
