Chapter 42

Marius

The room was dim, lit only by the glow of a few strategically placed lamps. I leaned back in the leather chair, swirling the whiskey in my glass as my thoughts churned like the amber liquid, heavy and dark. There was something undeniably personal about this case—the abductions. Something I hadn’t fully let myself consider, but that had been gnawing at me for months now.

My sister.

Her disappearance wasn’t just another random incident in a long list of tragedies tied to the mafia. It was the reason I’d started this investigation in the first place. The reason I was here now, analyzing every detail, every slip-up.

It was because of her.

I’d been too young to protect her when she was taken. Too naïve, too innocent to even understand the danger. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how the pieces fit together. She wasn’t just some victim. She’d been the catalyst.

It was my fault.

I clenched the glass tighter, the weight of regret heavy on my chest. If I’d been older, if I’d known more—maybe I could’ve stopped it. Maybe I could’ve kept her safe. But the truth was, I’d been powerless.

And that’s what had driven me.

The powerlessness.

That dark, suffocating feeling was something I’d never forgotten. It was that same feeling that had sparked my rise in the family business. I refused to ever feel that way again.

I wouldn’t let anyone else feel that way, either.

The door opened with a soft creak, and Damon walked in, his usual confident swagger making the room feel even smaller.

“You been staring at that glass all night?” Damon’s voice was light, but there was a sharpness to it. He knew how I worked, how I overthought things until they were as sharp and deadly as a blade.

I didn’t answer immediately, just took another slow sip of the whiskey. The burn felt good in my throat, but it didn’t stop the weight that pressed against me. The thought of her. My sister.

Damon dropped into the chair across from me, his eyes scanning the room before landing on me. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what was eating at me, even if I hadn’t said a word.

“What’s the next move?” he asked, his voice steady. He wasn’t like me, always lost in the past. He had a knack for pushing forward, keeping the present in focus, even when I couldn’t.

I set the glass down and ran a hand over my face. “We need to focus on the parties this weekend. There’s a pattern here, and I think it’s time we find out who’s behind it.” I stood up, walking over to the window, my gaze turning to the dim city lights outside.

Damon didn’t ask any more questions. He knew I’d explain when I was ready.

“We’ll need to set up surveillance,” I continued, my mind racing with the logistics. “We’ve been too careless. The targets are too close, and if we don’t act fast…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. The consequences of failure were too high. Too personal.

“I’ll handle it,” Damon said, already pulling out his phone. He didn’t need to be told what to do. Damon had always been the one to act first and think later. He would get what we needed, and if anyone stood in his way, they’d be dealt with.

“Where were you tonight?” I asked, a question that hung in the air longer than I meant.

Damon raised an eyebrow. “The library.”

I could feel the tension in my jaw as I fought to keep my voice level. “What were you doing there?”

He didn’t hesitate, his expression unreadable. “Trying to figure out what’s going on with Seri.”

I took a sharp breath, the name itself cutting through the haze of my thoughts. "You’ve been watching her?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. “She’s not like the others, Marius. I’m trying to figure out what she knows—what she's planning.”

I nodded slowly, letting the weight of his words sink in. I wasn’t the only one who noticed how different Seri was. But still, there was something about her. Something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It wasn’t just strategy anymore. It was personal.

“I’ll go check it out,” I said, my voice suddenly colder, more calculated. “You handle the rest.”

Damon gave me a long, searching look before pulling himself to his feet. “Don’t get too caught up in her, Marius. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t need to. He knew as well as I did that Seri was becoming more than just another piece on the board.

I made my way out of the house, the cold night air cutting through my jacket as I walked down the dimly lit street. I couldn’t get the image of her out of my head. Every encounter with Seri only made it worse—made her more elusive, more intoxicating. And now, I was following her. Again. But this time, there was a different kind of urgency in the air. Something was pulling me toward her, and it was more than just curiosity.

I hung back in the shadows around the library for a few minutes, watching through the glass. I knew it was dangerous to be this close, but I couldn’t pull away. There was something about her that kept drawing me in, like a moth to the flame.

I was about to turn away when I saw her leaving the library, her bag slung over her shoulder as she made her way back toward Alpha Phi. The moment stretched, my muscles tensing with anticipation. I didn’t even think twice before following her.

By the time she reached the house, she was almost out of my reach—almost safe behind the front door. But I wasn’t going to let her go that easily.

In two quick strides, I closed the distance between us, my hand snapping out to grab her wrist, pulling her toward me. Her body collided with mine, the sharp intake of breath from her mouth as she tensed, like she did in the graveyard all those weeks ago, until our eyes met was enough to send a jolt through my chest.

“Easy,” I murmured, my hand resting against the small of her back as I leaned in. “Just for a minute.”

Her pulse was quick beneath my fingertips, and her breath, shallow. There was no time to be gentle—not now. The pressure building between us was too intense, too raw. I tilted her chin up, our lips meeting in a searing kiss. I could taste the faint sweetness of her, mixed with the hint of something wild and dangerous.

She didn’t pull away. In fact, her fingers curled into my jacket, pulling me closer. But it wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough when it came to her.

I broke away, both of us panting, the heat of the kiss still lingering like a flame I couldn’t extinguish. My hands stayed on her, framing her face as I locked my eyes with hers. I needed to say it. I needed her to understand, to promise me.

“Stay safe this weekend, Seri,” I growled, my voice low, almost pleading. “Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t know if i will be there to protect you. Not this time. We’ve got some serious problems to handle.”

Her gaze softened for a brief moment, but the fire still burned in her eyes. She didn’t speak for a long moment, just watched me as if deciding whether or not to break me with a single word.

But when she did speak, her voice was softer, more serious than it had ever been with me. “I can take care of myself, Marius,” she said, a quiet defiance in her words.

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening as I fought the urge to drag her back into the kiss, to claim her for myself in ways I knew I couldn’t afford. But I needed her to promise.

“I know you can,” I muttered, the words heavier than I wanted them to be. “But I can’t lose you if anything were to happen.”

There it was. The truth. The reason I’d let myself be pulled into this chaos.

She didn’t respond at first. She just stood there, her fingers still curling around my jacket as I held her gaze. And for that moment, it felt like nothing else mattered. But she was already slipping away from me, both physically and emotionally. She had her own plans. I could sense it.

“Promise me,” I said, my voice low, filled with urgency. “Promise me you’ll stay out of it this weekend. Whatever happens. Don’t risk yourself and don’t try to play hero.”

Her eyes flickered for just a moment, a flash of something—fear, maybe, or something deeper—but then she nodded, almost imperceptibly.

“I promise,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

It wasn’t enough. But it was all I could ask for. I let her go and watched her disappear behind the door of Alpha Phi, my heart still pounding in my chest, my mind spinning with everything that had just happened.

And as I walked away, I knew that this the beginning of the end.