The silence of the phone was louder than the voice had been.
Selene stared at the burner in her hand, its screen now black, her reflection barely visible on the glossy surface. Her fingers tightened around it until the plastic creaked. She dropped it on the kitchen counter like it burned her and stepped back, blood humming in her ears.
"You're not safe with him."
Those five words sliced through everything she'd let herself believe tonight.
She still hadn't moved when Darius came around the corner, shirtless, wearing only the dark jeans she'd just helped him pull back on minutes ago. His body was a map of strength and shadows, every line of muscle inked in tattoos that told stories she hadn't read yet. His gaze locked onto her immediately.
"You look like you saw a ghost," he said, voice rough from breathless moments.
Selene didn't answer. She couldn't, not yet. She kept her eyes on him, watching for something. A twitch. A flicker. Anything that confirmed what that voice had said.
He frowned. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," she said very quickly, her voice sounding nervous.
His eyes tightened. "Selene."
She stared at him, refusing to flinch, even as the cold worked along her spine. "Who were you before I met you?"
He paused for a long while dangerously.
He didn't lie. Not right away.
"I already told you…"
"No," she cut in. "You told me pieces. But I never asked the real question until now. Who are you, Darius? And what the hell are you still hiding from me?"
He stepped closer. Slowly. Like he knew every inch counted.
"You're looking at him."
She shook her head. "I don't believe that. Not after a call like that."
His jaw tightened. "What call?"
Selene blinked.
He had not known she got a call.
So if he didn't know… it probably wasn't him.
Unless he was playing a long game, deeper than she could guess.
Her mind twisted through possibilities.
"Do you think I'd hurt you?" He asked calmly now. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"I don't know what to think," he said.
He stepped closer. "Then let me remind you."
He kissed her again calmly, stealing her breath, heat rushed over her, so fierce that her legs almost gave out. His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her against him like he could not stand the space between them. Her body answered without hesitation - traitorous, hungry, and desperate for his touch.
But her mind kept whispering: You're not safe.
She broke the kiss first, gasping. "Darius, wait.."
"No." His voice turned raw and animalistic. "I've waited. I've held back. I gave you time, space, control. But if there is a part of you who thinks I am your enemy, then let me show you the truth. ,,
He lifted her onto the counter with a smooth speed, slipped his hands under her robe parting her thighs.
She could have stopped him.
But she didn't.
Her breath held gently as his fingers brushed against her slick heat.
"You don't let a man do this to you, if you're afraid of him." he whispered words against her neck.
Her eyes closed softly.
"Tell me to stop, Selene," he whispered, sliding a finger inside her, slow and thick.
She moaned.
"Tell me."
She didn't.
Because she couldn't.
His mouth moved down her neck, biting, kissing, claiming every inch. the tension, the fear, the mistrust all twisted into something darker.
He undressed her completely on the cold marble lips moving down her chest, sucking one nipple into his mouth until she moaned out softly. She ran her fingers through his hair, her nails scraping his scalp. His tongue teased, slow and relentless, while his hand moved over her with maddening precision
Then he dropped to his knees in front of her, spreading her legs wider.
"I need to taste this truth," he muttered fiercely.
And when his mouth covered her, she shattered.
She came hard, moaning his name like a plea and a curse. But even while she was crumbling, that voice echoed again.
You're not safe with him.
She didn't know if it was a lie or the only truth she's ever been told.
Darius rose, brushing his mouth with the back of his hand and staring at her like she was the sweetest sin he'd ever tasted.
He kissed her again, deep and hungry, as he lifted her into his arms and headed to the bedroom, without breaking contact.
"You still think I'm hiding something?" he murmured roughly.
Selene wrapped her arms around his neck, breathtaking. "Aren't you?"
He threw her onto the bed, his body caging hers, hard and ready.
"You know the truth in your bones," he said, grinding against her soul.
She gasped. "Then tell me."
He stopped moving. For just a second. Eyes locked on hers.
"I used to work for Lazarus."
Everything stopped.
The air. Her heartbeat. Time itself.
Her stomach dropped like a trapdoor opening.
"What?" she whispered.
He leaned in, brushing his lips across hers again like it was penance. "Before you ever met me. Before you even knew who he was. I was his fixer."
Selene's chest tightened. "You… what?"
"I cut ties years ago," he said quickly. "I left that life. I ran from it. And when I met you, I tried to stay away. But I couldn't. You were already deeper than you knew."
She pushed him away and stood up, dragging her robe back around her. "You lied to me. You knew who he was. You knew what he was."
"I never hurt you."
"You didn't have to." Her voice cracked. "You kept secrets. You stood beside me every night knowing who put hits on my club, on my crew"
"I didn't know he'd target you."
"And now I have someone calling me saying I'm not safe with you."
His jaw tightened. "That was not me."
"But it's not a coincidence either," she said, her voice low and trembling. "And you know it damn well."
He stepped forward, but she pulled away. "Don't."
Darius nodded slowly, chest heaving. "You want me gone?"
She didn't answer.
Because the part of her that wanted him gone… wasn't the one screaming for him to stay.
The silence stretched between them like a Gap. Heavy with betrayal. With fear. With everything they hadn't said.
Then the sound came, hard and fast.
It was a knock.
Three sharp pounds on her penthouse door.
Selene froze.
Darius reached for the gun tucked at the back of his jeans.
"Stay here," he said.
But Selene didn't listen.
She followed him, every step heavier than the last.
When he pulled the door open, no one was there.
Just a small, black box sitting on the hallway floor.
He picked it up carefully, checked for wires.
None.
He opened the lid.
Inside was a single bullet, slick with blood.
And a note.
He's lying.
Selene's stomach twisted.
Darius stared at the box for a long moment before lifting his head to look at her.
But Selene was already backing away.
Heart pounding. Trust breaking.
Because she didn't know what to believe anymore.
Only that the game had changed.
And someone wanted her to know…
She'd never been in control.