Chapter Three

Devlin had been given confidential information from one of his informants that his safe would be broken into tonight—but never in a million years did he expect the thief to be the girl who had made him that false promise all those years ago.

That brilliant red hair, the stubborn streak in Krista ’ s eyes—those were unmistakable.

“ Galen, leave us, ” he said.

His brother raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t question his command. Once Galen left the office, Devlin leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Krista.

She stood in the center of the room, tense and defiant, the documents still in her bag. Devlin held out a hand and she swallowed. She had no choice but to hand over her prize to him. After all, her survival was her number one priority.

“What are you doing here, Krista?” Devlin carefully asked, looking through her bag.

He rifled through the documents, disinterest on his face. He set the papers down on his desk and waited. She remembered he asked her a question.

Krista hesitated before answering. She reminded him of a prey animal caught in a trap. A beautiful prey animal.

Devlin moved his gaze down her ample-sized breasts, and that black outfit hugged her in all the right places. She flushed, as if she knew he was silently assessing her. The girl who left him behind to his father’s rage and cruelty had transformed into a beautiful, tempting, and defiant woman.

“I needed those documents, Devlin. I … I needed the money,” she admitted.

She sounded a little pathetic to his ears and he pitied her. It was clear life hadn’t been kind to her since they last met.

Pitying the enemy? Devlin thought to himself. That was simply unacceptable. He could already imagine his old man laughing in his grave.

Devlin narrowed his eyes. “So, you ’ re just a common thief now? You ’ re playing a very dangerous game, ” he said. “ Do you know what happens to people who take a shot at me and my brothers? ”

Krista swallowed hard. “I didn ’ t have a choice, ” she said.

Devlin pushed away from his desk and stood, slowly approaching her. The room seemed to shrink around them, the air thick with tension.

“You always have a choice,” he said, his voice low and intense. “But you chose to betray me. Again.”

He was close now, so close he could feel the heat radiating from her. The familiar scent of her brought back memories he had buried deep, memories of a girl who had once been his one-time friend, his confidant. In that basement, they had shared something deep.

“Why, Krista?” he asked, swiftly eliminating the distance between them. “Why come back now?”

She met his gaze and the steel there thrilled him to bits. Most folks would be trembling or begging by now, but Krista held her ground.

“ Because I had nowhere else to go. I needed the money to survive, ” Krista said with a brutal honesty he admired.

The ice in his heart melted a little. This woman was dangerous.

“You could have asked for help,” he said, his hand reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from her face. “You didn ’ t have to steal from me. ”

Devlin didn’t know what possessed him to say those words, but in some way, he felt his family owed her. His father had killed her father in cold blood after her escape. Then again, would he have truly helped her? Some irrational part of his brain still hadn’t forgiven her for that betrayal all those years ago.

“ You wouldn ’ t have helped me, ” she answered. “ I can still see the hate in your eyes. ”

He cupped her cheek, using his thumb to gently caress her skin, and he felt a surge of dark delight as Krista shivered at his touch. The fear and uncertainty in her eyes mixed with something else, something he recognized all too well—desire—and he couldn’t help but relish the power he held over her. For a brief moment, the years melted away, and he saw the girl she once was, but the moment passed, and the reality of their situation settled back in.

Devlin tightened his grip on her cheek slightly, a silent reminder of who was in control now. He leaned in closer, his eyes locked onto her lips, debating whether to claim them. The proximity was intoxicating, and the air between them crackled with tension.

Krista ’ s breath hitched, and he could feel her heart pounding. His gaze lingered on her mouth, those tempting lips slightly parted in a mix of fear and defiance. Devlin wondered if she would taste sweet like honey.

He could see the conflict in Krista ’ s eyes—part of her seemed to want to push him away, while another part wanted to give in to whatever this was.

Slowly, deliberately, he moved even closer, until their breaths mingled, the scent of her filling his senses. Krista’s eyes flashed with a mixture of fear and defiance, but she didn ’ t pull away. Instead, she held her ground, her chin tilted up in a silent challenge. Devlin admired her spirit, even now, even after everything.

He could end it all right here, assert his dominance, and let her know who was in control. But instead, he paused, his lips hovering just a breath away from hers, the anticipation almost unbearable.

She swallowed hard. In that moment, he made a choice. He leaned in, kissing her hungrily. Krista’s breath caught, and for a split-second, she didn’t resist. She responded with equal passion.

But then, as quickly as the moment had come, Devlin pulled back. The taste of her lingered on his lips, intoxicating and sweet. He knew if he didn ’ t stop himself now, he wouldn ’ t be able to hold back.

“Tell me, Krista,” he murmured. “do you still remember what it felt like to trust me?”

“You don ’ t understand, ” she said, her voice trembling. “I can ’ t just ask for help. Not from you. ”

He stared at her for a long moment, the silence stretching between them. Finally, he sighed, releasing her and stepping back.

“ Not from me. I see, ” he said coldly.

Krista took a step forward. “ That ’ s not what I—Devlin, I don ’ t want to be your enemy. ”

Devlin looked at her, conflicted. Krista evenly held his gaze. For a moment, it almost seemed like there was hope in her eyes.

Devlin slipped his cold mask back into place. Anger simmered inside him. Did she really think he’d go easy on her just because of their brief, shared history?

“You made your choice, Krista,” he said, his voice icy. “Now you ’ ll have to live with it. ”

He pressed a button on his desk, and the door opened. Two of his men entered, their expressions unreadable.

“Take her to the holding cell,” Devlin ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

As the guards moved to escort her out, Krista felt a surge of desperation.

“Devlin, please,” she pleaded, struggling against their grip. “Don ’ t do this. You ’ re better than this. ”

But Devlin didn ’ t respond. He turned away, his shoulders tense. As she was dragged from the room, Devlin ’s thoughts raced. A part of him wanted to believe her, to help her, but he couldn ’ t afford that kind of weakness. Not now. Not ever.

He watched the door close behind her with a resounding thud. Devlin had always been good at predicting his opponents’ moves, but he never expected this. One thing was for certain: he couldn’t let Krista’s reappearance destabilize everything he had built.

A knock came on the door, and Galen entered.

“Come back another time, I’m not in the mood for conversation,” Devlin said, returning to his chair.

Naturally, Galen didn’t listen. He simply sat down on one of the couches nearby, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Devlin stared daggers at his brother. Galen knew Devlin hated when he did that, but did so anyway.

“So, who was that feisty firecracker? An old flame?” Galen asked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

Devlin sighed. “It ’ s none of your business, Galen, ” he said.

Galen leaned back, his grin widening. “Oh, come on, Dev. You can ’ t just tell me to fetch a beautiful woman and drag her to your office, lock the door, and expect me not to be curious, ” Galen pointed out.

Devlin glared at him, tightening his jaw. “She ’ s just a thief who tried to steal from us. That ’ s all you need to know, ” he said, keeping it simple.

Galen raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

“A thief, huh? Funny, because it looked like there was more going on here than a simple interrogation. You sure there’s no history between you two?” Galen asked.

Devlin ’ s gaze darkened. “I said, it’s none of your business,” he snapped.

Galen chuckled, unfazed. “All right, all right. But you know, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. Brothers and all that,” Galen pointed out.

Devlin leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “What do you want, Galen? Why are you here?” Devlin finally asked.

Galen ’ s expression turned serious, his playful demeanor vanishing. “We ’ ve got a problem. Our informant just sent word that there ’ s been a leak. Someone ’ s been feeding information to our rivals, ” Galen said.

Devlin ’ s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Who would dare? , was the real question. After taking his father’s place—because the old man was slipping, and someone had to get rid of him—Devlin had done a complete overhaul of the entire organization. They weeded out all the weaklings, made sure their enemies were downright terrified to face them. Every member was loyal, every operation airtight. Or so he thought.

The memory of that brutal night flashed in his mind—the cold, detached look in his father’s eyes as Devlin put a bullet in his skull.

Devlin had reshaped their syndicate into a fearsome empire, one that commanded respect and instilled fear. They had clawed their way to the top, leaving a trail of blood and broken rivals in their wake.

He impatiently drummed his fingers on the desk. The idea that someone within their ranks could betray them was both infuriating and unsettling. He prided himself on his ability to spot disloyalty, to snuff out betrayal before it could take root. And yet, here they were.

“Who?” he repeated, his voice a low growl. “Who would dare betray us?”

Galen shook his head. “We don ’ t know yet. But it ’ s someone close, someone who knows our operations inside and out, ” he said.

Devlin cursed under his breath, the tension in the room thickening. “We need to find out who it is and deal with them. Immediately,” Devlin said.

Galen nodded. “Agreed. But there ’ s something else. The girl—Krista, right? She might have answers. She ’ s connected to all this somehow, ” Galen pointed out.

Devlin ’ s mind raced. He had been so focused on the personal connection with Krista that he hadn ’ t considered her involvement in the larger scheme.

“You think she knows who the rat is?” Devlin asked.

“It ’ s possible, ” Galen said. “Or at the very least, she might have information we can use.”

“Then we ’ ll question her. Thoroughly, ” he said.

“Shall I call in Carver?” Galen asked, referring to their youngest brother. Carver also happened to be the best when it came to extracting answers. Carver would leave Krista in a bloody mess … and somehow, Devlin couldn’t have that.

“ I ’ ll personally handle it, ” Devlin said.

Galen frowned at that. His brother knew that these days, Devlin no longer got his hands dirty if he could delegate the work to someone else. Galen stood, placing a hand on Devlin’s shoulder.

“Just be careful, Dev. Don’t let your history with her cloud your judgment. We need answers, not old grudges,” Galen said. Clearly, Galen knew there were some unresolved issues between him and Krista. Galen was no fool.

Devlin nodded. “I know, Galen. But if she ’ s involved in this, she ’ s going to regret stealing from us, ” he said.

Galen gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze before heading for the door. “Good. Let ’ s get to work, ” Galen said.

As the door closed behind his brother, Devlin’s thoughts turned back to Krista. He had to keep his emotions in check, had to focus on the task at hand. But deep down, he couldn’t shake the feeling that their past was far from over. And that scared him.