Chapter Eight

“Where do I put this, boss?” asked Mark, holding one of the boxes carrying Krista’s clothes.

Devlin nodded to the corner of his living room, and Mark complied, setting the box down gently. The room was already half-filled with other boxes. Krista didn ’ t own a much, so it wasn ’ t much of an imposition.

“What’s all this?” asked a testy voice from behind him.

Krista leaned against the doorway of his bedroom, dressed only in one of his t-shirts. It was oversized and fell to her knees. Devlin licked his lips. She looked positively delicious.

A surge of possessive want filled Devlin at the sight. She looked perfect wearing it, and she knew it. She knew how much power she had over him and what he was currently thinking because she smiled at him, a mix of amusement and challenge in her eyes.

Three days had passed since the incident at the bar. The fact that Devlin had nearly lost her in that gamble didn’t sit well with him. He knew the risks of using her as bait. Krista knew them as well, but he was never going to let her risk her life again.

“I’ve taken the liberty of moving in some of your things. No big deal,” Devlin answered, his tone deliberately casual. Besides, it would make things more convenient, and he wanted her close—always.

“You didn’t think to consult me?” Krista asked, her voice sharp.

“I’ll, uh, get the rest of the boxes from the truck,” Mark said. He must ’ ve sensed an argument brewing, so he made that excuse. Mark promptly left the penthouse, leaving them alone.

Devlin turned to face her fully, locking his gaze on hers. “Krista, I nearly lost you. Do you know what that felt like? I need you here, where I can keep you safe,” he told her.

Her expression softened momentarily. “Devlin, I can take care of myself. We’ve been through this,” she insisted.

“I know you can,” he said, taking a step closer. “But I can’t go through that again. I won’t.”

She sighed, pushing away from the doorway and walking toward him. “You can’t control everything, Devlin. Not even me,” she pointed out.

He reached out and took her hand, his grip firm but gentle. “I don’t want to control you. I just want to make sure you’re safe,” he said. Devlin was well aware that one wrong move or word, and he could lose her.

Krista looked at him for a long moment, searching his face. “This isn’t just about safety, is it?” she asked quietly.

Devlin shook his head, pulling her closer. “No, it’s not. It’s about needing you, Krista. It’s about wanting you with me all the time. Because I love you.”

Those three words slipped out by accident, but Devlin didn’t regret saying them. If his father was alive, he would certainly call Devlin a whipped weakling but good thing for him, the old man was still rotting in his grave.

Krista ’ s eyes widened slightly, and she let out a breath she didn ’ t realize she was holding. “Devlin…”

“I know it’s sudden,” he continued, “but after what happened, I realized I can’t waste any more time. I need you with me.”

She looked around at the boxes, then back at him. “And what if I say no?” she asked.

Devlin’s jaw tightened, but he forced himself to relax. “Then I’ll return everything and we’ll go back to the way things were. But I hope you don’t. Our enemy is still out there and he won’t stop until we’re both dead.”

Krista searched his eyes, seeing the vulnerability he rarely showed. Finally, she nodded. “All right, Devlin. Let’s try this,” she said.

Relief and happiness flooded through him, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. “Thank you,” he whispered into her hair.

She hugged him back. “Just promise me one thing,” she said softly.

“Anything,” he replied.

“Promise you’ll talk to me before making decisions that affect us both.”

Devlin nodded, pulling back to look into her eyes. “I promise, Krista.”

Krista trailed her fingers down Devlin ’ s shirt, a playful smile on her lips. Devlin took her fingers, lifting them to his lips and kissing them gently.

“Now that ’ s settled, are you hungry? ” he asked, changing the topic.

“Starving,” she replied. Krista seemed curious as he led her to a barstool in the kitchen.

“Sit,” he instructed. “Coffee?”

“Sounds good,” she said. He was aware she was watching him intently as he moved around the kitchen.

She tilted her head slightly. “What are you doing?” she asked, noticing him grabbing ingredients from the counter and sink.

Devlin glanced at her with a casual shrug. “What else? Cooking us breakfast.”

Krista blinked in surprise. “You … cooking?” she echoed, as if the notion was completely absurd. “What about your private chef?”

“I asked her not to come in today,” Devlin answered, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Don ’ t look so shocked. ”

He whipped up some eggs, intending to make an omelet. It had been a while since he cooked for someone but he remembered the motions easily. It was just like riding a bicycle or wringing answers from a prisoner. Devlin decided by cooking for her, she could forgive him for not consulting her before moving her belongings to his apartment. Besides, he wanted her to see a side of him she hadn’t seen before.

“All right,” she said, contentedly sipping her coffee. “I’m just going to enjoy the sight of you making me breakfast, then.”

Devlin smiled, the simple joy of the moment making his heart swell. Such a strange feeling but it wasn ’ t entirely unpleasant.

“I used to cook for my brothers, you know. Before all this…” He gestured around, indicating the luxury that surrounded them.

Krista ’ s eyes softened. “I didn ’ t know that. It ’ s nice to see this side of you, ” she commented.

He cracked an egg into the bowl. “I wanted to do something special for you. Something normal,” he told her.

Krista ’ s heart melted at his words. “You ’ re full of surprises, Devlin. ”

He chuckled, pouring the eggs into the pan. “I aim to please,” he said.

As the eggs sizzled, filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma, Krista watched him intently. “I love seeing you like this, so relaxed and in your element. Doing something ordinary,” Krista said.

Devlin finished cooking and plated the omelet, adding a sprinkle of herbs on top. He placed the plate in front of her with a flourish. “Breakfast is served,” he told her.

Krista took a bite, her eyes lighting up with delight. “This is amazing!”

“Glad you like it,” he said, sitting next to her with his own plate.

They ate in companionable silence, the atmosphere filled with warmth and affection. Devlin reached over, brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch lingering.

“Thank you, Devlin,” she said softly, her eyes meeting his. “For making me breakfast.”

He leaned in, kissing her gently on the lips. “ You ’ re very welcome. ”

****

After leaving Krista to her devices, Devlin took the elevator down to the basement, where they kept and questioned prisoners. The warm, domestic mask he had worn for Krista was discarded, replaced by the cold, calculating demeanor he wore for business.

Making breakfast for Krista had been an unexpected pleasure. She was right. It was something so normal and yet, when he was with her, Devlin felt at peace, as if he could momentarily discard the parts of him that were cold and inhuman.

She made him feel human again. The Devlin of old might’ve considered that a weakness, but no longer. She was essential to his plans, and he intended to take her as his bride once Phantom was dealt with.

The elevator doors opened, and seeing Galen there made him irritable.

“I heard you’ve been playing house the past few days,” was the first thing Galen remarked.

Devlin studied him, wondering if Galen was intending to pick a fight.

“But since Krista did her job, I suppose that’s fine,” Galen said with a shrug.

What did his brother mean by that comment? Galen had always been clever with words, so sometimes Devlin wondered if there was a deeper meaning. Studying him closely, Galen seemed genuine.

“Has Carver made any progress with Enzo?” Devlin asked, steering the conversation away from Krista.

“I was about to ask him,” Galen replied.

Together, they made their way to the interrogation rooms. Outside the room where Carver had been working on Enzo, they paused. It looked like their younger brother was finished, as he was hanging up a bloody apron. Inside, Enzo was strapped to a chair, unconscious. Carver emerged from the room, surprised to see them both.

“Did he tell you anything useful?” Devlin asked.

“He talked … and that guy talks a lot under pressure,” Carver said in disgust.

He gave them the gist of what Enzo had revealed, though it wasn’t much. Apparently, Enzo had been told by a source, presumably Phantom, to hire Krista to obtain important documents that could damage their reputation if released to the public.

Enzo didn ’ t know much about his source, only that he ’ d used the guy a few times before. It wouldn ’ t surprise Devlin if this hacker had done a few jobs for Enzo to gain his trust. Krista had also mentioned she ’ d worked with Phantom on a few jobs, so she didn ’ t think he ’ d betray her this time.

Just who was this hacker, that he ’ d take the time to create connections with both Enzo and Krista, just to get back at them?

“Regarding that, I have some information that might help us. I waited for Carver to finish so I didn ’ t need to repeat myself twice, ” Galen said.

Devlin realized he must’ve voiced his doubts about Phantom out loud.

“Go on,” Devlin said.

“I had my informants do a lot of digging. It wasn ’ t easy, but they finally uncovered some vital information on Phantom, ” Galen said.

Devlin’s interest piqued, and he focused intently on his brother. “What did they find?”

“Phantom’s real name is Reed Davies. His father was Tom Davies, and he used to work for us,” Galen said, pulling out his cell phone and opening what looked like documents.

For all their father’s faults, he was meticulous when it came to hiring employees, and kept all records. Devlin didn’t need Galen to tell him the rest of the report.

“Ten years ago, our father had Tom Davies killed for cutting his losses and abandoning his entire crew during a turf war,” Galen finished.

Devlin sighed, figuring it was something like that. When he took his father’s place, he also inherited all his father’s enemies. He had always known he needed to watch his back, but Phantom using Krista in his path of revenge against Devlin and his family was unacceptable.

The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Reed Davies, fueled by the desire for revenge, had carefully planned his moves, building connections with people like Enzo and Krista to dismantle Devlin’s empire from within. This vendetta was personal for Reed, and he wasn’t an easy opponent.

“This changes everything,” Devlin said, his mind racing with the implications. “We need to find Reed and end this before he causes any more damage.”

Galen nodded in agreement. “I’ve already got our informants tracking his last known whereabouts. We’ll find him,” Galen assured him.

Devlin’s thoughts returned to Krista. She had been unwittingly caught in the crossfire of this vendetta. The thought of her being used as a pawn by Reed infuriated him. He was determined to protect her and ensure she never had to face such danger again.

As they walked back to the elevator, Devlin couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out. Reed was cunning, and if they didn’t act swiftly, Reed could do irreparable damage. Devlin pulled out his cell phone and contacted Mark.

“Increase security around Krista,” Devlin told Mark.

“ I got it, boss, ” Mark answered.

As he finished the call, Devlin noticed his brothers looking at him intently. Carver only gave him a nod. He understood what was going on with Devlin, because he had gone through this phase himself.

Galen, on the other hand, would be more difficult to persuade. Not that Devlin needed Galen ’ s approval. He was the head of the Family after all, but it would ’ ve been good to have both his brothers on his side.

“ This woman really means that much to you? ” Galen asked him.

“ She means the world to me, ” Devlin honestly answered. “ I intend to make her officially my wife once this matter is resolved. ”

“All right then. Give me time to accept that,” Galen said.