The Man in the Car
Selene
I didn't expect to see him again.
Not tonight.
Not like this.
But Lucian Wolfe never did what I expected.
I left the Wolfe party with shaking hands and a stomach full of regret. The city night felt colder than usual—sharp wind slicing through the slits in my dress, makeup smudged just enough to look like a mistake.
But I didn't care.
I needed distance. From the penthouse. From Vivienne's venom. From Lucian's hands catching me like he'd never let go.
I told myself I was imagining it. The pull. The way his voice still curled around my name like a promise and a curse.
Then I turned the corner—
And stopped.
A black car was parked across from my apartment building.
No movement. No headlights. Just *there*, like it belonged to the night.
And something about it made my blood chill.
I took one step closer, gripping my keys between my fingers like blades.
The windows were tinted. Engine off. No driver visible.
But I felt the eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.
Tracking my every move.
I tightened my jaw and walked up the steps to my building—fast but not too fast. You don't show fear, not when it might be real.
I was one second from reaching the door when I dropped my keys.
"Damn it," I muttered, bending down to grab them.
A hand got there first.
I looked up—and my heart punched through my ribs.
Lucian.
In all black. Tie gone. Collar loose. Jaw tight.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, stepping back instinctively.
He didn't answer.
His eyes were fixed on the car.
"You saw it too," I whispered.
"I've been watching your building since you left," he said calmly. "That car's been there an hour."
"And you didn't think to *warn me*?"
"I was waiting to see if they moved."
He turned his head toward me slowly, gaze pinning me like a live specimen.
"They didn't."
I tried to breathe, but something in my chest locked up.
"That could be anyone," I said. "A neighbor's driver—"
"They took a photo of us, Selene," he cut in. "Whoever they are, they were inside the party. They were near you. They're *getting bolder*."
My hands started shaking. I hid them in my coat.
"I don't need your protection."
"Too bad," he growled. "Because you've got it."
Before I could respond, there was a *click* behind us.
We both turned—
The front door to my building was open.
Wide.
I hadn't unlocked it yet.
Lucian pushed me behind him in a blink. "Stay down."
Then—
Gun.
He had a gun. Pulled from the back of his waistband, aimed straight at the shadows inside.
"Lucian—!"
I grabbed his arm just as he started to move.
"Wait! Wait," I hissed. "That could be nothing. We don't even know—"
Footsteps. Fast. Inside the hall.
Lucian cocked the gun.
A figure dashed into view, backlit by dim hallway light.
I gasped—
But the figure turned, slipped through another door, and vanished.
Gone.
Like a ghost.
Lucian scanned the entry. "Someone opened that door. Someone walked in without keys."
He turned to me, eyes furious. "You're not staying here tonight."
"You don't get to tell me—"
"I'm not asking."
---
The car was gone when we looked again. No sound. No engine. Just... gone.
I packed a small bag with trembling fingers. Lucian waited by the door like a soldier. Silent. Armed. Coiled tight.
I couldn't read him. I didn't want to try.
Not when my whole body still remembered the way he caught me at the party. Like instinct. Like need.
---
His apartment was cold and clean—glass, steel, shadows. He poured me a glass of water and said nothing. Just watched.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked finally.
"Because someone's watching you," he said. "And if it's who I think it is, they don't want money. They want chaos."
---
I flinched.
Because deep down, I knew he was right.
And worse?
Whoever it was—
They knew exactly where to strike.
---
Elsewhere…
A woman's laugh echoed through an empty room.
Screens flickered.
One of them paused on a shot: Selene. On her doorstep. Lucian's hand wrapped around her waist. His body in front of hers.
Another screen showed a blurry hallway, a door cracked open.
"She's scared now," a voice said. Smooth. Male. Satisfied.
"Good," the woman replied. "Let fear wake her up. Let Wolfe think he's in control."
The man laughed. "And when they fall?"
"We burn them."