Page 23 of Devlin

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Krista sat in the living room, her laptop open on her lap. She was browsing through possible job offers. Even though she was with Devlin now, she didn’t think he’d get in the way of her chosen profession. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if she might change her mind in the future, especially once she and Devlin started talking about creating a family. Having a kid together would change everything.

She sighed, pushing those thoughts aside. They weren’t married yet, and there was still time to figure everything out. A knock on the door interrupted her train of thoughts.

Devlin had rushed off earlier that afternoon, after sending her a quick text. Had he returned? He mentioned he had a lead on the hacker but didn’t go into details, so Krista was a little worried.

Krista rose from the sofa and walked to the door. She opened it and saw a familiar face. It was Maria, Devlin’s personal chef.

“Maria, hi. I thought you weren’t coming in today,” Krista began, then noticed something was wrong.

Devlin usually assigned two men outside the penthouse suite, but they were noticeably absent. Her blood ran cold when she spotted a slumped figure in the corner, blood on his suit. Mark.

Her attention snapped back to Maria, who followed her gaze. The older woman smiled at her, and it was a shockingly cold and unpleasant smile. Maria had always been warm and friendly … was this her true colors? Maria pulled something out from her coat—a knife.

Krista’s instincts kicked in. She stepped back, quickly scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon.

“Maria, what are you doing?” she asked, her voice steady despite the rising fear.

Maria stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

“I’m afraid the time for playing chef is over. Today, I’m just a messenger.” Her voice was devoid of the usual warmth, replaced with a chilling calmness.

Krista’s mind raced. She needed to buy time. “You don’t have to do this, Maria. Whatever they’re paying you, Devlin can pay more.”

Maria’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not about the money, Krista. It’s about sending a message.”

Krista took another step back, her eyes darting to the kitchen. If she could get to the knives…

Maria lunged at her, the knife glinting in the dim light. Krista dodged, grabbing a nearby vase and hurling it at Maria. It shattered against the wall, missing its target but giving Krista the moment she needed to sprint to the kitchen.

Her heart pounded as she grabbed a knife from the counter, turning to face Maria, who was advancing on her with a predatory smile.

“You won’t win,” Maria said, her voice dripping with confidence. “I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Krista held her ground, the knife steady in her hand. “You underestimate me,” she said.

Maria lunged again, and this time Krista was ready. She blocked the attack, and Maria looked momentarily surprised, but the assassin quickly recovered. Maria came at her again.

Krista’s training kicked in. She forced herself to be calm and collected, doing her best to counter Maria’s strikes. By some miracle, she managed to disarm Maria, the knife clattering to the floor. But Maria was relentless, grabbing a nearby chair and swinging it at Krista. Krista ducked, sweeping Maria’s legs out from under her. Maria fell hard, and Krista was on her in an instant, pinning her to the ground.

“Who sent you?” Krista demanded, pressing the knife to Maria’s throat.

Maria sneered.“Don’t you know?”

“Phantom—no, Reed then?” Krista asked.

Before Maria could say another word, the door burst open, and Devlin stormed in, his face a mask of fury. “Krista!”

Krista looked up, relief flooding her. “Devlin!”

He crossed the room in a few strides, pulling Krista to her feet and taking in the scene. His eyes darkened when he saw Maria on the floor.

“This ends now,” he growled, pulling out his gun. Without hesitation, Devlin put two bullets in Maria’s skull.

Krista leaned into him, her heart still racing. “I’m okay,” she said softly.

Devlin wrapped his arm around her protectively. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised, his voice fierce. “Not ever.”

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