Page 7 of Devlin

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.

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