Page 20 of Devlin

“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’dbetray her this time.

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