Page 5 of Devlin

“Don’t try anything funny,” he warned. “The boss wants you alive, but I can always tell him there was an accident. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“No,” Krista whispered, her mind racing.

How had everything gone wrong so quickly? What had gone wrong? Phantom, the hacker Krista paid to take the security system offline remotely … she’d worked with him before but money usually motivated most people. Could he have betrayed her? Or perhaps Devlin had a hacker of his own, one skilled enough to counter her efforts. But there was no time to ponder it now.

The gunman’s grip was firm as he reached over andshut off the engine. Krista’s heart sank. She had been so close to escaping, but now she was trapped. The man opened the door and roughly yanked her out of the car, the gun never wavering from its position near her head.

“Move,” he ordered.

Krista had no choice but to comply. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of fear and anger but for now, she could do nothing.

She was led down a dark alley, her mind scrambling for a plan. The documents were still in her bag, a reminder of what was at stake. If they’d discovered what she’d taken, would the punishment be worse?

As they approached a black SUV parked nearby, the gunman pushed her toward the vehicle.

“Get in,” he commanded.

Krista climbed into the back seat, the door slamming shut behind her. She looked around, her eyes adjusting to the dim interior. The gunman got in beside her, his gun still trained on her, while another man, the driver, started the engine.

The SUV pulled away smoothly, the city lights flickering through the tinted windows. Krista’s mind raced. Was this how she was going to die? After everything she’d endured and been through, was this finally it? Somehow that thought irritated her to no end.

She needed to stay calm, to think of a way out, but something told her escape was close to impossible. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to breathe deeply, to focus. The last thing she wanted was to show these gangsters how terrified she really was.

The drive was short, and soon the SUV pulled into an underground parking garage. Krista’s pulse quickened as they came to a stop. The driver got out first, opening the door for the gunman and Krista. She was shoved out of the vehicle, her legs feeling unsteady beneath her.

The gunman guided her to an elevator, pressing a code into the keypad. The doors slid open, and they stepped inside. The silence was suffocating, the tension palpable. Krista tried to gather her thoughts, to prepare for what awaited her.

The elevator ascended smoothly, stopping with a soft ding. The doors opened to reveal a lavish office. Her heart nearly stopped. At the far end of the room, behind a massive oak desk, sat Devlin.

“Thank you, Galen,” Devlin told the gunman.

“You’re always welcome, brother,” Galen responded.

Krista swallowed. Brother? What did it mean, that Devlin would assign this job to his second-in-command? Had he known all along that someone would break into his house tonight?

Devlin finally turned his intense light blue eyes on Krista. For a moment, there was a flicker of something—recognition, perhaps?—but it was quickly replaced by a cold, calculating gaze.

The boy she had once known was gone, replaced by this merciless savage.

“Well, well,” Devlin said, his voice smooth and dangerously calm. “Look who we have here. The thief who thought she could outsmart us.”

Krista swallowed hard, her mind racing. She had to play this carefully.

“Devlin,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “It’s been a long time.”

Chapter Three

Devlin had been given confidential information from one of his informants that his safe would be broken into tonight—but never in a million years did he expect the thief to be the girl who had made him that false promise all those years ago.

That brilliant red hair, the stubborn streak in Krista’s eyes—those were unmistakable.

“Galen, leave us,” he said.

His brother raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t question his command. Once Galen left the office, Devlin leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Krista.

She stood in the center of the room, tense and defiant, the documents still in her bag. Devlin held out a hand and she swallowed. She had no choice but to hand over her prize to him. After all, her survival was her number one priority.

“What are you doing here, Krista?” Devlin carefully asked, looking through her bag.

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