Chapter 2: The Devil’s Debt
I woke up the next morning expecting to be back on the street.
That was where people like me belonged.
The pavement.
The cold.
The endless search for somewhere safe enough to close your eyes.
Instead, I opened mine inside a room I had never imagined existed.
The ceiling alone probably cost more than everything I had owned in my entire life.
White sheets covered the bed.
A warm blanket rested over me.
A window stretched from the floor to the ceiling, showing the entire city below.
For a few seconds, I forgot where I was.
Then I remembered.
The alley.
The gunshots.
The man with blood on his hands.
I jumped out of bed.
The door opened immediately.
A woman in a dark suit stood there.
She looked about thirty, with sharp eyes and a colder expression.
“Relax,” she said.
“I’m not trapped here.””
“That depends.””
I frowned.
“Depends on what?””
“Whether Adrian Kane believes you’re safe outside.””
I laughed once.
“Safe?””
The woman stared at me.
“You have no idea what happened last night, do you?””
“No.””
She stepped inside.
“My name is Elena Cross.””
“Bodyguard?””
“Chief of security.””
“That sounds like a fancy way to say bodyguard.””
For a second, I thought she might be offended.
Instead, she almost smiled.
Almost.
“You’re different from what I expected.””
“What did you expect?””
“Someone who saved Adrian Kane because they wanted something.””
I looked away.
“I already told him. I don’t.””
“That’s why he’s interested.””
I hated that sentence.
Interested.
Powerful people were always interested when poor people did something unexpected.
Usually because they wanted to know how to use it.
The door opened again.
This time, Adrian Kane walked in.
He looked completely different.
No blood.
No weakness.
No fear.
He wore a black suit that fit perfectly, like the entire world had been designed around him.
“You’re awake.””
I crossed my arms.
“Where am I?””
“My home.””
“That wasn’t my question.””
His eyes moved slightly.
Interesting.
That was the word people used when they didn’t know what else to say.
“You’re in Manhattan.””
“I figured that out.””
A faint smile appeared.
“You always talk like that?””
“Like what?””
“Like you’re not afraid of anything.””
I looked at him.
“I’m afraid of plenty.””
“Such as?””
“Being controlled.””
The smile disappeared.
Good.
I wanted him to understand.
“I saved you,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean I belong to you.””
Something changed in his expression.
Respect.
Maybe.
Or curiosity.
“Most people who save my life immediately ask for something.””
“I’m not most people.””
“No.””
He looked at me carefully.
“You aren’t.””
He placed a small folder on the table.
“What is that?””
“Information.””
“About what?””
“About you.””
My stomach tightened.
“I don’t have information.””
“Everyone does.””
“I don’t.””
“Wren.””
The way he said my name bothered me.
Like he had already learned more about me than I wanted.
“How do you know my name?””
“You told me.””
“That’s all I told you.””
Adrian was silent.
That silence answered my question.
“You investigated me.””
“Yes.””
I stepped back.
“I didn’t ask you to.””
“No.””
“Then why?””
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Because the men who tried to kill me know you exist.””
I froze.
“What?””
“They saw you.””
The room suddenly felt colder.
“They know you helped me?””
“Yes.””
My first thought wasn’t about money.
Or danger.
It was about disappearing.
Again.
“How long until they come?””
Adrian looked toward the window.
“They already started.””
A notification sound came from Elena’s phone.
She looked down.
Her face changed.
“What is it?”” Adrian asked.
She hesitated.
Then handed him the phone.
He read the message.
And for the first time since I met him…
Adrian Kane looked afraid.
“What?”” I asked.
He looked at me.
“The people who attacked me weren’t trying to kill me.””
A silence filled the room.
“They were trying to find something.””
“What?””
May you like
His eyes locked onto mine.
“You.””
