Aria's POV
The gun goes off.
But Damien doesn't fall.
The gunman does.
Behind him stands Julian—Damien's best friend—holding a smoking weapon. Two more of Damien's security team pour through the door, taking down the other attackers.
"You're late," Damien says to Julian.
"Traffic." Julian kicks the unconscious gunman. "You're welcome, by the way."
Damien pulls me toward the exit. "Marco?"
"Secured. He's in the safe room with four guards." Julian checks his phone. "Building's on lockdown. SWAT is three minutes out."
We run through the hospital corridors. Alarms scream. People scatter. More gunfire echoes somewhere above us.
"How many?" Damien asks.
"At least eight. Maybe more." Julian leads us to a service elevator. "They hit three entrances simultaneously. Professional job."
The elevator doors open. We pile in.
As we descend, I finally find my voice. "My father—"
"Is fine. He's in the ICU under guard." Damien's face is grim. "They weren't here for him. They were here for you."
"Because of the money."
"Because you're leverage." He looks at me. "Your father stole from the Volkov family. They don't just want their money—they want him. And now they know hurting you is the fastest way to make him surface."
The elevator stops at the basement. Julian goes first, weapon raised, checking corners.
"Clear."
We emerge into the parking garage. A black SUV waits with the engine running.
"Get in," Damien orders.
I hesitate. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
"I'm not leaving without Marco!"
"Marco is already on his way to the safe house. He left five minutes ago." Damien opens the car door. "Now get in before I carry you."
I climb in. Damien slides in beside me, and Julian takes the driver's seat.
We speed out of the garage just as police cars flood the entrance.
"Where's the contract?" I ask suddenly.
Damien pulls the signed document from his jacket. Even bleeding and running for our lives, he protected it.
"It's legal now," he says. "You're officially under my protection."
"And what does that mean, exactly?"
"It means the Volkov family just declared war on me by coming after you." His eyes are cold steel. "And I don't lose wars."
We drive for twenty minutes, switching cars twice to avoid being followed. Finally, we pull into an underground garage beneath a building I don't recognize.
Julian leads us to an elevator that requires a fingerprint scan. We rise to the top floor.
The doors open to reveal a massive penthouse. Marco runs to me immediately.
"Aria!" He hugs me so tight I can't breathe. "They said people were shooting at you—"
"I'm okay. We're okay." I hold him close, my hands shaking. "I promise."
Over Marco's shoulder, I see my father sitting on a couch, his arm in a sling, flanked by two guards.
Our eyes meet.
He looks older. Broken. Nothing like the man I remember.
"Aria," he says softly. "Please. Let me explain—"
"No." I release Marco. "You don't get to explain. You don't get to ask for forgiveness. You made your choices. Now I'm making mine."
I walk to Damien and take the contract from his hands.
"This is real?" I ask. "Everything in here—you'll honor it?"
"Every word."
"Marco goes to Brighton Academy. Full scholarship. Full protection."
"Yes."
"And the debt—all of it—disappears."
"Completely."
I look at my father. "Did you hear that, Dad? Damien is doing what you should have done three years ago. He's protecting your children."
Dad's face crumples. "Aria, please—"
"You're alive," I continue, my voice steady despite the tears streaming down my face. "You've been alive this whole time while Marco and I suffered. While we nearly lost everything. While I worked myself to exhaustion just to survive." I hold up the contract. "So I'm signing this. Not because I trust Damien. Not because I forgive you. But because this is the only way to keep Marco safe from the mess you created."
"You don't understand what you're doing," Dad pleads. "Damien Cross is dangerous—"
"So are the people you stole from!" My voice rises. "So are the men who just shot up a hospital trying to kidnap me! You don't get to lecture me about danger when you're the reason we're in it!"
Silence fills the room.
Marco touches my arm. "Aria, what does the contract say?"
I look at my sixteen-year-old brother. The only family I have left who hasn't betrayed me.
"It says I work for Damien for five years. Live in his penthouse. Be his assistant." I force a smile. "And it says you get the best education in the country. That you're protected. That you're safe."
"For five years?" Marco's voice cracks. "I don't see you for five years?"
"No. I negotiated visits. School breaks, holidays, whenever you want." I pull him close again. "You're going to be okay, Marco. I promise."
"What about you?"
I don't have an answer for that.
Damien steps forward. "It's late. Marco, there's a room ready for you. You'll stay here tonight under protection. Tomorrow, we'll discuss your transfer to Brighton."
A staff member appears to escort Marco away. He looks back at me one more time, his eyes full of questions I can't answer.
Then he's gone.
Dad tries to stand, but the guards stop him. "Aria—"
"I'm done talking to you." I turn my back on him. "Damien, where do I sleep?"
"I'll show you." He starts walking, then pauses. "Guards, Mr. Moretti will be staying in the guest wing. Under supervision. He's not to leave without my permission."
"You're keeping me prisoner?" Dad shouts.
"I'm keeping you alive," Damien corrects. "The Volkov family wants you dead. This is the safest place for you. Whether you appreciate it or not."
I follow Damien down a hallway to a bedroom that's bigger than my entire apartment. Everything is expensive and cold.
"This is yours," he says. "You'll find clothes in the closet, your size. Bathroom is through there. If you need anything—"
"Why?" I interrupt.
"Why what?"
"Why are you doing this? Protecting us? You could have let them take me. Let the Russians kill my father. Collected on the debt another way." I face him. "So why?"
Damien is quiet for a long moment. "Because three years ago, I watched your father beg for mercy. Watched him cry and plead for more time to fix his mistakes. And I gave it to him. Six months to make things right." His voice hardens. "He chose suicide instead. Chose to destroy his family rather than face consequences. And I've watched you pay for his cowardice ever since."
"That's not an answer."
"Isn't it?" He moves closer. "I don't save people, Aria. I use them. Control them. Profit from them. But you—you've survived three years of hell with your integrity intact. You've protected your brother, worked yourself to exhaustion, and refused to break. That's rare. That's valuable."
"So I'm an investment."
"You're more than that." He says it so quietly I almost miss it. "But I don't expect you to believe me. Not yet."
He starts to leave, then stops at the door. "The contract is real. Every protection, every promise. I'll honor it all. But Aria—"
"What?"
"Don't trust your father. Whatever he tells you, whatever promises he makes—remember that he's lied to you for three years. That won't change just because he's been caught."
Damien closes the door, leaving me alone.
I collapse on the bed, emotionally exhausted.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number: Smart choice, Miss Moretti. But signing a contract with Damien Cross won't save you. Nothing will. We're coming. And when we do, everyone you love dies screaming. Starting with your precious little brother.
Attached is a photo of Marco. In his new bedroom. Taken five minutes ago.
They're inside the penthouse.
I run to the door and scream for Damien.
But when I grab the handle, the door won't open.
I'm locked in.
And through my window, I see a figure on the balcony outside.
They're not here for my father.
They're here for me.
The figure raises a gun.
And smiles.