Kade's POV
"Who's Isabella?" I demanded, staring at the text on Aria's phone.
Welcome to New York, Isabella. I've been looking for you.
Aria's face had gone completely white. Her eyes were huge with terror, and she was trembling like she might pass out.
"Give me my phone," she whispered, reaching for it.
I held it out of her reach. "Not until you tell me who sent this and why they're calling you Isabella."
"Please." Her voice cracked. "You don't understand. If he knows I'm here—"
"If who knows?" I stepped closer, my protective instincts firing on all cylinders. "Aria, who's threatening you?"
She pressed herself against the wall, looking like a trapped animal. "I can't tell you. You'll—you'll tell your father, and he'll tell my mom, and—"
"I won't tell anyone," I cut her off. "But I need to know what's going on. Is someone after you?"
Tears pooled in her eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." I'd seen and done things that would make most people sick. Whatever secret she was carrying, I could handle it.
Aria looked at me for a long moment, clearly debating. Then her shoulders sagged in defeat. "My real name is Isabella Moretti. Three years ago, I witnessed a murder. The man who killed my father. I testified against him anonymously and went into witness protection. They gave me a new identity—Aria Sinclair."
Everything clicked into place. The lack of digital history. Her constant nervousness. Why she looked ready to run at any moment.
"And the man who sent this text?" I asked, though I already knew.
"Damien Cross." She said the name like a curse. "He's the one who murdered my father. The one I saw kill someone else. He's been hunting me for three years, and now he's found me."
Damien Cross.
My blood turned to ice.
I did business with Damien. Not by choice—refusing him meant war—but I'd been in the same room as him dozens of times. I'd shaken his hand. Smiled at his jokes. All while gathering evidence to take him down.
And now he was after Aria.
"Does he know you're here?" I asked, my mind already racing through security protocols. "Does he know about this address?"
"I don't know." Aria hugged herself. "I've been so careful. I never post on social media, never use my real name, never—" She stopped. "Your father. When he and my mom started dating, it was in the society pages. There were photos of them together at events."
"And your mom was in those photos," I finished grimly.
"She tags her location everywhere. Instagram, Facebook, everywhere." Aria's voice rose with panic. "If Damien saw those photos, if he recognized my mom from three years ago—"
"He could've tracked her here." I cursed under my breath. This was bad. Really bad.
Aria sank onto the edge of her bed, dropping her head into her hands. "I should leave. Right now. If I disappear, maybe he'll follow me and leave you all alone."
"No." The word came out harder than I intended. "You're not going anywhere."
She looked up at me, confused. "Why do you care? You don't even know me."
I crouched down in front of her, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Because you're under my protection now. This is my house, which means you're my responsibility. And because—" I stopped, knowing I shouldn't say it but unable to stop myself. "Because the thought of anything happening to you makes me want to burn the world down."
Aria's breath caught. "Kade—"
"I know people," I continued. "Dangerous people. People who can keep you safe. But you need to trust me."
"I don't trust anyone," she said quietly. "Trust gets you killed."
"Smart girl." I respected that. "But right now, I'm your best option. Damien Cross is a snake, but I know how he operates. I can protect you."
"Why would you know how he operates?" Aria asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
I hesitated. This was the part where most people ran. "Because I do business in the same circles he does."
Understanding dawned on her face, followed by horror. "You're a criminal."
"I'm a businessman who operates in gray areas," I corrected. "There's a difference."
"Not to me." She stood up, backing away. "You're just like him."
That stung more than it should have. "I'm nothing like Damien Cross. He traffics people, murders for fun, destroys lives for profit. I gather information and protect assets. We are not the same."
"You still break the law."
"To survive," I shot back. "My mother was murdered when I was fifteen. The cops did nothing. The system did nothing. So I learned to operate outside it. I learned to be the monster that monsters fear."
Aria stared at me, and I saw understanding flicker in her eyes. She got it. She understood what it meant to be failed by the system that was supposed to protect you.
"I've been feeding information to the feds for months," I admitted. "Building a case against Damien and others like him. One more meeting, one more recording, and I'll have enough to put him away forever."
"You're a double agent," Aria breathed.
"I'm a survivor. Just like you." I moved closer, unable to help myself. "Let me protect you, Aria. Let me finish what I started and take Damien down for good."
She bit her lip—that nervous habit that drove me crazy. "If your father finds out about any of this—"
"He won't. This stays between us." I pulled out my own phone and typed quickly. "I'm texting Marcus, my second-in-command. He'll run security on the building, make sure Damien can't get close."
"You really think you can keep me safe?"
"I know I can." I looked at her seriously. "But you need to promise me something."
"What?"
"No more secrets. If something scares you, if you see something suspicious, if you even think Damien might be close—you tell me immediately. Deal?"
Aria nodded slowly. "Deal."
"Good." I should've left then. Should've walked out of her room and put distance between us.
Instead, I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin was soft, warm. She shivered at my touch.
"This is still a bad idea," she whispered. "Whatever this is between us—"
"I know." My thumb traced her cheekbone. "But bad ideas are kind of my specialty."
Her phone buzzed again in my hand. Another text.
I looked at the screen and my blood turned to acid.
It was a photo. Aria standing in front of the Thornfield building. Taken today. Taken from across the street.
Below the photo: Nice new home, Isabella. Very fancy. Would be a shame if something happened to it. Or to your new family.
I showed Aria the screen. Her face crumpled with fear.
"He's here," she whispered. "He's watching us right now."
I walked to the window and looked down at the street thirty floors below. Dozens of people walking by. Cars passing. Any one of them could be Damien or his people.
My phone rang. Marcus.
"We've got a problem," Marcus said before I could speak. "I just got word from my contact in the NYPD. Damien Cross was spotted in Manhattan two hours ago. He's actively searching for someone."
"I know," I said grimly. "He just sent a photo to his target. He's outside our building right now."
"Kade, what the hell is going on?"
I looked at Aria, who was shaking like a leaf, and made a decision that would change everything.
"I need a full security team here in ten minutes. Armed. And get me everything you have on the witness protection program. Someone's cover just got blown, and I need to know how."
I hung up and turned to Aria. "Pack a bag. Small, just essentials."
"What? Why?"
"Because in ten minutes, we're getting you somewhere Damien can't reach you. Somewhere safe."
"But brunch—my mom—"
"Forget brunch." I grabbed her shoulders. "Your life is more important than a meal. We move now, or you die. Which is it?"
Aria stared at me, tears streaming down her face.
Then someone knocked on her door.
We both froze.
"Aria, sweetie?" Mom's voice called cheerfully. "Brunch is ready! And we have a surprise guest joining us. Victor's business partner just arrived. His name is Damien Cross!"