This Is How It Starts

Damien

I sit back in my office chair, the hum of the city outside my window fading into the background as I stare at my phone. The screen shows the delivery confirmation—dinner for Riley and Michael. I don't know why it feels important, making sure she's comfortable, making sure she's looked after. But it does.

"She's fine," I mutter to myself, dropping the phone onto my desk.

Michael's there, and the guy's as solid as they come. Nothing's getting past him, especially not Callum. Still, something gnaws at me. Maybe it's the fact that I'm keeping so much of my world from Riley, the world she has no idea I'm at the center of.

A knock at the door snaps me out of my thoughts. Alexei steps in, his usual cool expression in place. He's been with me since the beginning, long before the clubs, long before the business ventures. He knows more about me than anyone else, and right now, he's the only person I trust with what's happening.