CHAPTER 5: Dangerous game

The rain had stopped by the time they left the mansion.

New York glowed beneath wet streets and blurred city lights while Alexander’s black car moved smoothly through midnight traffic.

Daniella sat beside him in silence.

Too aware of him.

Too aware of the tension that had followed them out of the mansion and into the car.

Marcus drove from the front while another security vehicle followed behind them.

Nobody spoke for several minutes.

But the silence between Daniella and Alexander no longer felt cold.

It felt dangerous.

She kept remembering:

his hand against her face, the way his eyes lowered toward her mouth, the rough softness in his voice whenever he spoke to her alone

This was bad.

Very bad.

Because revenge required distance.

And Alexander Knight kept destroying it every time he touched her.

“You’re thinking too hard again.”

Daniella looked toward him instantly.

Alexander sat beside her with one arm resting lazily against the leather seat, dark eyes already watching her.

Calm and focused.

Like she was the only thing in the car worth paying attention to.

“I didn’t realize you could read minds,” she replied quietly.

A faint smile touched his mouth.

“I don’t need to.”

That smile again.

It should’ve been illegal for dangerous men to look like that.

Daniella quickly looked away toward the rain-streaked window before her thoughts became even more reckless.

“You stare out the window whenever you’re nervous,” Alexander added softly.

“I’m not nervous.”

“You’re avoiding looking at me.”

Her heartbeat stumbled.

Annoying man.

Before she could answer, Marcus suddenly spoke from the front seat.

“We’re almost there.”

Daniella’s stomach tightened slightly.

The abandoned warehouse stood near the older industrial part of Manhattan, a place filled with empty buildings, broken memories, and the kind of darkness rich people pretended didn’t exist.

Something about tonight felt wrong already.

Alexander noticed the shift in her expression immediately.

“You know this area.”

Not a question.

Daniella hesitated too long.

That was enough for him.

The car finally stopped near the abandoned building moments later.

Huge rusted gates surrounded the property while broken windows stared down from the warehouse like empty eyes.

Cold fear crawled slowly through Daniella’s chest.

Because she recognized this place.

She had been here before.

Years ago.

The night her father disappeared.

Her breathing became uneven instantly.

Alexander noticed immediately.

“Daniella.”

The way he said her name… low, careful close…made her pulse ache painfully.

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

Lie.

A terrible lie.

Alexander’s expression darkened slightly.

Without warning, his hand moved over hers resting tightly against her lap.

Warm fingers.

Steady pressure grounding.

Daniella froze completely.

The touch was simple.

But intimate enough to make her chest tighten unexpectedly.

Alexander leaned slightly closer.

“You don’t have to go inside if you don’t want to.”

His voice softened on the last words.

Protective.

Always protective lately.

And the worst part?

She liked it.

No one had protected her in years.

Daniella slowly looked toward him.

Their faces were suddenly too close inside the dim car.

Close enough to notice the faint shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes.

Close enough to notice he was still holding her hand.

Close enough that her breathing became uneven again.

“I need answers,” she murmured softly.

Alexander’s thumb brushed lightly against her knuckles before he released her slowly.

The small gesture sent warmth unexpectedly through her stomach.

Everything about this man was dangerous now.

Marcus stepped out first while security spread around the warehouse perimeter.

Alexander exited next before opening Daniella’s door himself.

Again.

Small gestures.

But she noticed every single one.

The cold night air wrapped around them immediately as they approached the warehouse entrance together.

Broken lights flickered weakly above rusted metal doors while distant thunder echoed somewhere across the city.

“This place gives serial killer energy,” Daniella muttered quietly.

Alexander glanced sideways at her.

“Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

The deadpan response surprised a laugh out of her before she could stop it.

Real laughter.

Small but real.

Alexander slowed slightly beside her.

And for one dangerous second, the way he looked at her nearly stole the breath from her lungs.

Like hearing her laugh mattered to him too much.

Marcus pushed open the warehouse doors carefully.

Darkness swallowed the inside almost immediately.

Security flashlights moved across old machinery, broken crates, and dust-covered floors.

The entire place smelled like rust and rain.

Daniella’s chest tightened harder with every step.

Memories clawed painfully at the back of her mind now.

Her father was shouting.

Men arguing.

Blood on the floor

“Daniella.”

Alexander’s voice pulled her back instantly.

She hadn’t realized she stopped walking.

“You’re pale.”

“I’m okay.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“No, you’re not.”

The concern in his voice weakened her defenses again.

Alexander stepped closer instinctively.

Too close.

Close enough that his coat brushed lightly against her arm.

“You know this place,” he said quietly.

Daniella swallowed hard.

“I came here once with my father.”

Marcus looked toward them sharply.

Alexander’s expression changed immediately.

Careful now.

Focused entirely on her.

“When?”

“Years ago.”

“Why?”

Daniella shook her head slowly.

“I don’t remember.”

Another lie.

And Alexander knew it.

Still, he didn’t push harder this time.

Instead, his hand rested gently against the middle of her back guiding her forward slowly through the warehouse.

Protective again.

Always touching her lately.

And God help her…she was beginning to crave it.

Marcus suddenly stopped near the far end of the building.

“Sir.”

Everyone moved quickly toward him.

A small office sat partially hidden behind stacked crates.

The door hung slightly open.

Marcus pushed it wider carefully.

Inside, a single lamp flickered weakly over an old wooden desk.

And sitting directly in the center…It was her father’s journal.

Daniella’s breath caught instantly.

“No way…”

She rushed forward before anyone could stop her.

The old leather journal looked untouched.

Exactly how she remembered it.

Her hands trembled as she reached for it.

But the second she touched the cover…A voice echoed softly from the darkness behind them.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to come back here.”

Daniella froze.

Her blood turned cold instantly.

Because she recognized that voice.

And slowly…Alexander stepped closer beside her.

Protective and dangerously calm.

While Daniella stared into the darkness realizing the nightmare she thought buried thirteen years ago had finally found her again.