Chapter 10 – Red Ashes
363 Words
They came at night.
No warning. No message. Just the sharp sound of tires cutting through gravel and the silence of men who didn’t need to speak to kill.
Amira was still on the balcony when she saw the SUV again. Same black windows. Same engine hum. But this time it didn’t stay parked.
It drove straight through the front gate.
No bullets. No smoke. Just presence.
She didn’t flinch.
She walked back inside like the house wasn’t under silent threat and made her way down the stairs. Guards were already moving. Rhea was at the entrance, hand on her gun, jaw tight.
Lucien walked in from the hallway, barefoot, hair still wet from a shower, but his eyes were sharp.
Stand down, he said to the men.
They hesitated. Then obeyed.
The car doors opened.
Out stepped three men in gray coats. Clean faces. No tattoos. Not Russian. Not local. Someone new.
The tallest one spoke first.
We’re here to talk
Lucien folded his arms.
Who sent you
The man smiled.
Does it matter
Lucien nodded toward the guards.
If it didn’t, you wouldn’t be breathing
The man looked past him. At Amira.
We came for her
Lucien didn’t move. But the air did.
She took a step forward, not afraid.
Why
You made enemies with your little performance last week
You’ll need protection
Amira narrowed her eyes
And you’re offering it
We’re offering a choice
Lucien stepped forward now, between them
She already made one
The man gave him a look that wasn’t quite a threat, but wasn’t safe either
You can’t protect her from everything, Lucien
Lucien didn’t blink
Watch me
They left without a fight. Not a bullet fired. Not a name dropped.
But something had changed.
Later that night, Amira sat on the floor of her room, legs crossed, a knife in one hand and her phone in the other.
Rhea texted her.
“You okay?”
She replied.
“Just tired.”
But it wasn’t true.
She was sharpening herself.
She finally understood what Lucien meant.
Power doesn’t come with safety. It comes with a target.
And now that she had both
There was no going back.
- Writer
