GUARDED FLAMES

CHAPTER TEN

NIKOLAI

i never stayed.

that was the rule.

you get in. protect. detach. move on.

but i’d broken a lot of rules last night.

and i was still in her bed when sunlight crept through the sheer curtains, paintin her bare skin gold.

she was asleep. tangled in the sheets, hair wild, lips parted.

a fkn painting.

i coulda stared all day. hell, i wanted to.

but my phone buzzed.

Boss wants eyes on the girl. Now.

my chest tightened.

i slid outta bed, careful not to wake her, but her lashes fluttered and then—boom—she was smilin at me like i hadn’t just ruined her innocence hours ago.

“hey,” she whispered, voice rough. “runnin already?”

“i gotta check the grounds,” i muttered, grabbin my shirt off the floor. “your dad’s awake.”

“does he... know?”

i paused. “not yet.”

she sat up, sheet fallin down to her waist. i looked away, fast. if i looked again, i wasn’t leavin.

“nikolai,” she said, soft. “are you ashamed of what happened?”

i turned slow. looked her in the eyes.

“not ashamed,” i said. “terrified.”

“of me?”

“of losin everything i just touched.”

---

EVANGELINE

he was gone.

again.

and this time it felt... worse.

i didn’t need flowers or promises. but the way he left like he’d broken somethin made me ache.

i got dressed, mind foggy, heart thumpin.

and then my door opened without a knock.

it wasn’t him.

it was my father.

he stepped in, slow. calculating. the air shifted.

“we need to talk,” he said.

oh god.

did he know?

“about what?”

his eyes narrowed.

“someone broke into our west-side shipment warehouse last night. someone who knew how to avoid cameras. guards.”

i swallowed. nodded. “you think it’s a mole?”

he stared at me too long.

too hard.

“i think we have a leak. and i think it’s close.”

i felt sick.

“you’re still safe,” he added, steppin close. “nikolai’s good at his job.”

my stomach flipped.

“but if i find out he’s crossed the line...” he tapped my cheek once, too gentle to be comforting. “i’ll bury him myself.”

---

NIKOLAI

i saw the boss walk outta her room.

my gut sank.

i had my hand on my gun before my brain caught up.

calm down.

stay invisible.

but inside?

i was already plannin escape routes. weapons. what to do if he found out.

cuz if he knew?

i wouldn’t survive it.

and neither would she.