A Warning in the Dark
553 Words
Naomi’s pulse spiked.
The voice belonged to a man, deep and edged with something unsettling. A warning wrapped in velvet.
She turned slowly, her skin prickling as she caught sight of the figure lurking in the shadows of the balcony. He stepped forward, the glow of the city catching his features—sharp, chiseled, and familiar.
She’d seen his face before.
Newspapers. Business headlines.
Alexander Hayes.
A corporate power broker with a reputation as a kingmaker—and a destroyer. A man who thrived in the underbelly of billion-dollar deals, making and breaking fortunes with a single whisper.
And he was staring at her.
Naomi swallowed hard, refusing to let the shiver of unease show.
"I don’t believe we’ve met," she said, keeping her voice even.
Hayes gave a slow, deliberate smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "We haven’t. But I make it my business to know when someone new enters the game."
Her grip tightened on the balcony railing. "The game?"
"Damian Everett doesn’t just bring people into his inner circle, Ms. Carter," Hayes said smoothly. "Especially not… outsiders."
The word outsider carried weight, and Naomi felt it.
"I’m not part of anything," she said carefully. "I just work for him."
Hayes hummed, studying her like a puzzle he wasn’t quite sure how to solve.
"That’s what they all think at first," he murmured.
A chill curled down her spine.
"You should leave, Naomi," he said casually, as if discussing the weather. "Before you’re in too deep."
Her heartbeat thundered.
"And why would I do that?"
Hayes tilted his head, eyes glinting.
"Because I know Damian Everett. And men like him don’t let things—or people—go easily."
Her stomach twisted.
Was that a warning? A threat?
Before she could respond, the doors behind her swept open.
"Naomi."
She froze.
Damian’s voice was sharp, laced with something she couldn’t quite place.
She turned to find him standing in the doorway, his gaze locked onto Hayes like a predator sizing up a threat.
"Alexander," Damian said coolly. "I wasn’t aware you two had met."
Hayes didn’t flinch. He smiled, unbothered. "Just introducing myself to your new… protégé."
Damian’s jaw ticked.
"She’s off-limits," he said, his voice low, absolute.
Hayes chuckled, stepping back. "Then I suppose I’ll see you both soon."
He gave Naomi one last glance—an inspecting sort of look—before slipping back inside the gala.
The moment he was gone, Damian turned to her, his gaze fierce.
"What did he say to you?"
Naomi hesitated. "That I should walk away."
His expression darkened.
"He’s trying to rattle you," he said. "Ignore him."
But there was something off in his voice.
Something like… frustration.
Concern.
Naomi crossed her arms. "Who is he to you?"
Damian exhaled, his jaw tightening before he finally said, "A man who has spent his life trying to bury me."
The weight of those words settled over her.
Damian Everett had enemies. Powerful ones.
And now, because of tonight—
She was on their radar, too.
Chapter Five:
Back inside the gala, Naomi tried to ignore the lingering unease.
But as she moved through the glittering crowd, a waitress slipped her a folded napkin.
A message.
Scrawled in ink were five chilling words—
"You don’t know the truth."
Her blood ran cold.
- Writer
