The Rain Between Us

Chapter 1: Shadows and Strangers

The rain hit the pavement like a warning. Heavy, relentless, as if the sky itself was urging her to turn back. But Emily Carter never believed in omens.



Clutching her umbrella, she stepped out of the black town car. Her heels clicked against the slick stone of the hotel’s private entrance. This wasn’t a place for people like her—law-abiding, sensible, invisible.

It was a den for wolves. And tonight, Emily had willingly walked into their territory.



Her assignment was clear: deliver the legal documents, get the signature, and disappear. Simple. Clean.



But the moment her eyes met Nathan Valerio, the heir to the Valerio crime empire, she knew clean was off the table.



Nathan lounged at the bar like he owned the world. Dark suit, darker gaze. He wasn’t the type to sit quietly in the shadows, yet somehow, the shadows bent to him.



“Miss Carter,” he said smoothly, lifting his glass. His voice was silk over steel. “I’ve been expecting you.”



Her throat tightened. No, you haven’t, she wanted to say. She was just a junior lawyer in her firm. Disposable. Invisible.



But Nathan Valerio didn’t waste time on nobodies.



He smirked, as if he could read her fear. “Relax. I don’t bite…” His eyes gleamed, dangerously amused. “Unless invited.”



Emily forced a tight smile and placed the papers on the table between them. “Just business, Mr. Valerio.”



But as his fingers brushed hers, lightning shot through her veins.



The rain outside roared louder, drowning her thoughts.



Nathan’s smile sharpened. “Miss Carter,” he said, voice low, intimate, like a promise and a threat wrapped in silk.

“There’s no such thing as just business in my world.”



And before she could respond, the lights flickered — then snapped to black.



A gunshot rang out.



Screams followed.



Emily’s heart slammed into her ribs as strong hands seized her wrist.

Nathan’s voice was at her ear, rough and commanding.



“Stay close to me if you want to live.”