BOOK 1. - Deal With The Devil - Prologue
814 Words
The city lights below pulsed like the steady beat of a massive heart buried deep within Manhattan’s concrete jungle. Up above, on the top floor of a skyscraper, the world felt both too quiet and too suffocating. The walls of the conference room were lined with thick, bulletproof glass, yet the darkness of night still seeped in—as if it were watching.
Lucian Thornewell stood in front of the window, his back to the room, motionless, as if he saw something beyond the glass that no one else could. His dark suit was tailored, flawless, like it had been poured onto him—but it wasn’t flashy. Lucian never flaunted. He didn’t need to. His presence alone was weight—like a silent threat no one dared to ignore.
In his hand, he held a steel blade, spinning it lazily between his fingers in a rhythm that seemed almost bored. To the untrained eye, it might’ve looked like a harmless habit—some idle ritual. But those who knew him understood: he only did this when someone had betrayed him.
Behind him, three men sat at the table in tense silence. None of them dared to speak. Lucian was not known for his patience—and even less for asking twice. Finally, Tobias—the only one who had survived more than a decade by his side—broke the silence.
“The shipment... is gone, boss.”
Lucian didn’t turn. The blade kept spinning between his fingers, slow and hypnotic.
“How much?” he asked.
His voice was barely louder than a whisper, yet every man in the room straightened as if given a direct order.
“Three containers. Weapons, tactical gear, optics—all fully traceable cargo. The ship left port but never arrived. Based on the last known coordinates, someone intercepted it... under the name Elliot Carter.”
Lucian still didn’t move. Only the blade stilled.
“Elliot Carter.” He said the name slowly, as if tasting it. “The Carter kid?”
Tobias nodded carefully.
“Yes. He was the primary point of contact. The contract was signed under his name. Now he’s gone. Unreachable, off the grid. His apartment’s empty. His bank accounts were frozen yesterday. His phone is off. His car was abandoned in a parking garage.”
At last, Lucian turned. His eyes were dark brown, nearly black—eyes that reflected neither light nor humanity. The blade clinked softly onto the table, and he slowly sat down, as if giving the others a moment… or himself.
“I don’t believe this was a coincidence,” he said coldly. “This was planned. And if someone disappears this cleanly, they know exactly what they’re doing.”
“We’ve already started digging,” Tobias said, sliding a tablet across the table. “But we’re also mapping out his surroundings. His family. We’re looking for someone we can use as leverage.”
Lucian nodded.
“And?”
A photo appeared on the screen. The woman in the image wasn’t smiling. She wasn’t looking at the camera. She just stood in front of a glass door, her black hair caught in the wind. Her face was calm. Too calm.
“His sister,” Tobias said quietly. “Andromeda Carter. Twenty-three years old. Lead engineering designer at Carter Architecture. The company is run by one of her brothers—Elijah—the official heir. Elliot is the black sheep. But the sister… she was the connection.”
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
“Andy?”
“Yes. That’s what they call her. Andy Carter. The system, the official documents… everything lists her under that name. The business registers, the contracts, the shipping forms... all assumed Elliot had a younger brother.”
There was a moment of silence. Lucian’s face remained unreadable. Then, slowly, he smiled. The kind of smile that made people take a step back—because they knew: someone had just crossed a line they shouldn't have.
“The boy... that filthy little worm... used his sister’s name as a shield the entire time.” He stood. “And he didn’t even warn her, did he?”
Tobias shook his head.
“No. According to the intel, the girl has no idea. They haven’t even spoken in days.”
Lucian walked back to the window, but this time he didn’t look out over the city. His mind was already elsewhere. The target was no longer the boy. It was the one he left behind.
“Prep the team,” he said. “By tomorrow, I want everything on her. Where she works, when she wakes up, where she has lunch, who she talks to the most. And when we’re ready…”
He glanced back for a single heartbeat. There was no doubt in his eyes.
“Bring her in alive. No harm to her... for now.”
- Writer
