Crossing the line
1386 Words
Lena could still feel Jace’s warning in her bones long after he left.
"Damian won’t show you mercy."
The words echoed in her head as she paced her apartment, her nerves stretched tight. She wasn’t naive. She knew what her father was capable of. He had built an empire on power, fear, and control. And he had no tolerance for betrayal.
She had always been the obedient daughter. The one who followed the rules. The one who never questioned him.
Until now.
Because now, she was risking everything for a man who had every reason to hate her.
Ethan Cole.
She ran a hand through her hair and grabbed her keys. If she was going to do this, she had to move fast. She needed to see Ethan. She needed to prove that she wasn’t her father’s puppet.
She needed him to believe her.
---
Ethan didn’t expect to hear a knock on his door at midnight.
He had spent the last few hours analyzing every detail of the file Jared had brought him, trying to piece together the truth. He was so lost in thought that when the knock came again—louder this time—he almost ignored it.
Until he checked the security feed and saw her.
Lena.
Drenched from the rain, her hair clinging to her face, her coat barely shielding her from the cold.
Ethan’s jaw tightened as he moved to the door, unlocking it but not opening it. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you," she said, her voice almost breathless.
Ethan let the silence stretch before finally pulling the door open. "You shouldn’t be here."
She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. "And yet, here I am."
Ethan shut the door behind her, watching as she crossed the room, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold something together.
"What do you want, Lena?" he asked, his voice colder than he intended.
She turned to face him, her eyes burning with something he couldn’t quite read. "I got you what you asked for."
Ethan frowned. "What?"
She reached into her coat and pulled out a small flash drive, holding it up between them. "Proof. Evidence that Victor Hayes is working with my father."
Ethan stared at it, his chest tightening. If this was real—if she had actually gone against Damian Knight for him—this was more dangerous than he had thought.
"You stole from your father?" he asked slowly.
Lena exhaled. "Yes."
Ethan’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. This was insane.
"Lena, do you have any idea what he’ll do if he finds out?"
She lifted her chin. "I know."
"You don’t," Ethan snapped, stepping closer. "You grew up in his world, but you’ve never been inside it. He doesn’t just punish people—he destroys them."
Lena’s lips parted, her breath shaky. "I’m aware of the risks, Ethan. But I had to do this."
He didn’t understand her.
He wanted to believe this was real, that she was willing to risk everything for the truth. But part of him—the part that had spent years learning not to trust—was screaming at him to stop.
"Lena, why are you doing this?" His voice was lower now, rougher.
Her hands trembled as she reached for his. "Because I believe you."
Ethan’s pulse pounded in his ears.
Because that was the thing he never expected to hear from her.
His grip tightened around hers, his breath shallow. "You shouldn’t."
Lena stepped even closer, so close he could feel the heat of her body, the soft tremble of her breath. "But I do."
And then, before he could stop it, before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed her.
His lips crashed into hers, desperate, claiming, fueled by something dark and dangerous. She gasped into his mouth, but she didn’t pull away. She leaned in, her fingers threading through his hair, her body pressing against his like she belonged there.
Ethan groaned as he backed her against the wall, his hands gripping her waist, sliding down, pulling her closer.
Lena moaned softly, her nails digging into his back. "Ethan—"
He swallowed her words with another kiss, deep and urgent.
This was wrong.
She was the enemy’s daughter.
But at that moment, none of it mattered.
All that mattered was her.
And the fact that he was already too far gone.
Ethan didn’t stop kissing her. He couldn’t. The moment his lips touched hers, something inside him snapped. His hands roamed her body, gripping, pulling, desperate for more. Lena melted into him, her body arching as she responded with the same hunger.
Her coat slipped off her shoulders, falling to the floor with a soft thud. Her fingers tugged at his shirt, her breath hot against his skin as she pressed closer.
"Ethan," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.
He cupped her face, tilting her head back as his lips trailed down her neck, tasting the rain that clung to her skin. She let out a soft moan, her hands fisting in his hair.
This was madness.
He should stop.
He had to stop.
But then Lena's fingers slid under his shirt, her touch burning against his skin, and all reason vanished.
With a low growl, he lifted her off the ground. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he carried her toward the bedroom, their lips never breaking apart.
The world outside didn’t exist anymore.
There was no war. No betrayal. No danger.
There was only this—this fire, this need, this woman who had walked into his life and completely shattered his control.
As they fell onto the bed, tangled in sheets and heat, Ethan knew one thing for sure.
After tonight, nothing would ever be the same.
Lena woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window.
Her body ached in the most delicious way, a reminder of the night before. She turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on Ethan, who was lying beside her, his arm draped over his forehead, his chest rising and falling steadily.
For a moment, she let herself admire him.
The sharp angles of his face. The way his dark hair fell over his forehead. The strength in his jaw, even in sleep.
He looked different like this. Softer.
She wanted to reach out, to trace her fingers down his cheek, to memorize the way he looked in the quiet of the morning.
But then reality came crashing back.
Her father.
Jace’s warning.
The flash drive.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to sit up. She needed to go. Staying here, in Ethan’s bed, wrapped in the warmth of his presence, was dangerous.
But as she moved, Ethan’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist.
"Where are you going?" His voice was rough with sleep, but his grip was firm.
Lena’s pulse quickened. "I have to go before anyone realizes I was here."
Ethan sat up, his eyes dark and unreadable as he studied her. "And then what?"
Lena hesitated. "I’ll find a way to get more information. I need to know how deep my father is in with Victor Hayes."
Ethan’s jaw clenched. "You’ve already risked too much, Lena."
She met his gaze, her chest tightening. "So have you."
Ethan exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "This thing between us—it complicates everything."
Lena’s throat tightened. "I know."
But neither of them moved.
Because the truth was, it was already too complicated.
And they were in far too deep.
Lena barely made it back to her apartment before her phone rang.
She hesitated before picking it up.
Her father.
A cold chill ran down her spine as she answered. "Hello?"
"Lena," Damian Knight’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that made her grip the phone tighter.
"Yes, Dad?" she said, keeping her tone even.
There was a pause. Then—
"Where were you last night?"
Her breath caught.
Her fingers curled around the sheets as she forced herself to stay calm. "I was at home."
Silence.
Then—
"Don’t lie to me, sweetheart."
Lena’s stomach twisted.
Her father knew.
And that meant she was running out of time.
- Writer
