Maya walked home from the café with her arms wrapped around herself, replaying every second of her conversation with Lucien. His cold dismissal. His annoyance. His warning.
She had gone there to bluff.
Instead, she walked away with something real.
Dangerous.
She didn’t know she was being followed.
The man in the dark jacket kept a steady distance, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on her back. He didn’t rush or hide.
He had orders.
From Lucien.
And from Mr. D.
They both do not tolerate loose ends.
Maya turned the corner toward her apartment building, rubbing her arms against the cold breeze. She didn’t notice the man pause at the intersection, watching her enter the lobby.
He pulled out his phone.
“She’s home,” he murmured. “You want me to go in now?”
A pause.
Then a low voice
