The room froze the second the man spoke.
"So the Benedict Pair finally reunited."
Rachel already hated that phrase.
Deeply.
Passionately.
It sounded less like romance and more like a government file.
Absolutely not.
The armed men behind him spread across the destroyed entrance slowly, weapons raised with practiced precision.
Too calm.
Too organized.
Rachel immediately knew these weren't random enemies.
These people expected to win.
That was concerning.
The man standing at the center adjusted the cuffs of his expensive charcoal suit before looking directly at Raziel.
Not afraid.
Interesting choice.
"You've become difficult to track."
Raziel's expression turned unreadable instantly.
"The mistake was coming here personally."
The man smiled slightly.
"And miss finally seeing the woman you burned half your empire over?"
Rachel blinked.
"…he WHAT?"
Oh.
Now everybody wanted to avoid eye contact.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Cassian muttered under his breath,
"This is why nobody can stand you."
Raziel ignored him completely.
His attention stayed on the men in front of them.
Calculating.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Rachel noticed something though.
His hand had moved subtly behind him.
Toward her.
Not touching.
Just there.
Protective.
Always protective.
The suited man's eyes shifted toward Rachel slowly.
And immediately
Rachel disliked him.
Not because he looked threatening.
Because he looked interested.
Too interested.
"So this is Rachel Brooks."
The way he said her name felt invasive somehow.
Rachel folded her arms instantly.
"And you are?"
"A businessman."
"Oh good. That sounds trustworthy."
Lucien snorted softly.
Adrian looked exhausted.
Meanwhile the stranger smiled wider.
"You don't remember me."
Rachel frowned.
"Should I?"
His gaze lingered on her face.
"You caused quite a bit of trouble once."
Raziel stepped forward slightly.
Tiny movement.
Still enough to change the atmosphere completely.
"Speak carefully."
The warning came low.
Deadly calm.
And the man noticed.
Rachel saw it immediately.
That tiny shift in his expression.
Amusement.
Like provoking Raziel entertained him.
"Still protective," the stranger murmured.
Then his eyes dropped briefly toward Rachel's stomach.
And something changed in the room.
Fast.
Violently fast.
Raziel moved before Rachel even processed it.
One second calm.
The next
The stranger was slammed hard against the wall with Raziel's hand around his throat.
The guards instantly raised their weapons.
Adrian and Lucien reacted immediately.
Cassian cursed loudly.
Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin.
"RAZIEL!"
His voice came dangerously quiet.
"You look at her again and I'll remove your eyes myself."
The entire room went still.
Because he meant it.
Every single word.
Rachel's pulse sped up instantly.
Not from fear.
God help her
Partly from the sheer intensity of him.
And that was becoming a problem.
A serious problem.
The stranger laughed weakly despite being pinned against concrete.
"There he is."
Raziel tightened his grip slightly.
"You should've stayed away from her."
"And yet here you are," the man rasped. "Still turning your entire empire upside down for one woman."
Rachel's chest tightened slightly at that.
One woman.
Raziel released him abruptly.
The man adjusted his collar calmly afterward like he hadn't almost died two seconds ago.
Psychopath behavior.
Truly.
"We're leaving," Raziel said flatly.
One of the guards stepped forward immediately.
"You're surrounded."
Raziel looked bored.
Actually bored.
Rachel was starting to understand why people feared him.
It wasn't loud aggression.
It was the fact that danger genuinely didn't seem to affect him anymore.
The stranger sighed softly.
"This could've been civilized."
Raziel's gaze stayed cold.
"It stopped being civilized when you involved Rachel."
Again.
That immediate shift whenever someone mentioned her.
Protective.
Possessive.
Terrifyingly personal.
Rachel rubbed her forehead tiredly.
"Can someone PLEASE explain why everybody suddenly acts like I'm the center of a mafia war?"
The stranger looked toward her carefully now.
And surprisingly
His tone softened.
"Because you are."
Wonderful.
Fantastic.
Love that for her.
"You became important the second Raziel decided you mattered."
The words hit harder than expected.
Because Rachel realized something terrifying.
Maybe the danger was never about her specifically.
Maybe the danger came from being loved by Raziel Benedict.
The stranger continued calmly.
"Men like him don't love normally."
Rachel's eyes shifted toward Raziel automatically.
And unfortunately
She already knew that.
"Every enemy he has," the man continued, "eventually learns the same thing."
A pause.
Then
"You're his weakness."
The room fell silent.
Not because the statement shocked anyone.
Because it was true.
Everybody there knew it.
Including Raziel.
Rachel looked at him slowly.
And for the first time
She saw it clearly.
Not obsession.
Not control.
Fear.
Real fear.
The kind a powerful man only feels when there's something he can't survive losing.
The realization hit her chest unexpectedly hard.
Because suddenly she understood why he watched her constantly.
Why he got angry so fast.
Why he looked restless whenever she walked away from him.
Why everybody kept saying he lost control around her.
Raziel wasn't afraid for himself.
He was afraid for her.
The stranger smiled faintly.
"You should see what he became after you disappeared."
Rachel's stomach tightened.
Raziel's expression darkened instantly.
"That conversation ends now."
"No," the man replied evenly. "She deserves to know."
Rachel swallowed slowly.
"…know what?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Of course.
Naturally.
Cassian leaned against the broken wall with folded arms.
"He nearly destroyed three organizations looking for you."
Rachel blinked.
"What?"
Lucien added quietly,
"He stopped attending meetings. Stopped sleeping properly. Became…"
He paused slightly.
"…violent."
Rachel looked toward Raziel carefully now.
He didn't deny any of it.
Again.
The stranger laughed softly.
"Violent is an understatement."
Rachel's heartbeat slowed strangely.
Not because she was calm.
Because something about hearing how badly Raziel lost himself over her affected her deeply.
Too deeply.
Another tremor shook the building.
This time stronger.
Dust scattered from the ceiling again.
The facility probably wouldn't survive much longer.
The stranger checked his watch calmly.
"We don't have much time."
Raziel stepped closer to Rachel immediately.
Instinct.
Automatic.
Like his body just naturally moved toward her whenever danger appeared.
"We're leaving," he repeated.
Rachel looked up at him.
"…and if I say no?"
His eyes met hers instantly.
And for a second
Everything else disappeared.
The guards.
The guns.
The collapsing building.
Everything.
"You won't."
The confidence in his voice should've annoyed her.
Instead
Her stomach flipped slightly.
Very irritating.
Rachel folded her arms.
"You're very sure of yourself."
His gaze lowered briefly to her lips before lifting again.
"Only when it comes to you."
Oh.
Okay.
That was unfairly attractive.
Cassian visibly looked like he regretted being alive.
Interesting.
The stranger suddenly stepped forward again carefully.
"This attachment is becoming dangerous for both of you."
Raziel's expression turned cold instantly.
"You mistake concern for permission."
"And you mistake obsession for love."
The temperature in the room dropped immediately.
Rachel felt the tension sharpen between them.
Dangerously personal.
Then the stranger looked directly at her.
And quietly said:
"You know he'd burn cities for you."
Rachel's breath caught slightly.
Because after everything tonight
She believed that.
Completely.
"But ask yourself something carefully, Rachel."
A pause.
Cold eyes holding hers.
"If a man destroys the world to protect you…"
His voice lowered.
"…what happens when he's the one you need protection from?"
Silence crushed the room instantly.
Rachel looked toward Raziel automatically.
And the worst part?
He looked affected by the question too.
The silence after that question felt suffocating.
Rachel hated it immediately.
Because nobody answered.
Not Cassian.
Not Lucien.
Not Adrian.
And definitely not Raziel.
That scared her more than the actual question.
The stranger adjusted his sleeve calmly, like he hadn't just dropped emotional destruction into the middle of the room.
"You see the problem now."
Raziel's gaze turned murderous instantly.
"The problem is you're still speaking."
Rachel noticed something important though.
Raziel looked angry
But not offended.
That tiny detail lodged itself painfully inside her chest.
Because somewhere deep down
He understood the concern too.
Another tremor shook the building violently.
The lights overhead flickered again.
This place was falling apart fast.
But Rachel's thoughts were worse.
Messier.
Louder.
She looked toward Raziel carefully.
"…would you?"
The question came out quieter than she intended.
His eyes shifted to hers instantly.
Rachel swallowed slowly.
"Would you actually destroy people for me?"
Nobody moved.
The answer mattered.
Everybody knew it.
Raziel stepped closer slowly.
Not forcing.
Not cornering.
Just close enough for his voice to lower.
"I already have."
Rachel's breath caught.
No hesitation.
No apology.
Just truth.
God.
That should've terrified her more than it did.
Cassian rubbed a hand over his face tiredly.
"This is exactly why the rest of us are exhausted."
Lucien muttered under his breath,
"You say that like you're any better."
Interesting.
Rachel mentally noted that for later.
Because apparently every dangerous man around her came with unresolved emotional issues.
Wonderful.
The stranger's attention stayed on Rachel.
"He killed men for less than a threat against you."
Raziel's expression darkened immediately.
"They touched what belonged to me."
The words landed heavily.
Possessively.
Dangerously.
And Rachel felt heat crawl unexpectedly up her neck.
Absolutely humiliating timing.
Cassian noticed.
Of course he did.
His expression hardened instantly.
Oh.
He definitely had feelings somewhere in this mess.
That complicated things.
Rachel folded her arms tighter.
"You keep saying things like that."
Raziel's gaze stayed steady on hers.
"Because they're true."
Rachel's pulse betrayed her immediately.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Another explosion thundered below them.
Closer now.
Concrete cracked somewhere deeper inside the building.
The stranger glanced toward the collapsing hallway briefly.
"We really should continue this somewhere less explosive."
"No," Raziel replied flatly.
The man sighed.
"You're impossible."
Rachel quietly agreed.
Adrian suddenly stepped toward the broken window, checking something below.
His expression shifted instantly.
"…we've got movement outside."
Lucien moved beside him immediately.
Rachel frowned.
"What kind of movement?"
Neither answered quickly enough.
That was becoming everybody's favorite hobby apparently.
Then
Gunfire erupted outside the building.
Not inside this time.
Outside.
Dozens of shots.
Fast.
Violent.
Rachel jumped slightly at the sound.
Raziel's attention snapped toward her immediately.
Checking her.
Always checking her.
Adrian cursed sharply.
"We're surrounded."
The stranger muttered something under his breath.
"Of course we are."
Rachel looked between them.
"…is this normal for rich people because honestly I miss waitressing."
Shockingly
Raziel almost smiled.
Tiny shift.
Gone quickly.
Still there.
And the fact that she noticed it during a life-threatening situation was genuinely concerning.
Cassian noticed too.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The tension broke suddenly when a bullet tore through the shattered doorway.
Everybody moved instantly.
Adrian fired back immediately.
Lucien grabbed Rachel fast enough to pull her down behind the overturned table again.
And Raziel
Raziel lost every ounce of calm he had left.
"GET DOWN."
The command ripped through the room violently.
Rachel had never heard his voice like that before.
Not cold.
Not controlled.
Panicked.
Another bullet hit the wall inches from where she'd been standing.
Concrete exploded outward.
Rachel gasped sharply.
Raziel reached her in seconds.
One arm wrapping around her protectively while shielding her body completely with his own.
The movement was automatic.
Instinctive.
Like his first thought during danger was always her.
Gunfire echoed nonstop now.
The room became chaos instantly.
Shouting.
Smoke.
Broken glass.
Weapons firing from every direction.
Rachel's pulse slammed wildly against her ribs as Raziel kept her pressed tightly against him behind cover.
"You okay?"
Even now
Even NOW
That was his first concern.
Rachel stared at him in disbelief.
"…there are bullets flying everywhere."
His hand moved against the back of her neck gently.
"Answer me."
God.
That tone.
That terrifyingly soft tone during complete violence.
"…I'm okay," she whispered.
Raziel exhaled slowly against her hair.
Like he'd been holding his breath waiting for that answer.
Rachel physically felt it.
And somehow
That affected her more than the gunfire.
Cassian slid behind the opposite side of the table seconds later.
Blood stained part of his sleeve now.
Rachel frowned instantly.
"You're hurt."
He looked unimpressed.
"I've survived worse."
Lucien fired another shot across the room before muttering,
"That sounds deeply unhealthy."
Another bullet slammed into the wall above them.
Rachel flinched hard.
Raziel immediately tightened his hold around her.
Protective.
Possessive.
Terrifyingly careful despite the chaos.
Then Rachel noticed something.
Every single time someone got too close to her
Raziel reacted violently.
Instantly.
Without thought.
And suddenly the stranger's earlier question replayed in her head again.
What happens when he's the one you need protection from?
Rachel looked up at Raziel slowly.
And honestly?
She still didn't know the answer.
Because right now
Being in his arms felt safer than anything else in the world.
The gunfire outside suddenly stopped.
Abruptly.
Too abruptly.
Everybody noticed immediately.
The silence afterward felt wrong.
Dead wrong.
Adrian frowned toward the doorway.
"…why did they stop?"
Nobody answered.
Then
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway slowly.
One person.
Not rushing.
Not hiding.
Confident.
Rachel felt Raziel tense instantly.
Not slightly.
Violently.
The footsteps stopped outside the destroyed entrance.
And a familiar male voice spoke calmly through the smoke.
"Rachel."
Her stomach dropped instantly.
Because she knew that voice.
Even before she fully remembered why.
Then the man stepped into view.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark eyes locked directly onto hers.
And the second Rachel saw his face
Another memory slammed into her violently.
Him teaching her how to ride a bike.
Him laughing while stealing fries off her plate.
Him hugging her tightly while saying:
"No matter what happens, I'll always find you."
Rachel's breath caught painfully.
Because standing in the doorway
Gun in hand
Looking absolutely furious
Was her brother.