Chapter 1 CHA

I leaned against the rusted frame of the garage door, my silhouette framed by the flickering orange glow of a nearby barrel fire. The air here was a thick, suffocating cocktail of gasoline, burnt rubber, and raw adrenaline. My heart wasn't just beating; it was a frantic drum against my ribs, each thrum heavy and jagged. I forced my posture to remain loose, a practiced mask of indifference, though every muscle was coiled tight enough to snap.

In the center of the chaos stood the fastest thing in this graveyard: a custom-built monster of chrome and obsidian. And over it was the man who made the very air feel electric.

Jaxson Vane.

He didn't look up. He wiped a grease-stained rag over a chrome exhaust pipe with a slow, predatory deliberation that made my throat go dry. Up close, he was less a man and more a tectonic event. The heat radiating off his massive frame, combined with the humid night air, turned the oxygen in the garage into something thick and liquid.

"How much for a ride?" I asked, my voice cutting through the roar of revving engines.

"You can't afford the seat, sweetheart," Jaxson said. His voice was a low, gravelly friction that seemed to vibrate in the very marrow of my bones. "And you're standing in my light."

"I have a feeling I can be very persuasive when I want something," I countered. I stepped forward, my heels clicking sharply against the oil-slicked concrete. Each step felt like walking a tightrope over a canyon. My palms were damp, a cold slickness I hid by tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

He finally looked up. His eyes weren't just dark; they were voids that threatened to swallow my resolve whole. A jagged scar ran through his left eyebrow-a silver line of history against his tanned, tattooed skin. The sight of him sent a jolt of pure, unadulterated fire through my system, making my fingertips tingle and my breath hitch.

"Persuasion is a dangerous game to play in the dirt," he said, straightening to his full, intimidating height. He was a head taller than me, a wall of leather and hard-won muscle. The scent of him hit me like a physical blow-expensive bourbon mixed with the metallic tang of speed. It was intoxicating, a scent that promised both ruin and ecstasy.

"I've never been afraid of getting a little dirty," I whispered. I reached out, my fingers trembling as I brushed them against the cold steel of his bike. The air between us was charged, thick with an invisible current that made the fine hairs on my arms stand up.

"Is that right?" Jaxson took a step into my personal space. The heat from his chest rolled over me in waves. I could see the pulse jumping in his neck, a steady, rhythmic throb that matched the frantic pounding in my own chest.

"I'm looking for something specific," I said, my voice dropping to a smoky velvet. "Something only the Phantom CEO can provide."

He stiffened. It was subtle-a hardening of his jaw, a narrowing of those obsidian eyes. "I don't know who you think I am, Little Thief."

The nickname sent a chill down my spine. I had to keep him distracted. I had to get into his orbit, or the mission-the reason I was even breathing this toxic air-would crumble into ash.

"I think you're exactly who I've been searching for," I said, closing the remaining distance. I placed my hand flat against his chest. The leather of his vest was rough, but beneath it, his heart was a powerful, steady engine. My own heart felt like a trapped bird, frantic and bruised, slamming against my ribcage.

Jaxson didn't pull away. Instead, his hand came up, his large, calloused fingers wrapping around my wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but it was absolute. The heat of his skin scorched me. A wave of dizziness washed over me, a cocktail of fear and a sudden, terrifying hunger.

"You're shaking," he noted, his thumb grazing the sensitive skin of my inner wrist.

"Anticipation," I lied, though my voice cracked. My throat felt tight and dry. I could feel the blood rushing to my face, a heat that felt like a fever.

"Or terror," he whispered, leaning down until his lips were inches from my ear. His breath was warm, smelling of peppermint and smoke. "I haven't decided which I like better yet."

"Why don't you find out?" I challenged. I tilted my head back, exposing the line of my throat. My skin felt overly sensitive, every movement of the air feeling like a caress. I was hyper-aware of everything: the distant scream of tires, the flickering fire, the way his eyes tracked the movement of my lips.

His gaze dropped to my mouth, and the air left my lungs. The world narrowed down to this square inch of space. The tension was a living thing, a cord stretched to the point of breaking. My stomach flipped, a hollow, aching sensation that made my knees feel weak.

"You have no idea what you're asking for," he growled.

"Then show me," I breathed.

He didn't hesitate. His mouth crashed against mine with a violence that took my breath away. It wasn't a kiss; it was a claim. It tasted of salt and fire. My head spun, the garage tilting on its axis. I clung to his shoulders, my nails digging into the leather, seeking an anchor in the storm. Every nerve ending in my body was screaming. The sensation was overwhelming-the scratch of his stubble, the pressure of his body pinning me against the bike, the taste of him filling my senses. It was a sensory overload that made my brain go quiet, leaving only the raw, visceral reality of him.

He pulled back just an inch, his eyes wild. "Last chance to run, Elena."

My name on his tongue felt like a brand. I didn't ask how he knew it. I didn't care. The mission, the hard drive, the corporate secrets-they all felt miles away, blurred by the heat of his skin.

"Don't make me wait," I said, my voice a ragged edge.

He grabbed my waist and hoisted me onto the seat of the motorcycle. The cold leather against my thighs was a sharp contrast to the heat of his hands. He swung a leg over, the engine roaring to life beneath us with a vibration that traveled through my entire body, settling deep in my pelvis.

We tore out of the garage, the night air whipping my hair into a frenzy. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face into the center of his back. The world was a blur of neon lights and dark shadows. My heart was no longer mine; it belonged to the speed, to the danger, to the man I was supposed to be robbing.

By the time we reached his loft-a sprawling, industrial space overlooking the river-the tension had reached a fever pitch. He didn't even wait to turn on the lights. He pushed me against the door the moment it swung shut, his hands mapping the curves of my body with an urgency that bordered on desperation.

"The drive," a small, dying voice in the back of my mind whispered. "Find the drive."

But his hands were on my skin, and the world was falling away. He stripped me with a ruthless efficiency, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt exposed, as if he were peeling back the layers of my identity. My skin burned everywhere he touched. We fell onto the bed, a tangled mess of limbs and gasping breaths. It was a war of touch. Every time he moved, I felt a new wave of sensation-the weight of him, the friction, the sharp intake of air. I was drowning in him, and I didn't want to be saved.

The passion was explosive, a release of all the hidden tensions of the night. It was desperate and dark, a collision of two people who lived in the shadows. I felt a strange, terrifying connection to him-a sense that he saw the darkness in me, and I saw the hollow ache in him.

As the dawn began to gray the edges of the heavy curtains, I lay there, my body feeling heavy and used. My skin was sensitive, humming with the afterglow of his touch. I waited until his breathing became deep and rhythmic, the sound of a man who feared nothing.

Slowly, agonizingly, I slipped out from under his arm. My muscles ached, a dull throb in my thighs and back. I moved through the shadows of the loft like a ghost. My eyes scanned the room, landing on his jacket thrown over a chair. My fingers were steady now, the professional spy overriding the trembling woman. I reached into the inner pocket. My heart leaped. The hard drive. A small, silver rectangle that held enough secrets to bring down empires. I tucked it into the hidden compartment of my discarded bag.

I dressed in silence, my movements fluid and practiced. I didn't look back at the bed. I couldn't. If I looked at him, I might stay, and staying was a death sentence.

I reached for the door, my hand hovering over the cold metal. A wave of nausea hit me-a sudden, sharp cramp in my stomach that made me double over. I chalked it up to the adrenaline crash. I stepped out and didn't stop until I reached the safety of a crowded subway station blocks away. Only then did I allow myself to breathe. I reached into my bag to check the drive one last time.

My hand brushed against a piece of paper that hadn't been there before.

My blood turned to ice. My lungs seized. I pulled out a small, white plastic stick and a folded note. I stared at the two blue lines on the stick. They were mocking me, vivid and undeniable. My vision blurred, the sounds of the station receding into a dull roar.

I unfolded the note. The handwriting was bold, sharp, and arrogant.

"Nice try, Little Thief. You forgot something."

I shoved my hand deeper into the bag, reaching for the hard drive. My fingers met empty space. The drive was gone. In its place was nothing but the heavy, crushing realization of what I had truly lost. He had known.