Chapter seven

A Shadow in the Dark

Claire stared at the text message, her grip tightening around her phone.

You’re playing a dangerous game, Claire.

The words pulsed in her mind like a ticking bomb.

It wasn’t just Liam.

Someone else was watching.

Adrian exhaled through his nose, his gaze dark as he scrolled through the message. His fingers curled around the phone, his control razor-thin.

“Who has your number?” he asked, his voice sharp, lethal.

Claire shook her head. “Just a few people. I changed it after I got out of prison.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “That means someone went looking for it.”

Claire exhaled, forcing herself to think. “It could be Liam trying to scare me. Or Ava.”

Adrian didn’t look convinced.

“Carter doesn’t send warnings,” he said, voice like steel. “He acts. This is someone else.”

A chill ran through her.

Claire wasn’t stupid.

She had spent years surrounded by criminals in prison, learning how to read between the lines of threats.

This message wasn’t just a scare tactic.

It was a promise.

Her hands curled into fists. “Then let’s find out who.”

Adrian’s gaze flickered with approval.

“Already on it,” he murmured, pulling out his phone.

A single text was sent. One word.

Trace.

An Unwelcome Visitor

By the time they arrived at Blackwood Tower, Claire’s body was buzzing with restless energy.

Adrian had said nothing on the ride back, but she could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

And then—just as they stepped into the penthouse—

Daniel Vaughn was waiting.

Adrian’s right-hand man stood near the windows, his stance tight, alert.

Claire’s stomach knotted.

Daniel only showed up when something was wrong.

“Tell me you have something,” Adrian said, shrugging off his jacket.

Daniel nodded. “The text came from an encrypted number. Someone went through a lot of trouble to hide their identity.”

Adrian’s gaze darkened. “But?”

Daniel exhaled. “But we got a hit. The number was last used inside The Sterling Club.”

Claire’s breath caught.

The Sterling Club.

A place where secrets were currency.

A private, exclusive club for the city’s wealthiest and most dangerous.

Adrian’s jaw flexed. “Cassandra.”

Claire stiffened.

Cassandra Sterling.

Adrian’s ex-fiancée.

A woman who was once the most powerful socialite in the city—until Adrian left her.

Claire crossed her arms. “So your ex is spying on us?”

Adrian’s gaze flicked to her, unreadable. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Claire hated the small pang in her chest.

Not jealousy. No, she wasn’t that stupid.

But annoyance.

Cassandra wasn’t just a woman from Adrian’s past.

She was a threat from his present.

Adrian turned to Daniel. “Set a meeting.”

Daniel nodded. “Already done.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “You’re just going to walk into a trap?”

Adrian smirked, but it was cold. Dangerous.

“No, Claire,” he said smoothly. “I’m going to set one.”

The Sterling Club

The moment Claire stepped into The Sterling Club, she knew she didn’t belong there.

Not because she lacked the money or the power—but because she wasn’t a vulture.

The club was a playground for the elite, where secrets were whispered over glasses of aged whiskey and empires were built on carefully placed daggers.

Adrian, however, fit in perfectly.

The moment he stepped through the grand entrance, every head turned.

Women eyed him with hunger. Men with unease.

And Claire?

She gripped his arm, stepping closer, owning her place at his side.

A flicker of amusement danced in Adrian’s eyes.

“Claiming me, Claire?” he murmured, low and teasing.

She smiled sweetly. “Someone has to keep the vultures away.”

Adrian chuckled. “You are dangerous.”

Before she could reply, a voice sliced through the air.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Adrian Blackwood.”

Claire turned—and there she was.

Cassandra Sterling.

Tall, poised, and dripping in diamonds, Cassandra looked like a woman who had never lost anything in her life.

But her eyes—her eyes told a different story.

She hadn’t gotten over Adrian.

And she never would.

“Cassandra,” Adrian greeted smoothly.

Cassandra’s gaze flickered to Claire. “And you must be the new pet.”

Claire’s jaw ticked.

She smiled. “Oh no, sweetheart. I’m the upgrade.”

Cassandra’s lips curled, but there was murder in her eyes.

Adrian sighed. “Let’s cut to the chase. You sent the message.”

Cassandra laughed softly, swirling the wine in her glass. “Adrian, darling. If I wanted to send a message, I wouldn’t hide behind a phone.”

Claire folded her arms. “Then why was the number traced here?”

Cassandra’s smirk deepened. “Because whoever did send it wanted us to find this place.”

Silence.

Adrian’s eyes darkened. “You’re saying it wasn’t you?”

Cassandra leaned in. “I’m saying you have bigger problems than me.”

Claire frowned. “Who?”

Cassandra’s expression shifted.

For the first time, she looked almost... worried.

Adrian’s patience snapped. “Cassandra. Who?”

She exhaled. “I don’t know. But someone has been asking about Claire.”

Claire’s heart pounded. “Who’s asking?”

Cassandra shook her head. “I don’t know. But whoever they are... they’re powerful.”

Claire’s blood ran cold.

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “We’re done here.”

Cassandra smirked, but there was something different this time.

Something real.

“Be careful, Adrian,” she murmured, stepping closer. “You might have more enemies than you think.”

And with that—she walked away.

Claire turned to Adrian. “Do you believe her?”

Adrian’s eyes were like ice.

“No,” he said softly. “But I believe the threat.”

Claire inhaled.

This wasn’t just about revenge anymore.

Someone wanted her gone.

And she had no idea who.