The car moved through the city in near silence, the low hum of the engine the only sound between us.
I could still feel it—the adrenaline lingering in my veins, the phantom grip of Vladimir's hand on my wrist, the weight of the night pressing against my ribs like a vice.
Sophia and Julian sat on either side of me, their bodies tense, their breathing uneven. None of us spoke. There was too much to process. Too much that didn't make sense.
Vladimir sat across from me, one leg casually crossed over the other, the dim city lights flashing against the sharp angles of his face. Composed. Unbothered. Like he hadn't just saved us from—whatever the hell that was.
I clenched my fists in my lap, my nails digging into my skin.
I had questions. So many questions. But I didn't know which one to ask first.
Julian beat me to it.
"What the hell was that back there?" His voice was low, tight. "Who were those people?"
Vladimir didn't move. He didn't even blink. It was like he hadn't heard the question at all.
Julian's jaw clenched. "Hey, I'm talking to you—"
Vladimir tilted his head slightly, finally acknowledging him. "No, you're not." His voice was calm, almost bored, but there was something underneath it—something sharp enough to cut.
Julian's nostrils flared, but he didn't push further. He wasn't stupid.
Sophia let out a shaky breath, hugging her arms around herself. "Can you at least tell us where you're taking us?"
Vladimir's gaze flicked to her, then back to me. Like she wasn't the one he was answering.
"I'm taking you home."
I frowned. "Just like that?"
He didn't react.
"Why?" I pressed. "You didn't have to help us."
Vladimir leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Didn't I?"
His words sent a slow, creeping heat through my spine. There was something about the way he said it, the way his gaze lingered on mine—like he knew something I didn't.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to hold his stare. "I don't owe you anything."
For a second, his lips twitched—a hint of amusement, or something close to it.
"I never said you did."
I hated how easily he threw me off balance. How effortlessly he unraveled me without even trying.
The car slowed as we pulled onto a familiar street. My apartment.
A breath I hadn't realized I was holding slipped past my lips. The comfort of home was so close, but the tension in my chest refused to fade.
Vladimir sat still, watching me like he knew exactly what I was thinking. Like he knew I was still turning over every piece of tonight, still trying to understand what had happened and why.
The driver pulled the car to a smooth stop at the curb. Outside, the street was quiet, the soft glow of streetlights making the wet pavement shimmer. It felt like another world entirely compared to where we'd just been.
Julian exhaled, already reaching for the door handle. "Finally."
But before he could step out, Vladimir spoke.
"Wait."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried—a command, not a request.
Julian's fingers curled around the handle, his jaw tightening. But he hesitated, sinking back into the seat.
Vladimir turned to me. "A word, Kaira."
Sophia's head snapped toward me. "Alone?"
Vladimir didn't look at her. Didn't acknowledge her at all. His focus was on me, and only me.
I swallowed, my pulse quickening. I should have refused. Should have stepped out of the car and walked away. But something in his gaze held me there—something unreadable, something I wasn't sure I wanted to understand.
I nodded once.
Julian muttered a curse under his breath but pushed the door open and climbed out. Sophia shot me a look, her eyes flashing with a mixture of worry and disbelief, but she followed.
The door shut behind them, leaving just the two of us.
A heavy silence filled the space.
Vladimir studied me for a moment before shifting, reaching into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Slow. Unhurried. Deliberate.
I tensed before I even knew why.
He pulled out a phone—mine.
My breath caught.
My fingers flew to my pockets before I even thought about it, searching, but of course—it wasn't there. I must have lost it in the chaos.
Vladimir turned it over in his hand, running his thumb along the edge like he was debating something. Then, finally, he held it out to me.
I stared at him. At the phone.
How long had he had it? Had he just found it… or had he been holding onto it for longer?
I reached out, hesitating for half a second before taking it from him. His fingers brushed against mine as I did. A small, fleeting touch, but it sent a shiver down my spine anyway.
I curled my fingers around the device, gripping it tightly. "Where did you get this?"
Vladimir didn't answer right away. Instead, he leaned back against the leather seat, watching me with that same unreadable expression.
"Be more careful next time, Kaira."
My stomach twisted.
"That's not an answer."
Vladimir exhaled, tilting his head slightly. "It's the only one you're getting."
I clenched my jaw. He wasn't going to tell me.
Of course he wasn't.
I could feel frustration rising in my chest, mingling with something else—something warmer, more dangerous.
I should have gotten out of the car. I should have left right then and there.
But I didn't.
I studied him instead, taking in the sharp lines of his face, the way the dim glow of the city lights flickered against his skin. He looked just as composed as he had in the club, just as unreadable as when he had saved me—but there was something else there now. A quiet intensity. A stillness that felt too heavy, too deliberate.
He wasn't just looking at me.
He was waiting.
I licked my lips, my fingers tightening around my phone. "How do you know where I live?"
Vladimir's gaze didn't waver. He had expected the question.
"I make it my business to know things."
A chill ran down my spine. "You call that an answer?"
His lips twitched slightly. "It's the only one you're getting."
A flare of frustration sparked inside me. "Do you always do this?"
"Do what?"
"Deflect."
Vladimir exhaled, tilting his head slightly. "You ask questions you aren't ready for the answers to."
I frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
"You're reckless," he murmured.
Something in my chest tightened. "Excuse me?"
"You don't pay attention to your surroundings," he continued, voice calm, almost thoughtful. "You get distracted easily. You hesitate when you shouldn't."
My breath caught.
He was talking about tonight. About the way I froze in that corridor. About the way he had to pull me back.
Heat rose in my cheeks, anger and embarrassment twisting inside me. "I didn't ask for your help."
Vladimir's lips curved slightly—not a smile. Something else. Something darker.
"But you needed it."
My pulse stuttered.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The air in the car felt thicker, charged with something unspoken.
Vladimir tilted his head, watching me closely. "Next time, be more careful."
Next time.
The words settled between us, heavy with implication. Like he already knew this wasn't over.
Like he already knew I would cross paths with him again.
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to look away. I pushed the car door open, stepping out onto the pavement. The air outside felt cooler than it should have.
Sophia and Julian were waiting a few steps away. Julian had his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Sophia, on the other hand, was staring at me like I'd lost my mind.
I didn't blame her.
I turned back toward the car, gripping the door handle, not sure why I was hesitating.
Vladimir hadn't moved. He was still watching me, his gaze dark and steady, like he was memorizing something.
Like he was memorizing me.
I swallowed. "Goodnight, Vladimir."
His lips parted slightly, as if he was going to say something—but he didn't.
Instead, he leaned back against the seat, his expression unreadable once again.
I shut the door before I could let myself wonder what he had been about to say.
The car pulled away a moment later, slipping into the night like a shadow.
I watched it disappear down the street, my pulse still unsteady.
I felt Sophia step closer before I saw her. "What the hell was that?"
I let out a slow breath, shaking my head. "I don't know."
Because that was the truth.
I didn't know.
But as I turned toward my apartment, as I tried to push down the lingering heat curling in my stomach, I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time I'd see him.