Ashes of Our Flame
Episode 7: "The Devil's Deal"
"You're not as subtle as you think, Miss Voss."
The click of Marcus Vale's gun hammer echoed louder than thunder in the silent room. Kara turned slowly, hands raised slightly, heart slamming against her ribs like a trapped bird.
He stood in the shadows near a tall bookshelf, dressed in a black tailored suit, his expression unreadable, his presence cold enough to freeze time itself.
"I was wondering how long it would take before you tried this," he said, stepping closer. "You didn't disappoint."
Kara didn't move. She watched his eyes, searching for an opening—anything.
"I guess you're not used to people getting this close," she said, voice calm despite the storm inside her.
He smiled faintly. "Not unless I allow it. And you weren't invited."
"What gave me away?"
"The red dress," he said simply. "Not your color. But it does scream 'watch me.' Which is exactly what I did."
She shifted slightly, subtly edging toward the desk behind her. "And Adrian?"
He chuckled. "He's always been weak where beautiful women are concerned. But I admit… I didn't expect you to be her daughter."
Kara's blood ran cold. "You knew my mother?"
"Oh, darling. I loved your mother."
The words hit her like a bullet.
Marcus took another step forward, lowering the gun but never breaking eye contact. "Your mother was brilliant. Dangerous. Like you. But she made a mistake—she trusted the wrong people."
Kara's voice cracked. "You framed her. Destroyed her."
Marcus tilted his head. "Is that what you believe? That I set fire to the life of the woman I loved?"
"She died with nothing!" Kara snapped. "Her name was ruined. My father drank himself to death trying to clear it. We lost everything."
He sighed. "Because she chose the wrong side."
Kara's fists clenched. "Then tell me the truth."
"No," Marcus said, stepping closer. "Because truth is like gasoline. Once you spill it, everything burns."
He leaned in, his voice dropping. "I'm going to make this simple, Kara. Leave this city. Disappear. You'll get a new identity. Money. Safety. Or… stay. Keep digging. And the next body to vanish won't be your father's—it'll be yours."
Kara stared into the eyes of the man who had stolen her family, her past, her future. And she saw no soul left in him—only fire and ice.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said.
Something flickered in his eyes—disgust, maybe even pity. "Then we'll see how far you're willing to go before you become the thing you hate."
He turned away. "Go. This is the only warning you'll get."
---
Kara fled through the emergency exit, her pulse racing, rage burning like acid through her veins.
Adrian found her in the alley beside the gala building, her hands shaking.
"What happened?"
"He was waiting for me," she whispered. "He knew everything."
Adrian paled. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she muttered. "But I saw something in his eyes, Adrian. He wasn't just bluffing. He knew my mother. He said he loved her."
Adrian's expression darkened. "Then it's worse than I thought."
"What aren't you telling me?" she demanded.
Adrian hesitated. "My father doesn't love anyone. If he said that… then your mother had something he needed. Or feared."
Kara clutched the edge of the wall, steadying herself. "We need that book, Adrian. We need the truth."
He nodded grimly. "Then we'll go deeper."
---
The next day, Kara met Tessa in their safe house—an abandoned apartment wired with stolen security tech and black-market routers.
Tessa stared at Kara as she recounted what happened.
"Jesus," she breathed. "So Marcus Vale has feelings now?"
Kara tossed her coat aside. "I don't know if it was real or a mind game. But he gave me a chance to walk away. Which means we're close."
Tessa sat at her laptop, typing furiously. "Okay. So I cracked a partial floor plan of Vale Tower. There's a secondary vault under the building. Off the books. That's likely where the black book is now."
"And we can't reach it without help."
Tessa nodded. "Not unless we get a retinal scan and a thumbprint from either Marcus—or his son."
Kara looked up sharply. "Adrian won't give that willingly."
"No. But he might let you take it."
Kara's stomach twisted.
There was a line she hadn't crossed yet. A boundary between using Adrian's trust and… betraying it.
But if it came down to him or the truth—
She would choose her mission.
Every time.
---
That night, she met Adrian at his penthouse.
He opened the door, shirtless, a towel slung around his neck. "You're early."
She tried not to look. Failed.
"We need to talk," she said, stepping in.
His apartment was modern, cold, and sterile—like he didn't live there at all. Just floated through it.
He poured her a drink without asking, handed it over.
"I've found the vault," she said.
"I figured you would."
"It's beneath Vale Tower. We need your retinal scan. And thumbprint."
He stilled. "You want me to hand over the keys to my father's entire legacy?"
"No," she said. "I want you to help me burn it to the ground."
He looked at her for a long moment. Then, quietly: "Why me?"
"Because I think you hate him too."
Adrian walked to the window, stared out over the city.
"I was ten the first time I watched him kill someone," he said. "I remember the blood. The silence after the shot. And the way he lit a cigar right after, like nothing happened."
Kara's heart twisted.
"I stayed quiet," he said. "Learned the rules. How to act. How to obey. But I swore… one day, I'd be the one to end him."
He turned back to her. "I'll help you. But if we go this far, there's no turning back."
"I know," she whispered.
He stepped closer.
"Then take what you need."
She stared into his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"No."
But he didn't stop her.
Kara reached up, her hand trembling, and pressed the scanner against his temple. Then she took his hand—warm, strong, steady—and pressed his thumb against the print pad.
The data blinked green.
Done.
She didn't move.
Neither did he.
The space between them sizzled—thick with tension and something rawer, darker. The truth hanging between them like a noose.
"I don't know what this is between us," Adrian murmured.
"Neither do I."
"But it'll kill us both."
She nodded. "Probably."
Then she leaned in.
And kissed
him.
Not gently.
Not softly.
But like a storm breaking against the edge of something fragile.
---
To be continued in Episode 8...
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