His gaze held mine like a force I couldn’t explain__intense, sharp, and full of something I couldn’t name. Everything around me seemed to blur. The music, the voices, the flashing lights of the club…all faded as his presence filled the room.

‘Vicious.’ That was the name Urban had called him.

And it fit.

There was something raw about him. Dangerous, yet calm. Confident, but not arrogant. He wasn’t dressed to call attention, just in a simple black shirt that hugged his frame, and dark pants that matched his quiet dominance. But the way he walked, the way the room shifted when he spoke… that made all the difference.

My heart was racing, but not just from fear anymore. There was something else. Something unfamiliar… something unsettling.

He stepped forward.

“Are you okay?” His voice was calm, deep, and it somehow made me feel seen__protected.

I tried to speak but nothing came out. I just nodded slowly, still catching my breath.

He turned to Urban and repeated one word with icy calm.

“Leave.”

This time, it sounded like a warning.

Urban hesitated, but only for a second. He gave a short, irritated nod, then signaled to his men. The two holding Leah let go immediately. No one dared argue. Not even him.

They disappeared into the crowd without another word, and the tension that had gripped the room loosened.

Leah rushed to my side, pulling me into a hug.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“I… I think so,” I said, still staring at the man who had just stepped in like a storm and calmed it with a sentence.

He was watching me, still. His eyes didn’t leave my face.

“You’re safe now,” he said to both of us, then looked directly at me. “Come with me.”

It wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t even a request. It was… something else. A command laced with concern. And even though I barely knew him, my body responded before my mind could process it.

I looked at Leah.

She gave me a reassuring nod. “Go. I’ll be fine. You’re safe with him.”

Safe. That word echoed in my head. I didn’t even know his name. Or what his intentions were. But in that moment, I believed her.

Then, I followed him out of the club into the cool, silent night. A black car, sleek and expensive __ was waiting just outside, its engine humming quietly like it knew its master had arrived.

He opened the door for me, holding it like a gentleman, but there was nothing soft about him. His movements were precise. Powerful.

I paused.

“I don’t even know your name,” I said, looking up at him.

He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“You will.”

And without thinking further, I got in.

The interior of the car was warm, scented with leather and something undeniably masculine. As he slid into the driver's seat beside me, I found myself sneaking glances at him, trying to figure out why he felt so familiar, yet so mysterious.

He didn’t start the car immediately. He just looked ahead, then spoke softly

“That shouldn’t have happened to you tonight.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, still unsure of what to say.

“If you hadn’t shown up…”

“I did. That’s what matters.”

Silence.

“So… do you go by Vicious?” I asked, trying to ease the tension.

He smirked. “People call me that. I earned the name. But you… you can call me anything you want.”

I blinked, caught off-guard.

“And why would I have the privilege?”

He turned to me then, his eyes unreadable.

“Because you interest me.”

My breath hitched.

Interest? What did that even mean?

He didn’t say more. Just started the car and pulled onto the road. I had no idea where we were going. But strangely, I wasn’t afraid. Not of him.

If anything… I was afraid of how my body responded to him. Of how his voice made my skin tingle. Of how my heartbeat had been out of control since the moment he stepped out of the shadows.

He was the one thing that took control ofy mind.

Wherever this was going__I wasn’t ready.

But I was already in too deep…