Beneath The Concrete Heart

Chapter 2: Protection(edited)

Andreas POV

The name, "Andreas," hung in the air, cutting through the tense silence. Tim had entered the room, his presence a stark contrast to the simmering anger that was threatening to boil over within me. I forced myself to walk back to my seat, every step a deliberate act of control. Tim's eyes, usually twinkling with amusement, were now fixed on me, a silent reprimand. He knew damn well I didn't trust women. Not after what happened with Isabella.

"Let's talk in my office, Tim," I growled, the words clipped and sharp. I needed to get away from Ava, away from her unsettling presence.

I shot a glare at Ava as I turned and left the room, a silent promise of retribution in my eyes. Get rid of this woman. I wanted her out of my sight, out of my life. She was a complication, a loose end that needed to be dealt with swiftly.

The leather of my office chair creaked as I sank into it, the familiar scent of aged wood and expensive whiskey doing little to soothe my frayed nerves. I steepled my fingers in front of me, the wheels in my mind already turning, formulating, calculating. A plan. I needed a plan to extract myself from this mess. All I needed was the Goddamn briefcase and the key. Currently LaRosa had the briefcase, that son of a bitch was interfering in my plans once again. If I get a chance again, I send him the bullet that has his name on it.

"Andre."

I looked up, startled from my dark reverie. Tim stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable, but there was a subtle tension in his shoulders, a telltale sign he carried bad news. Tim Lee, aka 'Shadow', one of the most wanted hackers in the world. We went to school together. We hated each other's guts. But after his dad saved my uncle from a computer virus that would have leaked all our files on the web. We became good friends. He became my shadow, my trusted advisor alongside Franky. A debt paid, and then a brotherhood forged in the fires of shared secrets and dangerous endeavors.

"Out with it, Tim. Can't be as bad as having that female in my room." I was pissed, no point in denying it. My carefully constructed world was crumbling around me, and she was the catalyst.

"So, bad news. I can't track the briefcase. It's gone dark. Good news, it's DNA locked and it seems the DNA was set to Ms. Morales." Tim spoke softly and calmly.

Fuck.

The word exploded in my head like a grenade. This just complicated things exponentially. Now I couldn't just get rid of her. The briefcase was the only thing that mattered. I couldn't risk losing it. Damnit. "Call her in." I instructed, my voice flat and devoid of emotion. I rose from my chair, the need for oblivion washing over me. I poured myself a generous measure of whiskey from the crystal decanter behind me, the amber liquid swirling in the glass. I turned to the window, staring out at the city lights blurring beneath the gathering storm clouds.

"Try to be nice, Andre. She isn't supposed to be here, so if you're nice, she might not cause us problems." Tim's voice was laced with a hint of warning, a reminder that even I couldn't afford to alienate everyone.

"Having her here is a problem. Call her in." I repeated.

Ava POV

His glare...it felt like a viper coiling around my heart, squeezing the air from my lungs. He was the definition of intimidating: tall, dark, and radiating an aura of controlled menace. I pushed back against the fear, refusing to let him see my unease. I refuse to allow a man intimidate me. He didn't scare me.

When he disappeared into his office, I moved into his room, shutting the door behind me with a soft click. Every creak of the floorboards sent a jolt of adrenaline through me. Minutes later, Franky knocked on the door, his voice hesitant.