Chapter 1: Zane
Zane POV
A relentless hammering on my door jolted me awake.
“What?” I grumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“The shipment has to arrive,” Xavier’s voice came from the other side.
I sighed. “My second-in-command handles things when I’m not around.”
“Good,” he said. “Just making sure. I’ll be downstairs.”
“Yeah, yeah. Now get out.”
Xavier gave a short nod and disappeared down the hall.
I threw off the covers and headed straight for the master bathroom, quickly showering while brushing my teeth—multitasking at its finest. After drying off, I threw on black cargo pants, a fitted polo shirt, and my combat boots before making my way downstairs to grab breakfast.
Once I was done eating, I went straight to my office to finalize the shipment arrangements for my weapons.
“Xavier!” I called.
He entered immediately. “Yeah, Zane?”
“I’m going with the boys to school today.”
“Got it,” he said with a nod.
Xavier was the only one allowed to call me by my name. Everyone else? Boss.
“Let’s go, dude. We’re running late.”
Xavier followed me out to my Mustang, and within ten minutes, we were pulling into the school parking lot—just five minutes to spare.
I walked into the building like I owned the place, heading straight to my locker. Before I could even close it, the school’s resident attention-seeker, Chloe, slithered up to me.
“Hey, baby,” she cooed. “You’re coming over tonight.”
I barely spared her a glance. “Chloe, how many times do I have to say it? Not happening. Ever. Move on.”
She huffed, flipping her hair dramatically, but I was already walking away.
“Zane, man, hurry up,” Keith called.
I was making my way to class when someone slammed into me from behind. There was a softthudas they hit the ground.
I turned sharply, ready to snap—until I saw her.
She was sprawled on the floor, hair tumbling over her face—long, black waves with a hint of deep blue. Something about her presence made the usual irritation fade. She mumbled something, her voice too low to catch, but then she looked up.
Pitch-black eyes met mine, locking me in place.
For a moment, we just stared. Then my gaze traced over her features—pouty, kissable lips, puffed cheeks, and a small, upturned nose. She was... stunning.
“Hey, beauty,” I said smoothly, offering my hand.
She didn’t take it. Instead, she pushed herself up, and as she moved, I caught sight of a tattoo peeking from her waistline.
Interesting.
She dusted herself off and then—without shame—scanned me up and down. A smirk tugged at my lips.
“You checking me out?” I teased.
Her lips curled into a subtle smirk of her own. “Not even close,” she shot back.
Damn. Didn’t see that coming.
My mouth opened slightly in surprise, and she chuckled at my expression.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have to get to class. Unlike some people, I actually care about being on time,” she said before turning on her heel.
I watched her walk away, taking the opportunity to admire the view.
Well, that was interesting.
Shaking my head, I made my way to class—akaHell.
