•|5 APRIL 2007|•

"Mumma!"

The night cracked open with the raw, piercing cry of a child.

The road, deserted and drenched in the cold silence, as if even the shadows were too afraid to move.

She sat there small, fragile, a shattered thing in a rabbit jumpsuit, trembling not from the cold but from the terror clawing at her chest. Dirt smeared her cheeks, turning tear tracks into muddy rivers. Her knees were scraped open, blood mixing with grime, and tiny cuts etched red lines across her arms. The white of her suit had long surrendered to the filth of the earth.

A dog circled her, barking sharply, its body tensed in a protective stance.

At the other end of the road, tires screeched against gravel. A sleek black car slid to a halt.

The door swung open, and out stepped a young man in his early twenties, the cold air wrapping around him like an old enemy. Tall broad shouldered, moving with a kind of sharp grace. His dark hair was messy, a slight stubble roughening his defined jawline. The streetlight kissed the edges of his leather jacket.

He pulled a gun from his holster with a smooth, fluid motion. His green eyes scanned the darkness, his face calm but carved with the kind of stillness that suggested violence could happen at any moment.

He heard cries. His grip on the gun loosened. He tucked the gun back with a click and moved forward.

The dim streetlights barely illuminated the figure ahead, a small child, sitting alone in the middle of the abandoned cracked road, wrapped in a dirt streaked rabbit jumpsuit. Her tiny body shook with sobs.

The dog growled stepping forward, its body taut and ready to attack, shielding the trembling girl behind it.

He stopped, assessing, then lowered himself, knees bending in a slow, confident crouch, hands open at his sides in a show of peace.

The girl lifted her head, her amber eyes enormous and bloodshot, her lips trembling so hard she could barely form words.

"M-Mumma,"

She was so small. Like a flower crushed underfoot. So scared that even the ground beneath her seemed too dangerous to touch.

"Breathe, I'm not here to hurt you."

She flinched when he moved closer, instinctively dragging herself back with scraped palms, her movements frantic. Her bruised fingers gripped the dog's fur like a lifeline.

The dog barked again, he used the techniques he'd mastered during tactical training to calm aggressive animals. The dog whimpered, then fell silent, though it kept a watchful eye not leaving her side.

The man crouched deeper until his forearms rested on his knees.

"Where are your parents?"

The girl stared at him, blinking tears, her chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths. Her arms wrapped around herself in a way that made her look even smaller, almost as if she could fold into nothingness.

"M-Mumma...she...hurt..." she whimpered again, burying her face into the dog's fur.

"Did you see anyone run that way?" He pointed down the road.

No response. Just more trembling.

He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. His patience was thin, not because of the child, but because time was slipping away. The longer he stood here, the further his target got. His phone vibrated against his thigh. He pulled it out, flipping it open, almost irritated flick of his wrist.

"Did you find him?" a voice barked in his ear.

"No, I think he ran. I-"

"Then why the fuck are you still there, Silas?"

"For fuck's sake, learn to listen for once!" His fingers curled tighter around the phone.

Silas' gaze returned to the girl. "There's a kid. Alone. Covered in dirt and blood. Crying for her mother."

The man on the other side let out a low scoff. "And? You're playing hero now?"

His grip tightened around the phone. "Send Zyren to my location. Now."

"Fine." The line went dead.

He crouched a little closer, but not enough to scare her. He knew better than to break something already this fragile.

He noticed now the tiny marks along her arms, bruises that spoke of rough hands and cruel nights.

"No one's going to hurt you anymore, someone's coming. He'll take you home."

She sniffled, holding onto the dog like it was her last tether to safety.

He stood up and turned, walking away.

"Taffy... M-Mumma..."

✿✿✿

"Did you find his location?"

Silas asked gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the dark, empty road ahead. The car sped forward, the engine growling beneath his control.

"Nine kilometers ahead. But he's not running straight he's taking detours. We need to cut him off before he reaches the industrial zone." A man in his late twenties sat stiffly in the passenger seat beside Silas, his words clipped as he issued instructions without so much as a glance.

Silas pressed harder on the accelerator, weaving through the narrow streets with surgical precision. His eyes flicked to the GPS tracker the signal was strong, holding steady.

Ten to fifteen tense minutes passed, every second stretched thin with adrenaline.

Then, through the blur of streetlights and shadows, a familiar white car appeared ahead.

"There," silas muttered, immediately recognizing the car.

Exchanging a brief glance, Silas overtook the car, jerking the wheel to the side in a sharp drift, straight into position, blocking the target's escape. Tires screeched, the smell of burning rubber filling the air as the other car swerved to an abrupt stop.

Both men stepped out, guns drawn.

"Out." Silas' voice was cold as he aimed at the driver's window.

The door creaked open. A man stepped out, hands raised in surrender, his eyes darting between them.

Silas studied him, mid-thirties, too calm for someone in this situation. Suspicious.

His finger hovered over the trigger.

"Name."

"A-Andre. Andre Bernard."

Silas narrowed his eyes. "Where is he-"

Andre's lips curved slightly.

In a flash, he lunged.

His hand shot forward, knocking Silas' gun sideways, the shot going off but missing. In the same breath, Andre yanked the weapon from Silas grip, spinning it in his palm and aiming it right at him.

"Either I die today or I take y-"

A single bullet ripped through his skull, Andre collapsed instantly to the ground. A clean shot between the eyes.

Silas exhaled sharply, turning his head clenched his jaw. "For fuck's sake, Singhania! He would've talked!"

"Blaze. Blaze Volkaris. Don't forget." He lowered the gun, unfazed.

Silas slammed his fist onto the hood of the car,

"Think, Silas. You really believe this motherfucker was here to talk? The main target knew about the tracker. Hell, he counted on it. He sent this decoy driving straight into our hands, while he rerouted himself elsewhere."

Silas's chest heaved with frustration, realization dawning. "He knew about the tracker. Played us from the start."

"Exactly," Abhiraj said, "This was never about escaping. It was about misdirection. Andre knew he was dead the moment he got behind that wheel."

A phone rang.

Silas' eyes snapped to the body.

It was Andre's phone still clenched in his lifeless hand.

Abhiraj knelt, pried it free from the corpse's stiff fingers, and answered.

"Took you long enough," a deep, mocking chuckle crackled through the speaker.

Silas and Abhiraj exchanged a sharp glance.

"Scar," Abhiraj muttered, his hand tightening around his gun.

The voice on the other end laughed.

"So that's what NVC decided to call me? Couldn't even find my real name?"

He knows.

He knows about Nightblade Venor Cartel.

Abhiraj's jaw flexed. He flicked a look at Silas, who closed his eyes for a beat, jaw tight in frustration.

"Trash smells the same, labeled or not," Abhiraj said coolly. "and by the way it's not just a name. SCAR stands for Soulless Cowards Always Run. Suits you, doesn't it?"

Scar chuckled darkly. "Angry?" he sneered. "Fucking amateurs. You really thought I wouldn't notice the tracker you stuffed in the car?"

"You talk a lot for a man who needs corpses to answer his phone," Abhiraj let out a low chuckle.

A low growl rumbled through the line. "Bark louder, bastards. That's all you dogs are good for," he hissed.

The line went dead.

Silas exhaled sharply. "He's too damn clever."

Abhiraj, tilted his head back, exuding a cold, effortless allure. "Because he doesn't waste time playing hero."

Silas's jaw clenched. "That was a bleeding, terrified child. What the hell was I supposed to do? Walk away?"

Abhiraj turned his head slightly, "Sentiment makes you predictable, Silas. And predictable men don't survive in our world."

Before Silas could snap back, another engine purred in the distance. A sleek black car pulled up headlights illuminating the scene like a spotlight in a crime thriller. The door swung open with an unhurried grace, and another man around Abhiraj's age stepped out, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. There was a cocky tilt to his smirk, a kind of reckless energy in the way he moved, like trouble wasn't just following him he was the trouble.

His blue gaze flickered between the corpse on the ground and Abhiraj.

"Tell me you didn't waste a bullet on him before getting any answers."

"He pulled a gun. I pulled the trigger." Abhiraj shrugged reaching inside his coat, pulling out a cigarette with slow precision, lighting it with a flick. The glow from the ember highlighted the sharp angles of his face.

The man clicked his tongue and let out a soft, velvety chuckle, shaking his head as he crouched beside the body. "Così tanto per un interrogatorio." (So much for an interrogation.)

Silas sighed quietly.

He straightened, rolling his shoulders in a lazy stretch. The motion made his shirt pull just enough to hint at the tattoos peeking from his collarbone. "Any idea where he went?"

"Slipped away while you were busy playing guardian angel." Abhiraj said, exhaling a thin stream of smoke, his head tilting slightly.

Silas ignored him. "Did you at least get the kid to safety Zyren?"

Zyren stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Of course. I called an ambulance. They took her and her mother to the hospital."

Silas's brows furrowed. "Her mother?"

Zyren exhaled slowly, "Yeah. The kid dragged me to some old factory. Her mother was barely holding on. Looked like someone had a personal vendetta. Broken ribs, deep gashes she was lucky to still be breathing."

Abhiraj scoffed, flicking his cigarette onto the pavement and grinding it beneath his boot. "What a fucking waste of time."

Zyren chuckled, stepping closer, "Se l'avessi vista, non l'avresti lasciata nemmeno tu." (If you had seen her, you wouldn't have left either.)

"Whatever. It doesn't change the fact that we lost the bastard."

Zyren leaned against the car, watching him with a smirk. "Eryx and Aeron wants us back at the cartel. No doubt they are lounging in their chair, sipping whiskey, while we handle all the dirty work."

Abhiraj let out a dark chuckle, running a hand through his hair before adjusting the watch on his wrist with a slow, precise movement. "That's what they does best. Ordering us around like we're personal hit squad."

"Okay, settle this body in the car and let's move," Silas instructed, staring down at André's corpse.

Abhiraj and Zyren exchanged a look the kind that said what a waste and half-smirked.

Wordlessly, they loaded the body into the trunk, shutting it with a heavy thud. Dusting off their hands,

"I'm leaving for Florence tomorrow." Zyren said sliding inside his car.

Silas arched a brow. "Alone?"

Zyren's smirk deepened. "Unless you plan on following me, tesoro." (Darling.)

Abhiraj, already halfway into the car, shot them both a look. "I'm definitely telling Avyaan that he almost had two dads instead of a mom, Zyren."

He slammed the door shut with a little extra force for emphasis.

Silas shot him a look but said nothing, still weighed down by the situation. He dropped into the passenger seat beside Abhiraj.

Zyren chuckled and cast one last glance at them. The engines roared, slicing through the dead stillness, and both cars disappeared into the night, leaving only the heavy scent of blood and the promise of unfinished business behind.

______________________________________________________✿✿✿✿✿_______________

Here's the prologue butterflies a little gift for y'all because Passionate Devotion hit 100K! ❤️😭🙌🏻

Btw how was it? Hope you liked it.

For those who didn't get it this scene is about Rudra's, Avyaan's, Kabir's, and Abhimaan's fathers. This scene is from April 5, 2007 the day Saanvi's mother died. Back then their fathers were the Blaze Volkaris (Rudra's father), Zyran Draxior (Avyaan's father), Eryx Vesper (Kabir's father), and Aeron Blackthorn (Abhimaan's father).

Hope this clears it up.

And boom! Zyran, Blaze, Silas, Eryx, and Aeron the OG sexy daddies of NVC have officially entered the chat.😼🔥

Second gen? Sorry babes I'm pledging my loyalty to the daddies. Sons who? I only see premium grade men here🛐

Btw you must've recognized that kid and the dog right? 🤧

If you like the prologue you can vote and drop a comment ❤️🦋