Lucifer's POV
By the time I got back to the warehouse site, the air still reeked of burnt metal and something far more expensive... loss.
Loss of not just money but control.
I stepped out of the car, boots hitting gravel with purpose. The sky was dull, morning already bleeding into afternoon, but I hadn't slept. I didn't need to, rage kept me upright better than caffeine ever could.
Red was already there, leaning against the hood of another car, sleeves rolled, jaw tight. He straightened the moment he saw me, pushing off the car like he had been waiting for a storm to arrive.
Good because I was the storm.
"You said you found something," I said, walking past him without slowing. "Start talking."
He fell into step beside me. "We pulled what we could from surrounding traffic cams."
"And?" My voice was sharp enough to cut.
"There's a gap."
I stopped walking. "What kind of gap?"
"Exactly twelve minutes," he said. "From 01:14 to 01:26. Every camera covering this street... died."
I turned slowly, eyes locking on his. "Died… how?"
Red exhaled through his nose. "It wasn't smashed or fried. It was accessed."
That word settled heavy in my chest. "Explain," I said.
"We had one of our tech guys dig deeper and he said the feeds weren't just cut... they were overridden. Loop was inserted and it was clean and professional." He paused. "And Lucifer… whoever did it didn't hack their way in."
I paused briefly, trying to understand what I was hearing.
"They logged in." he added.
Silence settled in... The kind that stretches too thin before it snaps.
"Logged in?" I repeated, quieter now. "How exactly?"
Red nodded. "They logged in using authorized credentials, backend access. This wasn't some street-level idiot with a laptop, this was someone who belongs in that system."
My jaw tightened as I understood where he was headed... The only people with such access was the police, government or someone sitting comfortably in both.
I turned away from him and looked at what used to be my warehouse. Blackened beams, ash drifting like snow... The ghost of my empire sitting right in front of me.
"This wasn't random," I murmured.
"No," Red agreed. "It was targeted."
Of course it was.
I crouched slightly, running my fingers over a piece of charred metal. It crumbled instantly under my touch... It didn't look like something that burnt down by accident.
"Accelerant?" I asked.
"Yes but not the usual kind," Red replied. "This was refined, controlled burn and it started from three different points. Whoever did this knew exactly how to spread it fast and keep it contained long enough to do damage."
I let out a low breath as a thought entered my mind.
"Military?" I asked.
"Or law enforcement stock," he said. "its definitely not something you buy off the street."
I straightened slowly, something cold and sharp settling into my bones. This wasn't just an attack, this was a message and whoever sent it… wasn't sloppy.
Someone was getting too close for comfort and I hated that I had no idea who.
"Any witnesses?" I asked, turning back to him.
Red gestured toward a man sitting on the curb across the street... a skinny guy wrapped in layers, eyes darting like he didn't want to be here.
"I found him hanging around the area," Red said. "He said he saw something."
I walked toward the man, my presence enough to make him stiffen immediately.
Good... Fear made people honest.
I crouched in front of him, resting my forearms on my knees. "Look at me."
He hesitated.
Red stepped forward slightly, then the man snapped his gaze up.
"Good," I said softly. "Now let's try this again. You saw something last night?"
"Y-yeah," he stammered. "I was just… I stay around here sometimes, you know? Ain't got nowhere else to go."
"I don't care about your life story," I cut in. "Tell me what you saw."
He swallowed hard. "There was a guy, he came in late. Didn't look… normal."
"Define normal."
"He wasn't like… like those street guys. You know? No hood, no panic. He was calm, very calm and confident."
I felt Red's gaze flick toward me.
"Keep going," I said.
"He moved like…" the man frowned, struggling to explain. "Like he knew what he was doing. Didn't hesitate and he didn't rush either. Just… did his thing."
My fingers curled slightly.
"What did he look like?" I asked.
"Couldn't see his face properly," he said quickly. "His cap was pulled low but he was… clean. Like… put together, not messy."
"Anything else?"
The man hesitated again.
Red shifted his weight behind me.
The man rushed on. "He kept checking his watch."
That was something, not enough to give me a name but enough to know this wasn't some random mercenary.
This was calculated, planned.
I stood slowly, staring down at the man like he was a piece of a puzzle I hadn't finished solving.
"Did he see you?" I asked.
The man shook his head quickly. "No. I stayed hidden."
"Good," I said.
I turned away.
"Give him some cash," I told Red. "Then make sure he disappears."
"Got it."
I walked back toward the wreckage, mind racing now... not with anger, but with something worse.
Clarity.
"Let's line it up," I said, mostly to myself, but Red followed anyway.
"Professional entry," I started. "No forced access, no noise."
Red nodded.
"Controlled burn, strategic placement... Precision."
"Yeah."
"Traffic cams wiped using authorized credentials," I continued. "Not hacked."
Red's jaw tightened.
"And now we have a witness describing someone calm, clean, and operating on a schedule."
I turned to face him fully.
"This isn't a criminal," I said.
Red didn't respond immediately because he knew I was right.
"This is someone trained," I added. "Someone who knows how investigations work… because they have been on the other side of them."
I paused to see if he was catching up.
"A cop," Red said.
The word hung between us like a loaded gun... I didn't smile, didn't react even though I was glad his head was in the game.
"High-ranking," I added. "Or at least someone with enough clearance to access traffic systems without raising alarms."
Red crossed his arms. "And bold enough to hit one of our warehouses directly."
"Not bold," I corrected. "Confident."
That was worse.
Confidence meant experience, it meant this wasn't his first move and definitely not going to be the last.
I looked back at the ashes of my warehouse and for the first time since this started... I felt it.
Not fear... No, I am never scared. It's something far more dangerous.
Interest... A slow, dark smile tugged at the corner of my lips because I am curious and interested in knowing who he was.
"Whoever he is…" I murmured, "he's good."
Red glanced at me sideways. "You sound impressed."
"I am."
I turned to him fully now, eyes sharp, alive in a way they hadn't been all night.
"But he made one mistake." I added.
"What's that?"
I stepped closer, voice dropping. "He came for Lucifer… he got this close."
He was quiet for a beat...
"But shouldn't that mean he is dangerous?" Red asked.
"Exactly."
"And you are not mad about that?" He asked again.
"I love danger, Red." I stated. "You of all people should know that."
I was fascinated by him because men like that? They don't just burn warehouses for fun... They play long games and I am all in.
I pulled my phone out, already thinking ten steps ahead.
"Dig into every high-ranking cop who still runs field operations," I said. "I want names, patterns, cases... anything that smells like obsession."
Red nodded. "We don't have a name."
"We don't need one yet," I replied. "We build the profile first. Then we narrow it down."
"And if he hits again?"
I smiled faintly. "He will."
Because men like him? They don't stop after one move, they escalate.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket, taking one last look at the wreckage before turning away.
"Let's go," I said.
"Back to the penthouse?" Red asked.
"Yes," I replied, already walking. "I have a dinner to get ready for."
Red raised a brow but didn't question it.
Smart... Because no matter how dangerous this game was getting, I wasn't about to let it touch Sebastián.
As I got into the car, one thought echoed louder than the rest... A cop, possibly a high-ranking field-active cop was after me and he was closer than I like, which means he was watching.
And somehow, I liked it.