BORN TO BE A MAN,FORCED TO BE A GANGSTER

CHAPTER 5

THE WOMAN HE SHOULD HAVE KILLED

Griffin stayed still long after Selena left his office. The door clicked shut behind her, but her words kept echoing in his mind—*something you’ll need.* He hated how sure she sounded. No one talked to him like that, especially a stranger who just walked into his world.

He turned to the window, staring out at the city lights blurred by soft rain. His own reflection looked hard and unreadable, but inside, a storm was brewing.

“Sir,” one of his men said carefully, “should we follow her?”

Griffin didn’t turn. “She knows we would.”

The man hesitated. “What do we do then?”

Griffin’s voice was cold. “Nothing. For now.”

But *nothing* didn’t mean peace—it meant watch and wait. Griffin never trusted coincidences. Women like Selena didn’t walk into danger without a reason.

Meanwhile, Selena walked down the dark hallway of an old mansion. Her steps were steady, her heart calm despite everything that happened. She could still feel Griffin’s cold, sharp stare on her—the kind that saw through lies before they were spoken.

Good, she thought. Let him suspect. It’ll make things easier later.

Outside, rain fell over her like an old friend. She let it soak her coat, washing away the heat left by Griffin’s presence. For a moment, she almost smiled.

That man was nothing like she expected—and everything she’d been warned about.

Back in his office, Griffin poured whiskey and thought about their talk—her scar, her confidence, and the line she kept repeating. “She thinks she knows me,” he muttered.

He hated being read, but hated more that she read him right.

His eyes flicked to a file marked *Red Culture.* The group had been quiet for months. Tonight’s ambush was too precise to be random—and Selena was in the middle of it.

“No accidents,” he said aloud.

“Find everything on her,” he ordered.

Damon, his second, nodded. “On it. No digital traces. She’s too clean.”

“Then she’s hiding something,” Griffin said softly.

“Want us to bring her in?” Damon asked.

Griffin hesitated, trusting his gut to watch her first. “No. Let her move. I want to see how far she’ll go.”

Two nights later, fate stepped in again.

Griffin’s car skidded to a stop downtown. A black van had crashed, smoke rising.

And Selena stood beside it, wiping blood from her temple, like chaos followed her.

His men raised weapons, but Griffin waved them down. “Wait.”

Selena met his gaze through the rain. Two predators, unsure who hunted whom.

“What happened?” he asked.

She gave a tired smile. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

Her eyes scanned behind his men. “Red Culture found me. I led them away from your base.”

He froze. “You brought them here?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Away from you.”

Her voice wavered—not from fear, but exhaustion. He noticed her shoulder sag.

Something stirred inside him.

“Get her inside,” he said harshly.

She blinked. “You trust me now?”

He looked cold. “No. But I trust my gut—I’d regret letting you die.”

For the first time, Selena smiled—small, knowing, both comforting and scary.

“Then your gut’s smarter than you look,” she whispered.

Griffin shot a fierce look at her, but deep down, he knew one thing—this woman was about to change everything.

Griffin watched Selena being led away, his eyes fixed on her calm demeanor. She didn't show any fear, despite being surrounded by his men. "Keep her under," he told his men, his voice low. "If she survives the night, maybe she's worth hearing."

One of his men looked uncertain. "You think she's one of them, boss?" he asked.

Griffin's expression turned cold. "I know she's trouble. But sometimes, trouble brings answers."

With that, Griffin walked out, leaving his men to handle Selena. Meanwhile, Selena smiled to herself in the darkness, knowing she had Griffin's attention. And she was ready to use it.