Page 11 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

I glared at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of an answer.

The truth was, I hadn’t planned for this at all.

I’d expected an empty mansion, an easy heist. I hadn’t planned to be standing there, surrounded by three of the most dangerous men in The Below, with Luca’s shadows stripping me of everything I had.

Those shadows pulled my cell phone from my back pocket and dropped it onto the floor. Vincenzo picked it up. “You won’t be needing this.” He proceeded to break it into pieces with his bare hands.

Luca’s shadows finally withdrew, slinking back toward him as if they were a part of him. His right hand motioned slightly in the air, and I caught a glimpse of his tattoo. It looked like wisps of black smoke wrapping around his hand and wrist.

My skin prickled in the absence of the shadows, as though the cold from his magic had seeped beneath the surface, leaving me with a hollow chill.

“She’s clean now,” Luca said quietly, stepping back and leaving my pile of weapons and gadgets on the floor between us.

His face revealed nothing—no satisfaction, no curiosity.

Nothing. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen more of me in those few moments than anyone else had in a long time.

Dorian’s grip on my arm was firm but not rough as he led me down a narrow set of stairs that descended even farther into the basement.

The temperature grew colder with each step, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones, making it impossible to shake.

I shuddered involuntarily, wishing I hadn’t been so stupid.

Vivian was probably worried sick. I could almost hear her voice in my ear, telling me how reckless I’d been, how I should’ve listened to her warnings. She’d been right all along. This had been too dangerous.

I let out a whispered curse under my breath, half from frustration, half to break the eerie silence. Dorian glanced over at me, his eyes gleaming in the dim light.

“You good?” he asked, his voice edged with concern.

I shot him a look that could cut through steel. “Peachy.”

Every time I looked at him, all I could think about was the vision of him between my legs with that sly grin on his lips, my legs trembling from immense pleasure. I shook the image away.

Not happening. Ever.

It was strange that the events of the vision had occurred in my apartment and not in Vincenzo’s mansion. Maybe something in the timeline had shifted, rendering the vision useless. Just like the one that showed me Vincenzo’s mansion would be empty.

Dorian chuckled, and for a brief moment, the tension between us eased.

“Look, I know this isn’t exactly the Four Seasons,” he said, motioning toward the dark, damp corridor ahead.

“I’ll try to talk Vincenzo into giving you a more.

.. hospitable place to stay.” His gaze flicked to my chest before quickly darting away.

He coughed awkwardly. “And, uh, I’ll get you some warmer clothes. Maybe some blankets and pillows too.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How generous,” I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my words like the condensation dripping down the walls.

Dorian laughed, a warm sound that seemed completely out of place in this cold, oppressive, underground prison. It was short-lived, though. We reached a small cell, barely more than a hole in the wall with rusted iron bars, and he stopped, turning to face me.

“This is it,” he said with a slight grimace.

I took a deep breath, forcing my panic down. It wouldn’t help to let him know how unnerved I was. “Lovely.”

Dorian opened the cell door, his hand lingering on my arm longer than necessary before he gestured for me to go inside.

The second I stepped into the cold, damp space, the reality of it hit me like a punch to the gut.

I was trapped. I hadn’t been trapped like this since my days on the streets before Roberto found me.

I also hadn’t been so terrified since then.

I swallowed hard and steeled my nerves. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of watching me break.

Dorian leaned against the cell door, relaxed but watchful, as if he was contemplating something. “I’ll be back with the blankets. And clothes. Promise.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to hide the fact that I was shivering. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He tilted his head, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

His offer to bring me clothes and blankets caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to say. Was this his way of showing sympathy? Trying to comfort me? It felt strange coming from the charming, flirty wolf shifter who probably never took anything seriously. But there was something else in his eyes.

He straightened and turned toward the door, leaving me alone in the cell. The heavy clank of the door locking echoed through the empty corridor, and I was left with nothing but the cold and my racing thoughts.

I sat down on the hard stone bench, curling my legs up to my chest as the weight of the silence settled around me.

My thoughts drifted back to Vivian, back to the stupid choices I’d made that had landed me here.

I could only imagine what she was doing to try to reach me.

Hell, if I knew her, she was probably hacking into something right now to find a way to get me out of this.

For now, I was stuck. Trapped in a freezing cell with nothing but the echo of my heartbeat and the heavy sense of dread that weighed down on me like a stone.

What the hell would Roberto think? I had no way to contact him. I shut my eyes tightly, imagining Roberto hunting me down in The Below and realizing I’d gone rogue. Lied to him.

“Shit,” I whispered into the darkness, my breath visible in the cold air.

I paced the small confines of the cell, my mind racing as I scanned every corner, every crevice for something— anything —that could help me get out of here. My fingers grazed the cold metal of the door, testing its strength, its weaknesses. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out.

Except... there wasn’t.

Luca’s shadows had stripped me clean. Every gadget, every blade—gone. The feel of his magic still lingered on my skin, a cold reminder of how thoroughly they’d disarmed me. And now here I was, pacing like a caged animal, a knot of frustration and panic twisting tighter in my chest.

Damn it. Damn it.

I pressed my palms against my thighs, trying to push the rising panic down, but it was no use.

The need clawed at me, that familiar itch just beneath the surface.

My breath quickened. I needed a hit of Phantomine.

Just one to take the edge off, to clear my mind so I could think straight.

But there was no Phantomine here. No way to dull the sharp edges of reality closing in on me.

Gods, I could really use a hit of Phantomine right now.

I cursed under my breath, pushing the thought away.

No. I had to focus. I had to find a way out before Vincenzo’s patience ran thin.

The way he’d looked at me when he had his blade against my neck had unnerved me.

The fucker was unhinged, and I doubted he would think twice about draining the blood from my body.

Hell, he’d probably laugh as he did it and drop my corpse into his big-ass fireplace once he got his fill.

A noise at the door made me freeze. The door creaked open, and there stood Dorian, arms full of blankets and pillows, a hoodie draped over his shoulder. He glanced at me, his amber eyes bright even in the dim light of the cell.

“Brought you some things,” he said casually, stepping inside. I watched as he set everything down, his movements calm and measured, like this was just another day for him. Like I wasn’t pacing around like a lunatic trying to figure out how to escape.

I eyed the hoodie, the soft fabric calling to me despite my best efforts to remain stoic. I wasn’t about to accept comfort from them. But then the cold air of the basement hit me again, and I caved. I shrugged off my leather jacket and pulled the hoodie on, regretting it immediately.

It smelled like him.

Like Dorian fucking Voss. Wild and warm, like cedar and fresh rain.

My fingers tightened on the sleeves, and a shiver worked its way through me, but it wasn’t from the cold. The smell, the warmth of the fabric, the vision of him slipping his fingers inside of me…it was all too much, too distracting . I hated that I noticed.

“Thanks,” I muttered, pulling the hood up over my head, trying to drown out the effect of him. I wasn’t going to go all soft just because the damn thing smelled like heaven wrapped around my shoulders.

Dorian dropped into the chair outside the cell door, settling in like he had all the time in the world. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head, and glanced at me, one brow raised.

“You gonna sit there all night?” I asked, trying to keep the irritation from bleeding into my voice.

He flashed me a lazy grin. “Boss’s orders. Apparently, he doesn’t trust that you can’t get out.”

“My fucking luck,” I muttered, pacing again. Of course, Vincenzo wouldn’t trust me to stay put. Hell, I wouldn’t trust me either. If I had an ounce of Phantomine left in my system, I might’ve figured out a way to jimmy the lock by now.

Dorian chuckled, watching me with that infuriatingly easygoing expression. “You’re not gonna get out, you know. Luca made sure of that.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t plan on sitting in here like some helpless damsel,” I snapped. I stood and paced. There had to be a weak spot. Maybe a screw loose in the hinges. Maybe the bars weren’t as strong as they looked. Maybe I could— fuck , I couldn’t focus with Dorian watching me like that.

I shot him a glare. “Enjoying the show?”

His grin widened. “I am, actually.”

I wanted to throw something at him, but I had nothing. I settled for crossing my arms and leaning against the cold wall, glaring at him from the shadows.

I sank onto the thin cot, pulling the hoodie tighter around me. The smell lingered, curling into my senses and making my chest feel tight. I tried to push it down, tried to focus on something other than the fact that I was trapped in here with no way out.

Dorian leaned back in his chair, watching me with a strange sort of curiosity, like he couldn’t quite figure me out.

One thing was for sure—I wasn’t going to sit quietly in this cell, waiting for whatever they had planned. I was going to find a way out. One way or another.

And if that meant playing their game for a little while... then so be it.