Page 17 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

I made myself comfortable on a bench by the showers.

Dorian started his workout, and I did my best not to ogle him.

I really, really tried. But damn, it was impossible not to notice.

He was all lean muscle, and every move seemed so effortless, like he was born to do this.

Sweat glistened on his skin as he lifted weights, his muscles flexing with each motion, and I found myself biting my lip before I could stop.

I hated this. I hated how easy it was for him to get to me, how difficult it was to ignore the fact that he was, quite literally, a walking wet dream. And he knew it. That grin of his told me he knew exactly what effect he had on women. Hell, he probably counted on it.

Smug, arrogant, golden-retriever, bastard of a shifter.

Still, if I was stuck here as a prisoner, I might as well enjoy the view.

Dorian moved to one of the machines and adjusted the settings. I leaned back against the wall, trying—and failing—not to openly admire the way his muscles moved as he worked. He wasn’t some gym rat. He was built for this—every motion smooth, controlled, effortless.

My eyes lingered for a moment too long on his shirt clinging to his chest, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek to stop my thoughts from spiraling.

“Like what you see?” he called over his shoulder, not bothering to hide his amusement.

I rolled my eyes, but my heartbeat picked up a notch. “Oh, don’t get ahead of yourself, wolf boy.”

He flashed me that devastating grin again and walked over to a different machine. “Come here.” He waved me forward.

I raised an eyebrow before moving to join him.

“Wanna give this a try?” he asked, motioning to the sleek weight machine. His fingers brushed my arm as he positioned me in front of it. His touch was warm, the brief contact sending an uninvited spark through my skin.

I tried to ignore it. “You seriously think I’m gonna pump iron with you?”

Dorian chuckled, his breath grazing the back of my neck as he leaned in and adjusted the weights. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll take the edge off that temper of yours.”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Trust me, it’ll take more than a workout to fix that.”

His lips quirked into a smirk. “Shame. I was hoping you’d want to stick around for the full routine. Might help you get to know me better.”

I glared at him, though my pulse quickened at his nearness. He was too charming, too damn smooth for his own good. And something about him made it impossible for me to hate him.

“Yeah, because I really want to get to know the guy who’s keeping me hostage,” I shot back.

Dorian leaned in, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. “Well, since you’re tagging along with me, you’re bound to learn a few things, love. Besides, I’ve got more layers than you think. I’m more than just your keeper.”

I swallowed hard. I hated that he had me all tangled up inside with only a few well-placed words.

He finally stepped back, giving me some space as he wiped his brow. “You sure you don’t want to give it a shot?” He nodded toward the machine. “I can help you. Guide your hands...”

I rolled my eyes, but the heat creeping up my neck betrayed my cool exterior. “I think I’ll pass.”

Dorian laughed again, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Suit yourself. But if you change your mind, I’m always happy to assist.”

I returned to the wall as he went through the rest of his workout routine. Every move was calculated, each muscle flexing with perfect precision. It was almost mesmerizing.

Prisoner or not, I couldn’t deny that Dorian was... captivating. Annoyingly so.

When he was done, Dorian wiped the sweat from his brow, grinning like the cat who got the cream. I felt like an absolute idiot for staring at him. The man was ridiculously fit, all hard muscle and effortless swagger, and I hated myself for noticing every inch of it.

“Did you enjoy the show, love?” he asked, slinging a towel over his shoulder. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and I didn’t know if I wanted to slap him or kiss him.

I huffed, rolling my eyes again to cover the fact that, yeah, I had enjoyed the show way too much. “You wish.”

He let out a chuckle, leaning in just a little too close, his voice dropping to a low growl. “You’re right. I do.”

I swallowed hard, heat rising to my cheeks.

Of course, the bastard had noticed. Dorian was impossible to ignore, and somehow, that only made me hate him more.

His charm wrapped around me like a noose, tightening with every smirk and comment.

What bothered me the most was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to break free.

“Come on,” he said, nodding toward the door, “I’ve got a meeting to get to. You still tagging along, or would you rather spend some quality time with yourself locked in a room?”

I scowled, but the truth was, I wasn’t ready to be alone. Being locked away would only make me spiral again. So, I nodded. “I’ll come.”

He grinned like he’d won a competition, and I followed him down the corridor like an obedient little puppy, hating every second of it.

You’re better than this, Celeste. It was hard to believe myself when I was trailing after one of the most dangerous—and dangerously attractive—men I’d ever met.

We entered a spacious room where Luca and Vincenzo were already seated—the same room I’d stumbled upon the previous night.

The stakes were higher than I’d realized then, but now, I knew the extent of what they were dealing with: missing women, drugs being tampered with, and borders shrinking like shadows in the night.

At first, they didn’t seem to know we’d joined them.

“I need to make a visit to the human world to see Fred. Perhaps he knows something about the mirror,” Vincenzo said.

Dorian cleared his throat.

Vincenzo barely glanced at me as we made our way into the room before his cold, calculating gaze flicked to Dorian. “You brought her?”

Dorian shrugged. “Better than locking her up again. She’s already in the know. Couldn’t hurt for us to keep an eye on her while we meet. I’m taking her to the club later, too.”

Luca leaned back in his chair, silver eyes cutting through the dim light. “She’s trouble .” His expression gave nothing away, but the way he looked at me… It was unsettling, like he was studying every inch of my soul.

“She tried to escape again,” Vincenzo said to Luca, then directed his words at Dorian. “You can’t even keep up with her here in the mansion, and you think she’ll be safe out there? At your clubs?”

I opened my mouth, but before I could even form a defense, Vincenzo’s eyes locked on mine, his jaw tightening. “You need to understand that you’re not in control here, dolcezza . No matter how much you run your mouth or try to act tough, you are mine until I say otherwise.”

That was it. I couldn’t take the constant power play anymore. “I’m not yours,” I snapped. “I’m not anyone’s.”

Dorian snorted but quickly stifled it when he saw the look on Vincenzo’s face.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” Vincenzo growled.

He rose from his chair and stared me down.

“You think this is a game? Do you have any idea what’s happening outside these walls?

Women are going missing— my women. My borders are shrinking, and there’s a war coming.

You will remain here as long as I deem necessary.

And I will use you in whatever way I see fit.

Don’t think for a second that you have a say in any of it. ”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you weren’t so busy playing mafia lord, you could’ve figured out what’s going on in your territory by now,” I shot back, my anger flaring. “And maybe if you weren’t so wrapped up in your bullshit power games, you’d have a better handle on your drugs and your women.”

There was a beat of silence—dangerous silence.

Luca’s shadows moved before I even realized what was happening. They curled around my wrists, tightening enough to stop me from moving but not enough to hurt. His face remained expressionless, but there was a glimmer of something in his eyes—annoyance, maybe, or intrigue.

“Watch your mouth, doll,” Luca said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it carried more weight than any shout could.

I struggled against the shadows, but it was like trying to breathe through smoke. “Don’t fucking call me that.”

“You don’t know when to close that pretty little mouth,” Luca said, stepping closer, his presence more imposing than ever. It was the most I’d ever heard him speak. He was close. Too close. Too fucking beautiful, like a god. Or maybe the devil would be more accurate.

Dorian sighed. “She’s got spirit, I’ll give her that.”

Vincenzo waved a hand, and Luca’s shadows retreated reluctantly, freeing my wrists. My skin tingled from their cold touch, and I rubbed my arms, glaring at both of them.

“There’s no place for defiance here,” Vincenzo said.

“Not when so much is at stake. Another woman went missing this morning. A regular. We’ve also sent samples of the drug from the latest overdoses for testing.

Someone’s been fucking with my supply, and I need answers before this whole thing blows up in my face. ”

I swallowed hard. Vincenzo was fighting a war on all fronts, and for some fucked-up reason, I was stuck in the middle of it.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I muttered, trying to regain some semblance of control. “But locking me up won’t solve your problems.”

Vincenzo stared at me for a long moment, then turned to Dorian. “She’s not going with you to the club.”

“Come on, man,” Dorian protested. “I’ve got it under control.”

Vincenzo’s gaze hardened. “Clearly, you don’t… man. ”

I could feel the panic rising again. The idea of being locked away…alone, isolated…was too much. I needed to be out there, to at least pretend I had some autonomy left.

“Don’t lock me up,” I blurted. “I’ll... I’ll go with Luca. Whatever he’s doing, I’ll go with him.”

Luca raised a brow, his eyes narrowing as he looked between me and Vincenzo.

“Seriously?” Dorian muttered, crossing his arms.

I didn’t answer. The truth was, I didn’t care where I went, as long as it wasn’t back to a fucking cage.

Vincenzo looked at Luca, then back at me.

Luca shrugged. “It’s a low-key mission. In and out. No complications. I guess she can tag along.”

Vincenzo nodded slowly, still not looking entirely convinced. “Fine. But if she steps out of line even once...”

Luca gave a small, humorless grin. “She won’t.”

“Good.” Vincenzo turned back to me, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t make me regret this.”

Heart racing, I wondered just how deep I’d gotten myself into this mess… and how the hell I was going to survive it.