Page 23 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

The others scrambled, but I didn’t give them a chance. I lashed out with a speed they couldn’t dream to match. The second man dropped before he even knew what hit him, his skull cracking against the wood beneath my boot. Blood splattered across the dock, staining the worn planks.

The third one, though, tried to run. Idiot.

I spread my wings wide, propelling myself forward, and cut him off before he could take two steps. Grabbing him by the collar, I slammed him into the dock. His eyes bulged with panic, and his breath came in sharp, terrified bursts.

“Talk,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “What’s in the package? Where’s it coming from?”

The man’s lips quivered, his eyes darting frantically as if looking for an escape. “I–I don’t know! I just follow orders. I swear I don’t know!”

I could hear the truth in his words, the fear vibrating through his pathetic body. Useless.

I slammed his head against the dock again, knocking him out cold, then ripped the package open.

I wasn’t surprised by what I found. Bags of fake Phantomine.

I clenched my jaw as I stared down at the vials of purple liquid, the synthetic filth that had been spreading like poison through my territory and killing my people.

To the untrained eye, it looked like the real thing, but I immediately noticed the subtle difference in shade, and the slightly thicker consistency of the liquid.

I should’ve known. This shit was moving faster than I’d anticipated.

These men were only the last link in the chain. Whoever was behind this was smarter . Killing these fools wouldn’t stop anything. There were thousands more of them waiting to take up their roles. No. I needed to go to the source.

I needed to have a conversation with The Shadow.

I took the package and flew back to my estate, the wind whipping against my face as I soared through the air.

Meeting with The Shadow… fuck, it was a dangerous move. But my people were suffering. My borders were shrinking. And this fake Phantomine was a direct assault on everything I’d built. If I didn’t do something soon, The Shadow would bleed me dry.

I landed on my balcony, my wings receding into my back as I stepped into my study and tossed the package on the desk.

There was no question now. I needed to face him. Soon.

And Celeste… Fuck. She was a Phantomine user. What if she got her hands on one of the fake shit? I needed her to stop. Now.

I wasn’t about to lose everything, least of all to The Shadow.

Time to plan.

I dialed Dorian first as I pulled a shirt out of the closet and shrugged it on. I needed him and Luca to meet me now. I couldn’t sit on this shit.

The phone rang once before Dorian answered. “Boss?” His usual casual drawl had a slight edge to it. He knew me well enough to sense the urgency.

“My study. Now,” I ordered. “And get Luca. Tell him to haul ass.”

“On it,” he said, no questions asked. There never were with Dorian. I could rely on him for that. He had become more than an underboss. I would call him a friend if I thought myself capable of such attachments.

My mind was running a thousand miles an hour. The sight of that thing dropping a package in my river without me knowing was enough to stoke my simmering rage into a full-on inferno.

That synthetic shit was killing my people, tarnishing my reputation, and threatening everything I’d built.

It wasn’t long before Dorian and Luca joined me in the office.

Dorian strolled in, a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, but I could see the worry in his eyes.

Luca followed, shadows clinging to him like a second skin.

He was always harder to read, but tonight, I could see tension in the set of his jaw.

“Sit.” I wasn’t in the mood for any banter.

They sat. Dorian lounged back, propping his feet on the edge of my desk. Luca remained upright, attentive, silver eyes locked on mine.

I pushed the package of fake Phantomine across the desk toward them. “This shit was dropped in the Styre. Right under my fucking nose.”

Dorian’s smirk disappeared, and he leaned forward, eyeing the bag. “More of this garbage? I never thought they’d move it right under your nose.”

“Neither did I,” I muttered, pacing behind the desk. My anger was a living thing, making the room feel small. “Whoever’s handling the logistics, pulling the strings, is a fucking ghost. But they’re operating in my sector, on my turf. And I’m done with the damn games.”

Luca’s shadows flickered at the edges of his figure. “You think The Shadow’s involved.”

It wasn’t a question. “He’s not just involved, he’s the mastermind behind this shit. He’s the only one with the reach and resources to make a move like this. No one else would dare cross me.”

Dorian’s face darkened as he stared at the bag and drummed his fingers on the desk.

“That would explain the uptick in overdoses and adverse reactions,” he mused.

“Dealers are getting bad batches directly from your suppliers. Word on the street is this stuff looks like the real deal until it hits the veins.”

I tossed a vial to Dorian, and he let out a low whistle as he slowly turned it in his fingers, eyeing the shimmering purple liquid.

“Practically identical.”

“To the untrained eye. This shit is poisoning our clients and making us look like amateurs,” I spat. I turned my attention to Luca, my voice hard. “As much as I wanted to avoid this, it’s time. I need to meet with The Shadow.”

Luca’s entire body went rigid. His silver eyes flashed dangerously. “That’s a suicide mission.”

“I know. But I don’t have a choice. If we don’t confront him, we’ll lose everything. My people are dying from this shit.”

“Vincenzo, you don’t just walk into The Shadow’s territory and request a meeting. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t play by any rules, and he’ll take any opportunity to end you.”

Luca wasn’t wrong. The Shadow was a slippery bastard, and walking into his lair would be like stepping into a black hole. But if I didn’t face him, he’d bleed me dry from the inside out. I wouldn’t let that happen.

“I’m not asking. Set it up.”

Luca stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a sharp nod, he stood and left the room. He might not like it, but he knew as well as I did that it was necessary.

I turned to Dorian, who was still studying the vial.

“Take it to the lab. Make sure Adriano handles it. No one else lays a finger on it except him. I want every diagnostic test done on it. He needs to figure out what’s in this shit.

And I want him, and only him, to test every batch we create before it hits the streets.

Anything that isn’t perfect, gets destroyed. ”

Dorian nodded. “Adriano’s the best. If there’s something in this that can give us a clue where it’s coming from, he’ll find it.”

“Good.” I exhaled slowly as I ran a hand through my hair. “This isn’t going to end here, Dorian. The drugs, the missing women… It’s all connected. We’re up against something bigger than we’ve ever dealt with.”

Dorian’s lips twisted into a dark smile, but there was no humor behind it. “Sounds like fun.”

I couldn’t help letting out a low growl. “This isn’t fun, Dorian. We’re in a fucking war.”

“I know.” He stood up. “But you forget… I love a good fight.”

With that, he grabbed the package and walked out, leaving me alone in the office.

I leaned back against the desk, the weight of everything pressing down on me. The Shadow was coming for us, and the only way to stop him was to meet him head-on.

But first, I needed to make sure my house was in order.

And I needed to get Celeste out of my fucking head.