Page 29 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

CELESTE

I woke up earlier than usual, the dull light of dawn barely filtering through my bedroom window. It had been two days since Dorian showed up in my room. Two days since his mouth had been between my thighs, and I still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Gods, the way his tongue had moved, the way he’d looked at me while he was doing it…

He had worshipped me—there was no other way to describe it.

My entire body vibrated with the memory, and my stomach did a little flip.

I kept having to remind myself that he was a fucking mob boss. A dangerous one at that.

Get it together, Celeste.

Groaning, I rolled out of bed, already dreading the day. I had to check in with Roberto. After everything that had happened during my time at Vincenzo’s mansion, the last thing I wanted was to face Roberto, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I needed him for work. For survival.

Vivian met me outside our building, her brow furrowed like she was deep in thought. Perhaps she also wasn’t looking forward to seeing Roberto.

“Ready?” she asked, nudging my shoulder.

I shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be. You know how much I love listening to Roberto’s nonsense.”

We started walking through the quiet streets, and I reached into my pocket, pulling out the small vial of Phantomine. The familiar warmth of it spread through my chest as I took a quick hit. It was like liquid peace, just enough to dull the gnawing anxiety that lived in my gut these days.

Vivian shot me a look, shaking her head. “You know, I really wish you’d quit that stuff.”

“I know.” I sighed and tucked the vial back into my pocket. “But I’m not there yet.”

Vivian didn’t push it—she never did—but the concern in her eyes was clear enough.

It was the same look she always gave me when she thought I was pushing myself too hard or falling too far.

I couldn’t deal with that right now, though.

Not when I had to walk into Roberto’s office and act like I hadn’t spent the past few days tangled up in a web of mafia lords and my own spiraling thoughts.

The old brick building loomed over us like some sort of judgmental beast. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Roberto was seated behind his desk, his sharp eyes locked on me like a predator sizing up his prey.

“Celeste. Vivian.” He greeted us with a curt nod. “You’re late.”

I bit back a retort and forced a neutral expression onto my face. “By thirty seconds,” I muttered, not really caring if he heard me or not.

He didn’t seem interested in arguing. He gestured toward the screen on the wall behind him, where a lineup of jobs was displayed. “Here are your assignments for the next month. The first two are simple enough since they are here in the human realm. I expect you to handle them efficiently.”

I nodded absently, my stomach twisting as my eyes moved to the third job on the list. It was in The Below, right on the edge of The Shadow’s territory. A pang of worry shot through my gut as I remembered everything Vincenzo had said about The Shadow and how dangerous he was.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to go back. Not yet. Everything about it—the streets, the creatures, the men—was still too raw. I wasn’t ready to face it, and Vincenzo had ordered me to stay away. But I couldn’t tell Roberto that. I knew how he’d react.

I tried to remain calm, focusing on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Roberto could read auras, and if I didn’t chill the fuck out, he’d know I was hiding something.

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with that unnerving gaze of his. “You’ve been off lately,” he said, his voice sharp, almost accusatory. “What’s going on with you, Celeste?”

“Nothing,” I lied, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I’m just... tired. That virus really threw me for a loop.”

Roberto’s expression darkened. He wasn’t buying it. My aura was probably screaming that I was lying through my teeth. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not,” I insisted, plastering a smile on my face. “I’m fine. Ready to get back to work.” Maybe if I sounded confident enough, my aura would follow suit.

Roberto lurched out of his chair and wrapped his hand around my throat with a crushing force. The air rushed from my lungs, my pulse spiking as his grip tightened.

“Don’t lie to me,” he snarled, his face inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin. “You know better than to fucking lie to me, Celeste. You know what happens to dolls that hide shit from me.”

Vivian reached forward without thinking.

Roberto’s gaze shifted to her. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”

She sank back, gripping her neck. She was helpless. And so was I.

Gasping, I clawed at his wrist, but he held me in place, his grip unrelenting.

“You are mine,” he hissed, his eyes flashing with that sickening, possessive gleam I loathed. “You do as I say. Working for me is a fucking privilege. Don’t ever forget that.”

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not break in front of him. Not again. This wasn’t the first time Roberto had lost his cool with me, though it was the first time I wondered if he might squeeze the very life out of me.

“Do you understand me?” Roberto growled, squeezing just a little harder.

“Yes,” I choked out. “I… I u-understand.”

He held me there for a moment longer, his eyes searching mine for any sign of defiance. Then, with a sudden jerk, he released me, and I stumbled back, coughing and retching as I tried to catch my breath.

“Good. Get out. Both of you. You have work to do.”

I turned on my heel, my hands shaking as I made my way toward the door. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Not when I was on the verge of breaking all over again.

Vivian followed close behind me, not saying a word. As soon as we were outside, she reached for my arm, her grip steady and reassuring.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t okay. I hadn’t been okay in a long time. But what choice did I have? This was my life. This was how I survived. And if I didn’t keep playing the game the way Roberto wanted me to play, I would lose everything.

Even if, deep down, I already felt like I was losing myself.

My body still thrummed with tension when we got back to our apartment, and I could still feel the grip of his hand around my throat.

I gingerly pressed an ice pack to my neck, hating the dull ache of the cool pressure.

I prayed to the gods that it wouldn’t bruise, because I sure as shit didn’t want a constant reminder of Roberto’s power over me every time I looked into the mirror.

“You all right?” Vivian’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I glanced over at her. Her face was a mask of concern as she fiddled with one of her many monitors.

“I’ll live,” I muttered, shifting the ice pack. “I really fucking hate him, Viv.”

Vivian sighed as she turned back to her work. “I know. He’s a bastard. But we need him. For now.”

“For now,” I echoed, bitterness welling up inside me.

Vivian was already deep into researching our next job, her fingers flying over the keyboard like she was born with them glued to it. She always dived right into work when things got bad. It was her way of coping, of regaining control over something in this messy world. I envied that about her.

“Okay,” she muttered to herself, looking from screen to screen, “I’m pulling up the blueprints of the building Roberto wants us to hit next. This one’s a little tricky, but nothing we can’t handle. You’re going to have to go through the main floor tomorrow. I’m testing your mics.”

I nodded, trying to focus as she set up the gear, but my mind kept wandering.

I couldn’t shake the nervous energy that had settled in my gut.

Maybe it was my dependence on Phantomine.

Maybe it was the weight of everything that had happened in the last few days.

Or maybe it was just that I needed to prove to myself I could still do this.

Perhaps pulling off a flawless job would bring me back to center. I needed that, more than anything.

Vivian handed me one of the mics, and I clipped it onto my shirt, fiddling with the small device. “You’re getting better with this stuff,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Vivian smirked at me. “Yeah, well, I’ve had to. You’ve been slacking off.”

“Slacking?” I cocked an eyebrow. “I prefer to think that I’ve been keeping you on your toes.”

She laughed, which put me more at ease. Despite everything, despite the chaos and the danger that surrounded our lives, there was something comforting about being here with her, in our little corner of the world. We understood each other in ways no one else ever could.

“All right, try it out,” she said, clicking a button on one of her screens. “I need to make sure the signal’s clear.”

“Testing, testing,” I muttered into the mic, feeling a strange rush of adrenaline as I watched the waveforms bounce across the screen. “How’s it sounding?”

“Crystal clear,” she said, her fingers flying across the keys again. “We’re good to go.”

The apartment was quiet for a moment, just the soft hum of electronics filling the space.

I sat down on the edge of the couch, still clutching the ice pack, and stared out the window at the darkening sky.

Tomorrow’s job should’ve excited me. Usually, I thrived on the thrill of a new heist. But now? I just felt… off.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Vivian and I exchanged a glance.

“Are you expecting anyone?” she asked, frowning as she set down her tablet.

I shook my head. “No. You?”

“Nope.”

I stood up, making my way to the door cautiously. We didn’t get visitors. Ever. Will let himself in with his key. Gripping the handle, I opened the door to find a delivery guy standing there with a package.

“Delivery for Celeste Callahan,” he said, holding out a small box.

“I didn’t order anything,” I said, confused as I eyed the package. My name was clearly written on the label, but I definitely hadn’t ordered anything recently.

“Well, it’s got your name on it,” the guy said with a shrug, before turning and walking away.

I stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at the box. Suspicion twisted in my gut as I slowly closed the door behind me and brought the package to the table.

Vivian watched me closely as I opened it. Inside was a brand-new phone, top-of-the-line. I blinked, completely baffled. “What the hell?”

Nestled in the box with the phone was a small note. No name. Just a number written in neat, slanted handwriting. And underneath that was a one-letter signature.