Page 30 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

VINCENZO

My pulse quickened. I stared at the phone, a strange mix of anger, confusion, and… something else bubbling up inside me. What the fuck was this? A gift? A bribe? Some twisted way to keep tabs on me? He did break my phone, but I never expected him to replace it.

Vivian leaned over my shoulder to read the note. Her eyes narrowed. “Vincenzo? Seriously?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, a rush of conflicting emotions crashing into me. “Seriously.”

“What’s his deal? Is this his sick way of tracking you?”

“Probably,” I said, my fingers curling around the phone. “But I don’t know. He’s… complicated.”

“Complicated?” Vivian raised an eyebrow. “Celeste, the guy’s a mafia lord. There’s nothing complicated about that. He’s a cold-blooded murderer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Period. End of story. You can’t accept this from him. Send it back.”

She was right, of course, but that didn’t stop my heart from racing every time I thought about him and the way he looked at me, the way he’d saved me, then kicked me out of his life.

None of it made sense. And now, with this phone, it felt like he was still trying to stay connected. Like he wasn’t done with me yet.

“What are you going to do?” Vivian asked, eyeing me as if she was trying to dissect my every thought. “You’re not going to keep it, are you?”

I stared at the phone for a moment, then slipped it back into the box, my mind swirling with thoughts I couldn’t quite pin down. “I don’t know. I just don’t think I’m ready to cut ties yet.”

The soft thud of boots hitting the floor woke me. I blinked, pushing the fog of sleep from my mind as I propped myself up on my elbow. “You really like sneaking in, don’t you?” I asked, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Dorian grinned as he shed his jacket. “I like keeping you on your toes. It makes things more interesting.”

There was something endearing about Dorian coming in through the window, even though it was impractical. He could have walked through the front door like a normal person, but this? This was more Dorian.

Before I could say anything more, Dorian crawled into the bed beside me and pulled me close like I was his anchor in a sea of chaos.

His warmth wrapped around me, and I found myself sinking into it, into him.

I wasn’t sure when exactly it had happened…

when he’d become this constant, comforting presence.

It unnerved me how easily I’d grown used to it in such little time.

His hand drifted into my hair, his fingers softly brushing through the strands in a rhythmic motion that relaxed me. Suddenly, he stilled, his hand freezing on my skin.

“What the fuck happened to your neck?” A dangerous edge sharpened his words.

My stomach clenched, and I instinctively shifted back. “It’s nothing.”

The dark flash of his eyes told me he wasn’t buying it.

“Who did this to you?” It wasn’t a question; it was a promise. A promise that someone would bleed for this.

I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Dorian. I lied to Roberto. He didn’t like that very much.”

His expression turned murderous in an instant, his grip on me tightening as he sat up. “Roberto?” His voice was cold, deadly. “That bastard put his hands on you?”

I sat up quickly, trying to hold his attention before he did something reckless. “Dorian, don’t?—”

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” he growled, already halfway out of the bed, his muscles tensed with fury.

“No! Dorian, please.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward me. Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. “You can’t get involved with Roberto. He’s my livelihood, Dorian.”

He looked back at me, jaw clenched and chest heaving. “I don’t give a damn what he is. No one… no one lays a fucking finger on you without consequences.”

I shook my head, and the tears spilled over. “As fucked up as it is, Dorian, I need him. He took me off the streets. He trained me. He gave me a job. He’s like a… fucked-up father figure.”

Dorian’s eyes softened, the anger receding enough to allow some tenderness to shine through. He cupped my face between his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. “He’s not your father, Celeste. No good father treats their child like this.”

“I know,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “But I can’t lose everything. Please, don’t make it any worse than it already is.”

He exhaled sharply and pulled me into his chest, holding me like he could shield me from the entire world.

“Fine. I won’t kill him… for now. But he will pay.

And when you’re done with him—because trust me, you will be done with him—you’ll be thriving.

You’ll be out from under his thumb, living your life without him.

Mark my words, Celeste. It’s going to happen. ”

I clung to him, trembling as the weight of everything crashed down on me. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whispered into his chest.

Dorian stroked my back, his touch soothing me. “You’re surviving. And I’m going to make sure you keep doing that. I need you to survive.”

We stayed like that, the quiet settling around us, and I let myself relax into his arms. His presence was a lifeline I didn’t know I needed.

The door creaked open, and I tensed, turning to see Vivian standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock.

“Uh… am I interrupting something?” she asked, though from her expression she knew she was doing exactly that.

Dorian shot her a cheeky grin. “Everything’s fine,” he said, far too casually.

Vivian’s face flushed with anger as she backed up. “Perfect,” she muttered before slamming the door.

I sighed and pulled away from Dorian. “I should go talk to her.”

Dorian watched me, concern in his eyes, but he didn’t try to stop me. I walked out into the hallway, where Vivian was pacing, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Viv—”

“I recognize him,” she hissed, her eyes blazing with a mix of anger and disbelief. “That’s fucking Dorian Voss. From Roberto’s wall of mafia men. What the hell are you thinking?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I… I have it under control.”

“Clearly,” she snapped, shaking her head. “You’re getting romantically involved with one of Vincenzo’s men, Celeste. Someone who’s really fucking dangerous in his own right! What the hell are you doing?”

I had no answer. I didn’t know what I was doing, or why everything had spiraled so far out of my control. “I’m just… I don’t know, Viv.”

The door behind me creaked open, and Dorian popped his head out. “Is everything okay out here?” he asked, looking between us with a lopsided grin.

“Everything’s just great,” Vivian muttered before storming off down the hallway.

Sighing, I rubbed my hand over my face and went back into my room. Dorian lounged on the bed, looking far too amused.

I curled up next to him and rested my head on his chest. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Vivian’s losing faith in me. I can see it in her eyes. She doesn’t know who I am anymore, either.”

Dorian wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now,” he murmured as he rubbed my back. “Just… breathe.”

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the vial of Phantomine.

As I swallowed it down, the familiar calm settled over me, but it didn’t take the confusion away.

I let out a shaky breath as Dorian’s warmth and scent surrounded me.

I hated how comforting it was, how safe he made me feel even when my world was falling apart.

Dorian ran his hand through my hair, his fingers tangling in the strands.

I melted into him, feeling his heartbeat under my palm, his breath hot against my neck as our legs intertwined.

He breathed me in deeply, holding me like he never wanted to let go.

My gut told me it felt right, even though my brain screamed it was so very wrong.

“Don’t worry, Celeste,” he whispered, his voice soft and full of something I couldn’t quite place. “I’ve got you.”

Maybe that was the problem.