Page 37 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

Vincenzo stopped pacing, his chest rising and falling with barely contained rage. “We give her a choice, then. We pull her out of this shit for good.”

“She won’t let us,” I replied, my voice flat. “You know she won’t.”

His jaw ticked, and without warning, he grabbed a glass bottle from the desk and hurled it against the wall. Shards of glass rained down like glittering stars. “She’s going to get herself killed, Luca.”

“I know,” I said quietly, the weight of it settling in my gut like lead. “But we can’t stop her from being who she is.”

His eyes locked onto mine, blazing with an intensity that made my skin prickle. “No. But if anyone’s going to put her in danger, it’s going to be us. At least then we can keep her alive.”

I nodded slowly. There was no denying it. She was ours now. Whether she realized it or not, we weren’t going to let her slip through our fingers.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight us every step of the way.

Vincenzo let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. “She needs to be brought in. No more of this running around like she’s invincible. Next time… next time she might not make it.”

I stayed silent. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right.

And that thought—losing her—was something I couldn’t fucking handle.

Neither could he.

Dorian barged into the office in the middle of Vincenzo’s meltdown, catching sight of the shattered glass and Vincenzo pacing like a caged animal.

“What the fuck is going on?” Dorian asked, his gaze flicking to the shards of glass on the floor. He wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly what this was about.

I glanced at him, my shadows still coiling restlessly at my feet. “You should know. You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?”

Dorian wasn’t the only one checking on Celeste, although I didn’t dare approach her apartment. I preferred to stay in the shadows, watching from afar to ensure she upheld her end of the bargain with Vincenzo.

The atmosphere in the room shifted. Dorian’s casual demeanor faltered, and for a moment, the tension between us was electric. His gaze locked with mine, a silent conversation happening between us that neither of us wanted to voice.

“What the fuck?” Vincenzo growled, whirling on Dorian, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. “You’re sleeping with her?”

Dorian crossed his arms, his jaw tightening. “I was providing her with pure Phantomine.”

Vincenzo let out a low, disbelieving laugh. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. That’s your defense?”

My shadows twitched, itching to react. “So that’s where it’s been coming from,” I said, stepping closer. “She tried to use it today to quell a panic attack.”

Dorian’s eyes darkened, but his voice remained steady. “Would you rather her get the shit off the streets? The fake Phantomine? Is that what you’d prefer, Luca? For her to die?”

“Enough!” Vincenzo’s temper was on a hair-trigger, and he wasn’t about to let this devolve into a pissing contest between us. “We’ve got bigger problems than who’s fucking who or what drugs she’s on.”

He rubbed his jaw, tension radiating off him. “And about the drugs, I’ve been thinking. The Shadow refuses to have a meeting with me, right? So, what if I simply show up and force the issue?”

I blinked, stunned by the sheer recklessness of the suggestion. “What?”

“You heard me,” Vincenzo growled, eyes blazing. “I show up. I make The Shadow talk. I’m not sitting around waiting for him to come after us. We’re going to him.”

I folded my arms across my chest, resisting the urge to punch something. “Maybe you have more in common with Celeste than you realize,” I muttered, shaking my head. “You both have a fucking death wish.”

Vincenzo laughed derisively. “Are you with me or not?”

I hesitated. It was dangerous. The Shadow wasn’t someone you just waltzed up to.

No one ever made it into the presence of The Shadow besides his inner circle and those he invited to meet with him.

He was a ghost, but there was no stopping Vincenzo when he had his mind made up, and I knew deep down, if we didn’t go with him, he’d go alone.

And he’d die for it.

I let out a slow breath. “I’m in. I’ll get us where we need to be. I’ll remove the barriers and wards for as long as I can.”

Vincenzo’s eyes flared with satisfaction. “Good.”

Dorian stepped forward, his usual playful expression gone. “You’re serious about this? You want to walk right into his estate?”

Vincenzo met Dorian’s gaze, unflinching. “You’re either with me or you’re not, Dorian.”

Dorian rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled through his nose. “Fine. I’m with you.”

“I’ll make sure I’m at The Shadow’s right hand when you arrive so he doesn’t suspect I aided your entrance,” I added, glancing between them.

“You’ll have backup. But make no mistake, this is high-risk, even for me.

I still don’t have any solid intel on the mirror.

The Shadow needs to see reason when you speak to him, and that’s a long fucking shot. ”

Vincenzo gave a savage, confident grin that had me wondering whether he was ready for whatever came next or if he simply didn’t care anymore. “Reason or not, we’re doing this tonight.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow. “Tonight?”

“Yeah,” Vincenzo growled. “Tonight. We’re not letting another chance slip by. We’re going to end this.”