Page 6 of Their Reckless Thief (The Below #1)

CELESTE

As I pushed open the side gate, my heart skipped a beat when I spotted something I hadn’t expected. Guards.

My breath caught in my throat, pulse quickening as I pressed myself against the cold stone wall. There were two of them—shifters, heavily armed, their sharp eyes scanning the perimeter. But this was what I was trained for.

“Vivian,” I whispered. “Why the fuck are there guards here? That wasn’t in my visions.”

Her voice crackled back in my ear, irritated and wary. “I was about to ask you the same thing. I’ve got eyes on them through the cameras, and they look serious. You sure your vision didn’t miss something?”

My mind flashed back to my visions. The corridors had been empty, the mansion wide open, begging for me to slip inside and take what I wanted. There had been no guards. No extra security.

“I know what I saw,” I hissed, my fingers grazing the twin blades strapped to my thighs. “Something must’ve changed.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Vivian snapped. “There are way too many guards out here. You need to pull back. Something’s off.”

“I’m already here, and who knows when I’ll get another chance,” I said, determination hardening my resolve. The payout on this heist was enormous. No way in hell was I walking away empty-handed.

Vivian sighed, and I heard her furiously tapping away on her keyboard. “Fine, but be smart. You’re not invincible, and you know your visions can change depending on... you know... everything.”

I peeked out from my hiding spot again, sizing up the situation. The guards weren’t asleep at the wheel, but they didn’t look like hardened professionals either. No way was I getting past them without being spotted.

I needed a better plan. Something that wouldn’t tip my hand but would clear the way.

“Vivian.” I lowered my voice. “Patch me into the mansion’s network. I’m going to create a little distraction.”

“You’re insane,” she said, though I could practically hear her smirk. “Give me a second. I’ll get into their system.”

While Vivian worked her magic, I reached into the small pouch at my hip and pulled out one of my favorite toys.

It was a mini EMP emitter, the size of a marble but capable of shorting out electronics within a few feet.

Not enough to cause a total blackout, but just enough to mess with security systems and nearby devices.

It wouldn’t interfere with the frequency of our personal equipment.

“Okay, you’re in,” Vivian said after a moment. “I’ve got access to their comms and security feed. What’s the plan?”

I grinned. “Watch and learn.”

I rolled the EMP marble across the walkway, and it settled near the guards’ feet. The device hummed for a split second before it sent a pulse through the immediate area. The lights on the security cameras flickered, then blinked out, and the guards’ radios crackled with static.

“What the hell?” one of the guards muttered, tapping at his earpiece. “Do you hear that?”

“Yeah, I’m getting nothing.” The second guard frowned, looking up at the cameras. “Maybe it’s a power glitch?”

“Or maybe we’ve got a problem,” the first one said, his eyes narrowing. “Let’s check the control room. Make sure everything’s working right.”

And there it was. My opening.

As they turned to investigate, I moved. Quick, silent steps took me along the wall, and I used the shadows to stay hidden. I didn’t rely on my appearance this time around like I often did. Instead, I relied on my skills and the quiet confidence of someone who had done this a hundred times before.

As I reached the mansion’s back entrance, I stopped and glanced back at the guards, who were still fiddling with their gear.

One of them kicked the base of the security post, and the other made a joke about the system needing to “get its shit together.” I rolled my eyes, the corner of my lip curling in disdain.

If they had any idea what was actually going on, they would be shitting themselves.

“Guards are distracted,” I whispered to Vivian. “Heading inside.”

“You’re an artist,” Vivian grumbled in my ear. “But you’re still an idiot. Give me a second… Okay, the next guard is making his rounds. Looks like he’ll pass by you in about thirty seconds.”

Slipping through the garden, I found my way to the back entrance I’d seen in my vision.

The lavish estate was almost unnervingly quiet, just as I’d predicted.

Soft, glowing lanterns illuminated the sprawling, marble-clad mansion, each casting an ethereal glow over the manicured lawn.

A fountain bubbled in the distance, and the scent of night-blooming flowers drifted on the cool breeze.

I ducked under a low-hanging branch, my eyes narrowing as I scanned the estate for any other unexpected surprises.

“I don’t like this,” Vivian muttered, typing aggressively, her voice hushed now. “There are too many guards. Something’s wrong.”

“It’s fine,” I insisted, shaking off the creeping doubt. “I’ve got a good feeling about this. I saw the vault. I saw the way in. I can do this, Viv.”

“Yeah, well, I’m seeing a lot of extra guards that your vision didn’t show. Something could’ve changed.”

I stepped onto the back terrace, my eyes locked on the wide, ornate doors. “I know,” I admitted, my voice softening. “But it’ll be fine. If something changes, I’ll adapt.”

The lock on the door was as simple as I’d expected. No need for complicated tech here. A quick flick of my wrist, and the door clicked open.

“Vivian, keep me posted on the guards’ movements.”

The mansion was even more extravagant inside.

Marble floors gleamed under the soft glow of chandeliers, and priceless artwork hung on the walls.

I moved quietly, listening to the faint echoes of footsteps somewhere in the distance.

Everything was polished, pristine, and yet.

.. there was something unsettling about it.

This was the kind of place where power corrupted everything it touched. Or maybe that was simply Vincenzo.

My steps slowed as I ran my fingers along the edge of a marble pillar, the memory of freezing nights in alleyways popping up unbidden.

The hunger, the cold, the scraping sound of rats in the dark.

.. It had been years since I clawed my way out, but the fear of falling back into that life still haunted me.

My heart beat faster as I paused at the entrance to a long corridor. The vault was ahead. I could feel it.

I pressed my hand against the door, testing it, and slipped inside with barely a sound. More marble. More sparkling chandeliers. I didn’t have time to admire the décor. I moved swiftly through the hallways, scanning for any more surprises, like unexpected security guards.

As I approached a junction, I caught sight of another guard’s shadow stretching across the floor, blocking my path.

“Viv, where are they heading?” I whispered.

“I’ve got eyes on a couple of guards moving toward the east wing. You’re clear for now, but don’t take too long.”

“Right,” I muttered, heading deeper into the belly of the beast.

As I crept through the house, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted, just like Vivian had suggested. The vision had felt so clear, but now... now, I wasn’t so sure.

Still, I had come too far to turn back. I’d never been a quitter.

I barely breathed as I crept down the hallway, my steps silent against the marble floors.

No one was supposed to be here tonight. No meetings, no security besides the random, incompetent guard sprinkled here or there.

In my vision, there was nothing but an empty mansion ripe for the picking.

And yet, the closer I got to the vault, the more I sensed something was truly off.

A low murmur of voices drifted down the corridor. I froze, ears straining to catch the conversation coming from behind a half-open door up ahead.

Shit.

My heart thundered. The vault room wasn’t supposed to be occupied, yet it clearly was. What the hell was going on?

I edged closer, staying flush against the wall as I peered through the narrow crack in the door.

The room beyond was opulent, as expected—ornate furniture, a huge fireplace, and a massive crystal chandelier hanging overhead.

But it wasn’t the décor that caught my attention.

It was the three men seated at the long mahogany table, the flickering firelight illuminating their faces.

Vincenzo Moretti. Luca Thorne. And Dorian Voss.

Fuck. Motherfucking fuck.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as I registered who I was staring at. Vincenzo Moretti, the vampire mafia lord who ran the blood and drug cartel in The Below… and the owner of the fucking mansion I’d just broken into.

To his right was Dorian Voss, a wolf shifter who oversaw all nightlife operations under Vincenzo’s rule, and also the man I’d seen between my legs in my last vision. Oh, gods.

Luca, the brooding fae who was second-in-command to the elusive Shadow Lord, sat to Vincenzo’s left.

What the fuck was The Shadow’s right-hand man doing at Vincenzo’s house and acting as if they were old friends?

I recognized them immediately from the board Roberto kept on his wall.

He liked all his dolls to be informed of the upper echelon in The Below.

The board featured all mafia lords and high-hitters, their species, domain, and position.

Each of these men were terrifying in their own way. They were not to be fucked with.

And there they were. All three of them. Together. Talking.

This was bad. I swallowed hard, every muscle in my body tense as I pressed my back against the wall. If they noticed me, I’d be as good as dead. Or worse.

Vivian was in my ear asking what I was seeing… why I was just standing there. She had no way to see into the vault room. Fucking perfect. I stayed silent.