Page 73 of Nocturne

They must know what I’m doing or what I plan to do. They’re trained to stay on high alert, but they’ve also been conditioned to fear nothing—not even me, the man who once impaled the previous mob boss’s head outside his home to send a message.

They are arrogant, yet cautious. They could be anyone, anywhere—hell, they could be downstairs, dancing in my pub, and I wouldn’t know. Masters of blending in.

I fucking hate being at a disadvantage. I’m used to being a dozen steps ahead, not fumbling around in the dark, unsure of what’s coming. I hate not knowing. I like to be prepared. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

“Have our men monitor the bounties all over Besall. As soon as someone accepts, I need them traced and followed. If any of the killers are new, take them to Eero,”

As if his name summoned him, Eero walks into the room, not knocking again. I grit my teeth, questioning myself why I still keep the fucker alive.

“The next time you don’t knock, you will meet me in the ring,” I growl snapping the file shut.

Eero winces slightly. “Wouldn’t want to do that, bossman,”

He drops two containers of food on my desk and announces, “Our sweet professor made these.”

Something in me stills. The containers are plain, nothing special, but I find myself pulling them towards me, claiming them before anyone else can.

I open one and inhale the warm, savoury aroma. She made this. With her hands. I imagine her in her kitchen, glasses slipping down her nose, cooking with that same gentle intensity she applies to everything. A rare flicker of warmth stirs somewhere deep within, unwanted but undeniable.

Eero groans, “Boss, please, at least share mine. It’s the best thing I’ve tasted in years.”

I give him a look that shuts him up. This is mine. She made it, and I’m keeping it.

“Fine,” he grumbles.

“She adopted a kid,” Eero says as he walks towards Nico. “And she invited you and me to her party for him.”

I can see the surprise on both their faces. The last thing they were invited without the other person having anything to gain was…nothing.

“Did you hear what I said, Nico? A fucking party. For akid. Andweare invited. I swear to the devil, I thought I was hearing things when she gave this to me,”

Nico and Iblis stare at the invitation Eero produces, the surprise plain on their faces. There’s something almost... innocent in the way they look at it. As if they’d forgotten what it felt like to be invited somewhere without strings attached.

“Looks like I’m not the only one on her shit list,” Iblis says, smirking, though even he holds the envelope with an uncharacteristic softness.

I glare at him, irritated.

“Oh, speaking of shit-list. What the fuck did you say to her boss?”

What the fuck is he yapping about.

“Why?”

“Because she is going on a date.”

Nineteen

Ara

Two weeks after I agreed to dinner, the night finds me on a date with Sean in one of the finestrestaurants in Walius—Soleil. We texted each other a few times, but between our busy careers, Cas moving in, and the party that needed planning, we did not get time to talk much. Sean was extremely understanding about…well, everything.

He seems too good to be true.

“You look beautiful, Ara.”

I blush and look down at the napkin on my lap. He has been throwing random compliments throughout the night. He is doing it on purpose. I see a twinkling mirth in his eyes whenever I’m stunned in surprise at his out-of-the-blue compliments.

“Stop it, Sean,”

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