Page 10 of Gathered Sparkle

I watch as he heads down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Then Koen pulls me inside my apartment and closes the door behind him. He turns back to me and takes in my expression. “You really okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod, swallowing hard. “I think I am.”

“Liar.”

I let out a weak laugh, shaking my head. “Maybe.”

“Come on.” Koen sighs. “Let’s sit.” He glances toward the couch, but seeing my scattered clothes makes his lips twitch in amusement. “Guess it’s the bed again.”

I cringe. “It’s not made.”

Koen shrugs, stepping into the bedroom without hesitation. “I don’t care.” He sits down on the rumpled sheets, the bed dipping slightly under his weight as he looks up at me, patting the spot next to him. “Sit.”

Reluctantly, I join him, sitting close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. He leans back slightly, one arm resting on his knee, his head tilted to look at me.

“Start from the top,” he commands. “What happened?”

“I thought I had him.” I fidget, picking at the hem of my shirt. “Not just hooked… but maybe even falling for me.”

“Heisfalling for you,” he states simply like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah, maybe.”

He studies me for a moment longer, then lets out a quiet breath. “What happened then?”

“He invited me back to his place. Said his mother’s out late on Tuesdays, so we’d have time alone. It felt… like the perfect opportunity.”

“Tell me about the penthouse.”

“He used a black access card to get the penthouse elevator working. It’s not a regular key card. And once we got there… God, Koen, it was huge, quiet, spotless like something out of a magazine. He called it a cage, though, and I believed him. It didn’t feel like a home.”

He pulls out his phone, his fingers moving quickly. I glance over to see he’s texting Ezra. “Anything else?”

I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “There were cameras in the lobby, probably in the penthouse, too, but I didn’t see any. He’s got a keypad near the door, but it didn’t look like an alarm. Maybe a panic button? I made it to Veronica’s office, but I didn’t get a good look at anything. I didn’t have time. Sylus said I didn’t even make it the minute he needed before Nicholas found me. But like I said, he was just… hurt and told me to go. No security, no police.”

He nods, his expression serious, the glow from his phone reflecting off his handsome features as he types. When he’s done, he sets the phone aside and turns to me. “You got inside. That’s huge.”

“I gotcaught, Koen.” I huff a bitter laugh. “I fucked it all up.”

“You did what you could.” He shifts closer, his hand settling on my knee. “And you didn’t get hurt. That’s what I give a fuckabout.” Something in his words settles the storm inside me. “Nicholas suspects us?”

“Yeah,” I admit, the knot of anxiety tightening again. “He asked if the twins sent me. I didn’t say anything, but he knew.”

“We’ll have to be careful.” Koen’s eyes narrow thoughtfully. “He’s not stupid, even if Levi believes otherwise.”

“What do we do now? I could reach out to him, could try to explai—”

“First, we keep you safe.” Koen cuts me off. “That’s the priority. We’ll regroup and figure out our next steps. But you’re not going anywhere near him until we’re sure it’s safe.”

“Koen, I can’t just—”

“You can,” he cuts me off once more. “You’re more important than this. We’ll figure it out.”

His phone buzzes loudly, the screen lighting up with Levi’s name. “This is going to be fun,” Koen mutters, squeezing my knee as he answers the call and puts it on speaker.

“Koen!” Immediately, Levi’s voice bursts through, loud and frantic. “What the fuck is going on? Nobody’s talking to Alaric and me. Sylus came home, but he locked himself in his room, and Ezra won’t answer his fucking phone. What happened?”

“Easy, Dove.” Koen glances at me. “Glitter got into the Penthouse and planted the ducky, but she got caught before Sylus could hack his way in.”

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