Page 49 of Their Reckless Thief
In The Below, every move was calculated, every interaction laced with ulterior motives. Here, people were just trying to get through their day.
Marta set a plate in front of me—a stack of golden-brown waffles smothered in butter and syrup, with a side of crispy bacon—and I practically drooled at the sight.
“Eat up, kid.” She gave my shoulder a light pat before bustling off to take another order.
I took a bite. The sweetness melted on my tongue, and for a moment, I let myself justbe. No Roberto breathing down my neck, no missions, no monsters waiting to pounce. Just waffles, coffee, and the hum of a city waking up.
Gods, it felt good to be home.
Even if my mind kept wandering back to the men who now haunted my dreams.
14
DORIAN
I strodethrough the underground hallways of the lab, the low roar of the machinery filling the space as I passed rows of sterile, gleaming surfaces and glass-walled rooms. This was the heart of our kingdom, the unseen force behind the most sought-after substances in The Below. The place smelled faintly of chemicals and magic, a strange but potent mix that somehow always brought a smirk to my lips, but not tonight. Tonight, my mood was as dark as the shitstorm brewing around the fake Phantomine.
Around Celeste.
The lab was massive, a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility hidden under the streets of The Below. On the surface, we played nice—clubs, nightlife, fulfilling sexual fantasies. But down here? This was where the real work happened. Where we manufactured power in liquid form.
I glanced at the different research stations as I walked by. Hundreds of chemicals, spells, and advanced alchemy swirling together in a delicate balance. It was mesmerizing, if you were into that kind of thing.
I wasn’t, but Adriano sure as hell was.
I found him at the back of the lab, hunched over a workbench like a mad scientist. It looked like he hadn’t combed his dark, curly hair in days, and there were the telltale signs of sleepless nights under his eyes. For all his disheveled appearance, though, the man was a fucking genius. He could brew anything in that lab of his. Hell, he could probably mix up a potion to give someone wings if they asked nicely enough.
“Adriano, my man,” I called, my voice snapping him out of whatever trance he was in.
He blinked at me through his round glasses, adjusting them slightly before standing. “Dorian,” he greeted, his voice a low rasp, always that quiet focus in his tone. He flicked a glance at the case in my hand. “Is that the shit you called me about?”
I nodded and set the case on the table. “Yeah. Came across it in the river, in our territory. I need you to break it down. Tell me anything you can about its chemical properties. Vincenzo wants to know what the drugs are laced with. Ultimately, he wants to trace the substances back to the supplier. We have our suspicions, but we need hardcore proof.”
Adriano picked up a vial, his fingers nimble and careful as always. He was meticulous, almost obsessive, when it came to his work. He opened the vial and took a deep whiff. “Smells off. Like they’ve tampered with the base formula.”
“Yeah, no shit. That’s why I’m here.”
He gave me a dry look before walking over to the main area of the lab. The setup was a chemist’s wet dream. Shelves lined with vials, powders, potions, and ingredients both mundane and supernatural. Each station was equipped with the best technology money—and a little dark magic—could buy.
Adriano slid the vial into a sleek device, a hybrid between a microscope and a magical analyzer, which blinked to life as he keyed in a few commands. Intricate chemical breakdownsand arcane symbols appeared on the screen. He leaned forward, studying the data as it streamed in.
“It’s not altered. It’s corrupted,” Adriano muttered, mostly to himself. “Someone’s added a contamination spell. Look…” He pointed to an ominous red pulse in the chemical structure. “This right here. It’s designed to cause some pretty awful adverse reactions. Could be immediate or somewhat slower depending on user sensitivity.”
I clenched my fists. “Who the fuck would want to do that?” I knew exactly who, but I wanted to hear his theory.
Adriano shrugged, his fingers flying across the control pad as he ran a deeper analysis. “Could be anyone who wants to take over the market. I’ve never encountered this particular contamination spell before. It’s not something you just pick up on the street. Whoever’s behind this is a pro. A very dangerous one.”
“Can you trace it? Find out where it originated?”
Adriano’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I can try, but it’ll take time.”
“Time’s not something we have a lot of, Adriano,” I snapped, but he knew the sharp tone wasn’t directed at him. I needed answers. Vincenzo needed answers.
His lips twitched into a rare, humorless smile. “You’re lucky I like challenges.”
I pulled up a chair and settled in to watch him work. “Just get it done.”
A few moments passed in silence, the only sound the buzz of the machines and the soft clicks of Adriano’s tools. Then, as if remembering something, I reached into my jacket and pulled out a sealed vial of Phantomine. The good stuff. Untouched by whatever shit was floating around now.
