Page 75 of Their Reckless Thief
I wasn’t ready to face him.
I reached for the vial of Phantomine, my fingers brushing the cool glass, but then Luca’s voice cut through the panicked haze in my mind.Don’t use it as a crutch.
I squeezed my eyes shut and let go of the vial. It was okay to feel fear, to feel anxiety, to feel anything. I couldn’t rely on Phantomine whenever things got hard.
I could barely breathe. How was I supposed to lie to Roberto? How was I supposed to keep everything under control?
My trembling hand hovered over the vial again.
You need to feel this. You need to get through this without the drugs.
The fear, though... it was too much. I could barely think straight.
“Fuck this,” I muttered as I twisted the vial open. I needed to be sharp. I needed to be calm. And I couldn’t do that like this.
I tipped the vial back and let the Phantomine slide down my throat. The familiar rush hit me instantly, dulling the edges of my panic, smoothing over the cracks in my composure, just enough to get through this, just enough to keep me steady.
I let out a slow breath as the anxiety faded and that familiar sense of control washed over me. I shoved the vial into my bag, grabbed my jacket, and headed for the door. Roberto waswaiting, and I needed to be ready for whatever came next. Even if it destroyed me.
I took the familiar route to Roberto’s office, my mind racing despite the numbness creeping in. The package from the heist was in my bag. I hadn’t opened it—Roberto would want to keep the contents secret. Everything he did was calculated, and he kept most of his plans hidden from his thieves and spies.
I had planned to take it to him once I’d cleared my head, but now I had no choice.
I paused outside the building, taking a deep breath to steady myself. My fingers brushed the cool metal of the doorknob before I finally pushed it open and stepped inside. The flickering fluorescent light overhead cast eerie shadows over the lobby. The scent of mildew clung to the walls, mixing with the stale cigarette smoke from whoever had passed through earlier.
I climbed the narrow staircase to Roberto’s office, my boots thudding against the wooden steps. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the air itself thickened as I ascended. The Phantomine wasn’t doing much to dull the edge at the moment.
When I reached his office door, I paused for a second, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I could still leave. Walk away. Disappear.
No, that wasn’t an option. I was in too deep. I had to convince Roberto that everything was fine. That I hadn’t been followed and certainly hadn’t been saved by a ruthless mafia leader.
I took another breath, swallowed hard, then finally turned the knob and entered.
Roberto sat behind his desk, his back to the window. The weak light filtering through made his silhouette look darker, more menacing. He didn’t even glance up as I walked in and pulled the package out of my bag. I tossed it onto his desk.
“How’d it go?”
“Fine. In and out.” My tone was as flat as his. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much it affected me. My chest was tight, and my skin crawled from being in the same room with him.
For a moment, I thought that would be it. Transaction over. He’d take the loot, give me a new assignment, and I’d be out of there.
Before I could blink, he was out of his chair, charging at me faster than I could react. His hand closed around my throat, and before I knew it, I was pinned against the doorframe, gasping for breath.
Fuck, not again.
Panic surged through me. I clawed at his wrist, trying to pry him off, but his grip was iron. My lungs screamed for oxygen, my vision going hazy around the edges.
“Let me make this clear, doll,” Roberto growled, his voice low and venomous. “You aremine.Mine to use. Mine to profit from. Mine to turn into the best damn thief this world has ever known.” He squeezed tighter, and I saw stars. “You are no one else’s.”
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The walls of the office were closing in around me, suffocating me, as his words cut deeper than any wound ever could. He was slowly walking me backward out of his office.
“You’ll keep your whore legs closed,” he spat, his face inches from mine, his breath hot against my skin, “and you will do as you’re told.”
I clawed at his arm again, digging my nails into his skin, but it was no use. The pressure around my throat increased, my pulse hammering beneath his grip.
“Just to help you remember what a privileged little bitch you are, you’ll sleep on the streets for the next month. You and your little helper. Maybe you’ll remember who keeps the lights on.”His voice dripped with malice as he slowly began backing me toward the door, his grip never loosening. “You are no longer worthy of being in my presence. Earn it the fuck back. Or else.”
Roberto owned our apartment—as well as Will’s—and allowed us to rent from him at a steep discount. There was no way we could find anything affordable in the city, especially not with only twenty-four hours’ notice.
