Page 67 of Their Reckless Thief
She laughed dryly, but there was no real humor in it. Just exhaustion. I hated that it made me feel protective.
I shouldn’t fucking care.
I stepped ahead of her and opened the car door, waiting for her to get in. She hesitated, glancing at me with a hint of something in her eyes, something I couldn’t quite read, but she said nothing as she slid into the driver’s seat.
She started the engine, but before she could drive off, I leaned down and met her eyes, holding her gaze. “You’re going to get yourself killed if you don’t start looking out for yourself.”
“Why do you care?” she shot back, the sharpness in her voice meant to sting. She was trying to push me away. Always pushing.
I didn’t answer. I didn’thavea fucking answer. So, I stepped back, watched her drive away, and felt the gnawing ache in my chest intensify.
What the fuck was I getting myself into? Why did I care if she used Phantomine to cope, or if she walked these dangerous streets alone? Why did it matter if she lived recklessly or got herself killed?
I shouldn’t fucking care. Not about her. Not about anyone.
But I did.
And that was the problem.
I veilstepped into Vincenzo’s mansion, shadows twining around my ankles like restless serpents. My nerves vibrated with tension, knowing what was coming. Vincenzo was going to lose it when I told him what happened tonight. And honestly, I couldn’t blame him. Celestewouldn’t stop getting herself into trouble.
My shadows coiled tighter as I made my way to his office. I didn’t bother knocking. There was no point. Vincenzo would know I was coming the moment I set foot on the grounds. His senses were that sharp, his awareness that expansive. It was why he could run this place with an iron fist.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room. Vincenzo stood next to the massive fireplace, his hands clasped behind his back, the flames casting a harsh, golden light over his face. His gaze, dark and dangerous, met mine the second I entered.
I didn’t mince words. “We need to talk. Abouther.”
His jaw clenched, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. He stared at me, those damn eyes filled with the cold rage he kept tightly leashed—the rage I knew could be unleashed at any second. The problem was, tonight, I would be the one who let it loose.
“Celeste. She was out there again. This time, she was in The Shadow’s territory. Alone. By the time I caught up to her, she had two cars on her tail. If I hadn’t been there?—”
Vincenzo slammed his fist into the side of his desk, sending a crack through the heavy wood. He spun around, eyes blazing. “What the fuck was she doingthere?”
I didn’t flinch, though the force of his anger was almost tangible, the air thickening around us like a storm about to break. My shadows danced nervously at my feet, feeding off the tension. “She was on a job. She thought she had it under control.” I met his gaze. “She was tailed. They would’ve killed her, Vincenzo.”
He cursed under his breath, his hands curling into fists. “She just doesn’t fucking stop, does she? She doesn’t seem to care that she’s going to get herself killed.”
“I know.” I hated this too—hated how reckless she was. Hated how she kept throwing herself into danger like she had nothing left to lose. “She doesn’t listen to reason. She thinks she can handle everything on her own.”
Vincenzo growled, frustration rolling off him in waves. He turned and swept his arm across the desk, sending papers and glass tumbling to the floor. The sound of shattering glass echoedthrough the room, but it did nothing to calm him. If anything, it only stoked the fire burning in his eyes.
“I fuckingtoldher to stay out of The Below. I told her to stay out of danger,” he snarled, pacing like a caged animal. “Of course, she’s too godsdamn stubborn to listen. I’ve never met anyone more infuriating than that woman.”
I watched him silently, knowing there was nothing I could say to calm him down right now. Hell, I felt the same way. She was driving both of us to the brink, and she didn’t even realize it.
Dorian was fucking pussy-whipped, too. I hadn’t told Vincenzo, but I knew all about Dorian’s visits to Celeste’s apartment.
“Do you know what it’s like to constantly feel like you’re losing control?” Vincenzo asked, every word dripping with fury.
I didn’t answer because, yeah, I fucking knew. I knew it all too well. Celeste had wormed her way into our heads, and no matter how much we wanted to deny it, she was there to stay. The worst part was, I wasn’t even sure she knew the power she had over us.
“She sees it,” I said, surprising myself with how sure I sounded. “She knows she’s being reckless. But she doesn’t think she has a choice. We’ve seen her go in and out of that office building, but I’m not sure who could have that type of control over her.”
Vincenzo stopped pacing, his chest rising and falling with barely contained rage. “We give her a choice, then. We pull her out of this shit for good.”
“She won’t let us,” I replied, my voice flat. “You know she won’t.”
His jaw ticked, and without warning, he grabbed a glass bottle from the desk and hurled it against the wall. Shards of glass rained down like glittering stars. “She’s going to get herself killed, Luca.”
