Page 9 of Their Reckless Thief
I let out a slow breath and unmuted my earpiece. “Well, that was fun.”
Vivian’s voice crackled back instantly. “He’s nosy as hell.”
“Let’s get this done before he decides to track me down.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Celeste,” Vivian said.
I chuckled. “Isn’t that why you love me?”
She sighed. “Only on the days you’re not trying to get us killed.”
If I pulled this off, I’d get the prize, pay our rent for a year or more, and have enough left over to keep me and Vivian—and Will, our adopted little brother—safe for a long while.
“Trust me, Viv. We’ve got this,” I said softly, my steps quickening as the tear in the Veil disappeared behind me. “Tonight’s just the beginning.”
The thought of possibly becoming financially independent, of no longer being tethered to Roberto, made my heart stutter.
I was all in.
The streets of The Below stretched out before me like a winding labyrinth of darkened alleyways, flickering neon lights, and danger lurking at every turn as I slipped through the darkness. Above me, signs for underground clubs and elaborate bars flickered, casting flashes of light onto the strange assortment of beings roaming the streets.
A fae with silver skin and eyes that glowed like embers brushed past me, his gaze lingering before he vanished into the crowd. A pack of shifters prowled nearby, their large, imposing forms dominating the space as they stalked through the darkness with the confidence of predators. The air was heavywith the scent of magic, blood, and smoke so thick it was almost suffocating.
There was a twisted, eerie beauty to it all—the way magic seemed to hang in the air like an electric charge, the neon signs reflecting off the wet pavement, the constant hum of energy that never truly faded. It kept me sharp, kept me alive.
The district I found myself in was Vincenzo Moretti’s territory, the epicenter of nightlife in The Below. It pulsed with life, even in the dead of night. Every corner held a new secret, every shadow whispered promises and threats. I navigated through the chaos, weaving past crowds that spilled out from high-end clubs like The Serpent’s Embrace, where music throbbed and laughter drifted on the air like smoke.
I passed a bar called Luna’s Lament, its golden glow spilling out onto the street, drawing a line of eager patrons. They’d be in there for hours, lost in mind-altering cocktails that promised to take the edge off a life lived in shadows. I didn’t need to go inside to know the kinds of deals being struck at the back tables or the secrets whispered over glasses filled with glowing elixirs.
I moved quickly, scanning every face, every shadow, every flicker of movement. This wasn’t the place to let my guard down.
Shifters prowled in packs, their eyes gleaming with hunger. Vampires moved like wraiths, barely more than flickers in my peripheral vision. And then there were the demons, blending in with the crowd, their dark auras simmering beneath the surface. They thrived here, drawn to the chaos like moths to a flame.
Even the quieter parts of Moretti’s territory had their own kind of danger. I paused outside a restaurant called Midnight Rose, where creatures dined on delicacies that were more about magic than flavor. The scent of rich spices and charred meat mingled with the floral notes of the night-blooming jasmine that decorated the windows. It was almost enough to make me forget,for a moment, that this was a world where trust was a luxury no one could afford.
I passed a group of Veil Guards patrolling up and down one of the side streets. Even though they were supposed to keep things safe and controlled in The Below, they often turned a blind eye to criminal activities, especially in some of the more formidable mafia lords’ territories. Lords like Vincenzo Moretti.
Roberto had trained me to survive in places like this. He always said you had to learn how to move in the shadows, to be both predator and prey, because in The Below, one wrong move could mean the end.
Roberto. Even thinking about him now, after that phone call, left a bitter taste in my mouth. He had been everything to me once—a father figure, a mentor, the person who’d pulled me off the streets when I was a scared, hungry kid with nothing. He’d found me after my parents disappeared, after I’d fled the system and scavenged for scraps to stay alive. He’d seen something in me, something he said no one else had.
He'd called me his little “doll” even then. Told me I was special. A rare find. A project. He’d sent me to the best schools, made sure I was trained, not just in technology and hacking, but in the art of survival. Combat. Theft. Manipulation. By the time I was old enough to understand what I was becoming, it was too late. I owed everything to him.
But I wasn’t a fool. I knew he hadn’t saved me out of the kindness of his heart. No, Roberto was always playing the long game. He liked to think of me as his masterpiece—a human girl with psychic abilities and a tech genius who could outthink anyone, outfight most, and outplay the rest. He had created me, but I had learned something along the way. No one fucking owned me. Not even Roberto. That was why I was out here, sneaking around behind his back, plotting a heist that had nothing to do with him.
I turned down a quieter street, the bustling noise of The Below fading behind me as I made my way to Vincenzo Moretti’s mansion. The information I’d gathered from my vision was solid—at least, it appeared to be. Vincenzo, the mafia lord who ran the blood cartel, the drug trade, and half the damn factions in The Below, was supposed to be conducting some big meeting off-site tonight. My vision had shown a brief flash of empty hallways and unguarded doors. Easy money.
I’d experienced psychic visions since I was a young child, though I hadn’t realized what they were until Roberto explained it. He’d recognized how special that trait was in a human and had spent a lot of time and money helping me understand my visions and how to interpret them. I wasn’t a magical being. Hell, I wasn’t even a stray. I vaguely remembered my parents mentioning my great-great-grandmother, Rachel, who, according to stories passed down by each generation, had the same gift.
There were moments I wished I could speak to her, to have someone else who understood what it was like to be a human and to live in the human world yet wrestle with a gift I never asked for.
It sure as hell came in handy, though.
The mansion loomed ahead, an extravagant display of wealth and power. Its massive iron gates stretched high, flanked by tall, grotesque stone statues of mythical creatures. A soft glow emanated from enchanted lanterns glimmering with an otherworldly energy that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. No doubt, this place was fortified with magic. The kind of magic that could ruin your day if you didn’t know how to avoid it.
Just like in my vision, I approached the side gate. It was unguarded, exactly as I had seen. A wave of relief washed over me. This was going to be easier than I thought.
“You’re sure about this?” Vivian’s voice crackled in my ear, breaking the silence. “This place looks like it could fry you just for walking too close.”
