Page 8 of Their Reckless Thief
I was on a mission.
“Viv, I’m in,” I murmured. My boots echoed faintly on the cobblestone streets as I made my way through the narrow alleys. I kept my pace steady, scanning for anything that might be out of place.
“I still don’t like this,” Vivian’s voice crackled in my ear, disapproval lacing every word. “A solo heist, no backup, and at the house of one of the mafia lords? This is reckless, Celeste, even for you.”
“That’s what makes it fun,” I replied, smirking even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Come on, Viv. We’ve got this.”
“Youthink we’ve got this. I’m just the voice in your ear, trying to stop you from getting yourself killed.”
I sighed, ducking beneath a low-hanging sign as I rounded another corner. “You’re not going to stop me, are you?”
There was a pause. Then, reluctantly, “No. But that doesn’t mean I won’t complain about it the whole time.”
I smiled to myself, appreciating the protective edge in her tone. Vivian was my rock, the one person I trusted implicitly, even if we didn’t always agree on everything. And right now? She was the only one in my ear. Not Roberto. Not anyone else.
“Look, if this goes well,” I said, my voice softening a little, “we’ll have enough to cover rent for the next year. For all three of us. And then some.”
“You think Will needs his rent covered? That little stray’s practically swimming in his online poker winnings.”
I snorted. “Yeah, but he blows it on gadgets and—oh, hang on.”
I stopped short as my phone buzzed in my pocket. Glancing down, I saw the screen lit up with a name I didn’t particularly feel like dealing with right now.
Roberto.
Fuck.
I didn’t have time to speak with him, but he’d keep calling incessantly if I didn’t answer. I took a deep breath, tapped my earpiece to mute Vivian, and answered. “Hey, Roberto.”
“Celeste.” Roberto’s smooth voice was laced with that familiar undertone of suspicion. “Where are you?” The question was sharp and probing, as if I hadn’t just walked out of his office less than an hour ago.
I rolled my eyes, glancing around the shadowed streets of The Below. “I’m busy tonight, remember? Why?”
“You’re not working on something for me, are you?”
I kept my tone light and playful. “Actually, I’m on a date.”
There was a pause, then a soft, disbelieving chuckle. “A date? You hate men, Celeste.”
“I hatemostmen,” I corrected, leaning into the banter as I quickened my pace down the narrow alley. “This one happens to be tolerable.”
Roberto let out a low, skeptical grunt. “Tolerable, huh? Well, let’s hope he knows what he’s getting into.”
“I’m sure he’s capable of surviving the night,” I quipped, slipping into the familiar rhythm of our back-and-forth. I could feel his suspicion through the phone, thick and probing, like he was trying to hear right through my lie.
“You know I don’t like being left out of the loop,” Roberto added, his soft, firm voice reminding me that he was always watching, always wanting control.
I forced a casual laugh. “It’s a date, Roberto. Relax. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken questions. He was testing me, seeking a crack in the lie, but I wasn’t giving him anything.
“Fine,” he said finally, but his tone made it clear he wasn’t buying it. “Don’t stay out too late. And, Celeste?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t make me wait too long to hear from you.”
The line went dead before I could respond, his warning hanging like a blade over my neck. Maybe my aura had told him more than I realized when I saw him at his office.
