Chapter 1 #2
Aside from the look in his eyes, his posture remained absorbed in his poker game, and I didn’t move from my hiding spot in the shadows. Yet, the palpable connection between us seemed to weave itself into the air, stealing my breath and quickening my heartbeat.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself. The sudden realization that nothing had changed hit me with the force of a truck. How was I going to manage this? How the hell would I pull it off?
Certainly, I could inform Zeno of Thal's every move, as he had explicitly commanded. Yet, even as I prepared to do so, I couldn’t resist the pull Thal’s presence had on me. It was as if he’d exerted a force that touched every corner of my soul.
I knew that if I succumbed to that temptation, it could unravel everything I had built—my life, my stability. It felt like a single, tiny thread held the entire foundation together, and if that thread snapped, everything I knew could come crashing down.
I was fucked.
With a sigh, I slumped against the wall, determined to wait and see what happened. Would Thal come over to greet me after his game? Would I still be here? Even I wasn’t sure what might happen. Frozen in place, I waited and watched as I forced air into my lungs.
Thal finally diverted his gaze and returned to the game, giving me a brief moment of relief I needed. I looked away from him, sweeping my eyes around the room in an attempt to steady my nerves.
My gaze was drawn to a woman who had just entered the club with effortless grace.
She exuded confidence and an alluring beauty that seemed to captivate everyone around her.
As she moved gracefully through the room, heads turned toward her.
Both men and women couldn't help but watch her, their admiring eyes following her long after she had passed, as if drawn by an unspoken magnetism.
I watched as she made her way to a table, took a seat, and set her expression into an unreadable poker face. The atmosphere around her shifted as she placed a stack of chips on the table in front of her, her chin raised with a confidence I couldn’t help but admire.
The dealer dealt her into the game, and her bright blue eyes became laser-focused on the cards and table before her. The men at the table squirmed, tugging at their collars, and sipping their drinks.
She wore a shimmering silver silk sheath dress that accentuated her curves, yet she paid no mind to the admiring glances coming from all around the room. Even from the farthest tables, it was clear she had attracted almost everyone's attention.
My eyes darted upward, and I saw Aidon still perched above us all, also watching this enchanting woman.
Who was she? I wondered.
I looked at her again, trying to understand why she seemed familiar. She was clearly recognizable, but I couldn’t quite place her.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I took a quick deep breath.
Lately, my intuition had been working in overdrive. I could detect danger from a distance, and this woman was triggering all my warning signals.
I glanced over at Thal, sitting across the table from her, and a sudden gasp escaped my lips. His gaze pierced mine, intense and probing, as if he were searching for something beneath the surface. As fast as possible, I masked my reaction, fighting to keep my expression neutral and unreadable.
I was here for a purpose, a mission. Getting caught up in old feelings or distractions was not part of the plan. I had to stay focused and well aware of my surroundings.
Although he was the reason I was here, I forced myself to look away from him, resisting the temptation to glance back.
I realized I could watch him discreetly and relay everything to Zeno without making extended eye contact.
Staying calm was crucial, and I was determined not to let him see how much he affected me.
Turning back to the woman, she cleared the table of all her chips with a triumphant smile that lit up her face.
The defeated men barely seemed bothered. In fact, most of them flashed smiles at her as she collected her winnings with a subtle nod before walking away. My curiosity prompted me to follow her across the room to the bar. She sat on a stool, and I took the one next to her, offering a warm smile.
She responded with a faint one in return.
“I’ll have a Manhattan, please,” she told the bartender.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I said, my voice steady despite the alarm bells screaming in my head. I cataloged her. No wedding ring, but a faint tan line on her left finger—divorced or undercover. Her callouses were in the wrong place for a socialite. She knew how to handle a slide-action.
“I was going to order that anyway,” I lied, matching her effortless poise.
“Aidon’s bartenders are the best in the city,” she said. “I order that every time I come here.”
“I agree.” I nodded, keeping my peripheral vision locked on the exits. “You come here often? Or are you just here to watch the sharks feed?”
She raised an inquiring eyebrow. “I’m Cass.”
“Daphne,” I replied, not offering a last name. I took her hand and gauged the strength of her grip, recognizing that this woman wasn't merely a guest but a variable.
“No, I’m just an observer,” I admitted. “Although I know Aidon, the owner. He’s a colleague of my boss.”
“Who’s your boss?”
I hesitated. In a technical sense, Zeno wasn't my employer. Although he provided me with an allowance and had practically raised me, I preferred not to dwell on these details. Stating that he was my boss was a simpler way to explain things.
“Zeno Theodorus. He owns the Olympus Casino.”
Cass smiled—a slow, sharp smile that a woman wears when she knows exactly where the bodies are buried. She set her glass down with clinical precision, making my skin crawl.
“Ah, Zeno,” she murmured, her blue eyes scanning my face as if searching for cracks in my foundation. “The man who collects broken things. I wonder, Daphne ... has he told you about the girls who didn't make it into his 'ward' status? The ones who weren't quite loyal enough to keep?”
The chill that shot down my spine had nothing to do with the ice in my drink. I tried to keep my mask on, but my fingers tightened around the stem of my glass.
“We go way back,” she continued, her voice dropping to a lethal velvet hum. “But a word of advice from one 'observer' to another: loyalty in this city usually ends in a shallow grave. Make sure you aren't digging yours for a man who won't even remember your name once the dirt hits the coffin.”
She took a slow, deliberate sip of her Manhattan, leaving me breathless by her warning. She wasn't merely an acquaintance. She was a predator who had foreseen the end of my story before I had even begun the first chapter.
“I see,” I murmured and then caught sight of Thal rising from the poker table.
He scanned the room as if searching for someone. I had no doubt he was looking for me.
Unable to resist the impulse, I pushed myself to my feet, my movements smooth and deliberate.
“Nice to meet you, Cass. I hope luck is on your side again tonight,” I said with a faint smile, a subtle hint of challenge in my tone.
“Have a lovely evening, Daphne. Give Zeno my love? Maybe I’ll stop by to see him soon.”
“Sure,” I said.
I turned to leave, but the air behind me suddenly grew heavy, charged with a familiar, terrifying electricity. Before I could take a single step toward the exit, Thal was there.
He cut through the crowd like a blade through silk. The people around us—the millionaires, the high-rollers, the vultures—seemed to blur into a background of insignificant noise. There was only him.
Before I could hide the panic in my eyes or compose my mask, his hand was on the small of my back. It wasn’t the warm, supporting touch of a former lover. It was a claim. His fingers dug into the silk of my dress, pulling me toward him until I was forced to arch my back just to keep from stumbling.
He didn’t offer a polite greeting. He didn’t kiss my cheeks. He leaned down, his height caging me in, his breath a hot, dangerous ghost against the sensitive skin of my ear.
“You’re a long way from Olympus, little spy,” he rumbled. The vibration of his voice traveled through my skin, settling in my marrow.
“Thal, let go. People are watching,” I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard I was sure he could feel it through the thin fabric of my gown.
I scanned the room, terrified a camera or one of Zeno's men would catch this.
“Let them watch. Let them tell Zeno exactly how close I’m standing to you.” His grip on my waist tightened, hauling me flush against his hard, uncompromising frame.
I could feel the heat radiating off him, the sheer physical gravity of a man who refused to be ignored. He looked like a predator deciding where to bite first.
“I know why you’re here, Daphne. You’re his eyes.
His pretty little recording device.” He shifted, his lips brushing the column of my throat, sending a traitorous jolt of arousal straight to my core.
“But remember ... I’m the one who knows what you look like when you’re blind with pleasure.
I’m the one who knows how you sound when you’ve forgotten every loyalty you ever had. ”
He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, his gaze dark and predatory. “Does Zeno know about Aruba yet? Does he know his 'loyal ward' spent fourteen nights screaming my name in a bed that cost more than most people's lives? Or should I call him and tell him myself?”
The threat hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. The “gentle” man I’d met in the Caribbean, the one who had laughed in the surf and held me under the stars, was gone. In his place stood a rival king who was more than willing to ruin me to win his war.
I forced a breath into my lungs, refusing to let the tremble in my knees reach my voice. I leaned in closer, until my lips were an inch from his jaw.
“He would kill me, Thal,” I whispered, my voice turning lethal.
“But if I go down, I’m taking the location of your offshore holdings and your favorite Caribbean hideaway with me.
I’ve already ghosted your personal server.
If my heart stops, the encryption on those files breaks.
You want to play a war of secrets? Be careful. I’ve been trained by a master of them.”
“Then you’d better start thinking about which master you want to serve,” he growled.
His thumb grazed the line of my jaw, a touch so light it was almost a caress, yet it promised both ruin and ecstasy.
He leaned in one last time, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “Run back to him, Daphne. Report my every move. But know that the next time I catch you in the dark, I won’t be this polite. Next time, I won't just hold you. I’ll take what’s mine.”
He released me abruptly. The loss of his heat left me shivering in the air-conditioned club.
He didn't say goodbye. He just stepped back, his expression turning into a mask of cold, professional indifference. I didn't let him see me tremble. I reached into my garter, feeling the cold plastic of the security card I’d stolen earlier.
It was a reminder that while Thal thought he was the only one with power in this room, I was the one who could walk through any door in the city, even the ones he thought were locked.