Chapter 3 #2
She clapped her hands together, her sarcasm cutting through the night air. “Oh, really! Please, do go on, Thal. Tell me how you’re going to save me.”
I didn't let her mockery move me.
I leaned in, my voice dropping to a low, rough edge that I knew made her pulse skip.
“I’m not here to talk business. I’m here to talk survival.
Zeno doesn't use your intelligence, Daphne. To him, your loyalty is a shield. He’s going to get you killed, or worse—he’s going to let Rhea break you just to see if you’ll stay silent. ”
I gripped the railing, my knuckles white under the neon lights. “I’m offering you a dark alliance. You give me the secrets to Zeno’s operations—everything you’ve seen while you were hiding in his shadows—and I give you a world where you never have to fear him again.”
She smirked, but the light didn't reach her eyes. “And what do you want in return, Thal? My gratitude?”
“I want everything,” I growled, moving into her space until she was forced to lean back against the stone.
“I’ll be the one holding the leash, Daphne, but I’m a much more rewarding master than Zeno ever was.
Don't lie to yourself. You’ve never been free.
You’re just looking for a cage that feels like home. I’m offering you mine.”
“Wow, Thal,” she said, her eyes wide. “I’m amazed at how perceptive you are. Can you see all that just by looking at me?”
“No, not just by looking at you. I know you, Daphne,” I reminded her. “We were close once. For a short time. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see you now, just as I saw you then.”
She batted her eyes at me, a gesture that caught me off guard.
“You are so kind to come to my rescue, Thal,” she said, her voice syrupy sweet with sarcasm. “How could I ever repay you?”
“Daphne, I—" I began, but she cut me off.
“Save it!” Her voice was cold and commanding.
"I can handle myself, Thal. And let me remind you, our time together was fleeting and nothing more. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you understand me because of it.
You might know what my sexual tastes are, but you have no idea what’s going on in my life. ”
Her words hurt, like a slap across the face. She spun around and walked away, as if she had made her point clear, leaving me there, stunned.
I hadn't expected her to accept my proposal with open arms. I knew it was a long shot. Still, I hoped she might at least think about it, even if just for a moment, before rejecting me with such finality.
But I wasn’t ready to give up. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and reached out, grabbing her arm in a gentle but firm hold. I spun her around to face me. Her eyes blazed with fury, bright, fierce, unyielding, and sharp with the fire of her emotions.
“You are nothing more than Zeno’s pawn!” I hissed. “Why won’t you even consider my offer?”
“You think I’m not my own woman, Thal? Because I am loyal to Zeno, the man who took me in after my parents’ death? None of that makes me any less independent. I do whatever I want; make no mistake about that.”
She twisted out of my grip, defiance flashing in her eyes. But for the briefest moment, I saw something else, something she wanted to hide… Fear.
“Are you afraid of him, Daphne?” I asked, as I leaned in closer, so near I could catch the delicate scent of her perfume once more.
My gaze rested on her full, luscious lips, and a strong desire to kiss them overwhelmed me.
Being this close to her, smelling her, feeling her presence, made it almost impossible to resist the urge to lift her in one smooth motion, toss her over my shoulder, and carry her off to the nearest bed, where I could lose myself in her.
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said, lifting her chin.
She leaned in, until the scent of her perfume was a physical weight in my lungs.
“And you’re vulnerable on the left flank, Thalassios.
You guard that leg like it’s a state secret, but I’ve already mapped three ways to take you to the floor.
Don’t mistake my presence for surrender. ”
I didn't believe her claim of fearlessness, but the sharp, tactical edge in her voice? That, I believed. Why else would a woman like her stay under the complete control of another man?
Daphne was strong, intelligent, and beautiful.
Maybe she needed Zeno a long time ago, when she was a teenager and found herself alone in this world way too soon, but not now.
She was a woman now. She could move through this world effortlessly.
In reality, there was nothing Zeno could offer her that she couldn’t get herself. Her loyalty baffled me.
If Zeno truly had her best interests at heart, he would set her free. But he genuinely seemed to take pleasure in the control he had over her.
Why couldn’t she see that I was different? I was offering her a different life.
I didn't want to set her free.
Freedom was a lie in a city like this. I wanted to tear her from Zeno's grip and lock her in mine. I wanted to show her that if she was going to be owned, she should be owned by the man who truly knew the value of what he held.
All she had to do was take the first step.
“If you aren’t afraid of him, then tell me why you stay." I clenched her arm tighter, my words bubbling with anger and frustration I was barely controlling.
“Because I haven’t found a good enough reason to leave yet.”
“I’m giving you that!” I insisted.
“The opportunity to work with you? To become the enemy of the man who helped me when I needed it most? What kind of woman do you think I am, Thal?”
“I see so much potential in you, Daphne,” I hissed.
Her eyes flashed with anger.
“Sure you do, Thal. But that is if I’m by your side, is that right?” she snapped. “You’re trying to use me to hurt Zeno, that’s all! You don’t give a fuck about me!”
Her words left me speechless.
How could she think such a thing? My eyes widened in disbelief, and my head spun. How could I make her see how wrong she was? How could I show her she was so much more than a tool to hurt Zeno?
My lips pressed against hers before the thought had even fully formed in my mind.
I didn't wait for her permission. I didn't need it. I crashed my mouth into hers, a brutal, demanding claim that tasted of expensive whiskey and years of wasted longing. .
I expected her to fight. I wanted her to fight. But when I felt her small, sharp intake of breath against my lips, it wasn't a protest. It was an invitation.
I tangled my hand in her hair, the silk of it wrapping around my fingers as I tilted her head back to expose the elegant line of her throat.
My other hand slid down the silver sequins of her dress, the cold metal of the fabric contrasting with the scorching heat of her skin, until I found the curve of her hip.
I hauled her flush against me, letting her feel exactly how much she affected me. The hard, heavy ache in my slacks throbbed against her thigh, a primal rhythm she couldn't ignore.
My tongue invaded, pushing past her teeth to sweep through her mouth with bruising pressure that demanded total surrender. I wanted the very secrets she was trying to keep from Zeno.
When she let out that broken, thrumming moan, the sound vibrated straight into my groin, setting my blood boiling.
For a heartbeat, the rooftop disappeared.
There was no Vegas, no syndicates, no Zeno.
There was only the slick, wet friction of her mouth on mine and the way she molded her soft curves into my hard edges as if she were finally home.
I could feel her heart hammering against my chest, matching the frantic pulse in my veins.
But the storm I’d ignited was too big for her to control. She suddenly gasped, her palms slamming into my chest with the strength of pure panic.
She shoved me back, her chest heaving, the silver of her dress catching the neon lights like a warning flare. But she didn't look ruined. She looked victorious.
She held up her hand, and my heart stopped. Between her index and middle finger sat the gold signet ring I’d been wearing on my pinky—the one with the encrypted drive for my primary accounts. She’d lifted it while I was busy trying to swallow her soul.
“You’re getting slow, Thal,” she whispered, her voice fractured but lethal as she wiped the back of her hand across her swollen, reddened lips. “Don't mistake a kiss for a surrender. I’ve already mapped your security and your heartbeat. You want an alliance? Try harder.”
She tossed the ring back at me. It hit my chest with a dull thud before I caught it. I watched her walk away, her silver dress shimmering like a disappearing dream.
Zeno thought he owned her. Daphne thought she was choosing loyalty. They were both wrong.
“Run while you can, little bird,” I whispered, my fingers closing tight around the ring she’d stolen and returned. “But the cage door is already shut. You’ve tasted the blood now. You’ll be back.”