Chapter 20
TWENTY
Bernard would be rolling in his grave if he knew what I was doing.
He could hardly bear the idea that I drank straight gin.
But we were all destined to die at some point, and I had frustrations I needed to silence.
Hurts that I needed to numb. I’d been holding it all inside since the moment my mother was taken from me, and I wanted a moment of reprieve.
Elli reminded me of Bria, which didn’t help the homesickness. They couldn’t have looked more different, yet their hearts beat to the same drum. She was direct, didn’t mince words, and yet her silence could be more comforting than any superfluous speech.
She repositioned a curl around my face while we rode to the den. “We’ll have our own booth, so no one will get close enough to recognize you.”
“You picked a terrible dress if the goal was to not draw attention,” I remarked, pulling down the slit that nearly reached my hip.
Elli had found me a party dress, and I felt like one of the dancers at Ronny’s or the classier customers that frequented Opal’s.
Fashion in the New City reflected the constant progress and industrialization of Valveron.
It was permanently evolving and often used as a weapon.
The garment was highly structured, with a hem that fell to my heels, and was sliced on one side, allowing fluid movement through the silky skirt.
The bodice was tailored and tight, a corset backing that snatched some of my breath when Elli pulled it taut.
She added a gold waistband that resembled the design of lace to disrupt the monotony.
The neckline was thankfully more modest than the skirt, cutting straight across my shoulders to sheer straps.
Elli gave me black gloves that stretched to golden armbands snapped around my upper arms. In the mixture of metals and silky fabric, with a dagger enchanted by Andre strapped to my exposed thigh and the dice stuffed down my bodice, I felt like I fit in here in the New City.
Another cog in their alluring industrial machine.
Elli’s dark hair was spooled around a glittering headband. Her dress was similar, but a deep green. I thought it suited her body perfectly, accentuating the strength of her arms and calves while adding a feminine appeal.
“If you look like everyone else, you won’t stand out.” She shrugged, crossing her legs.
“So, where’s the den?” I asked, jutting my chin toward the window.
“There are multiple dens around the Flats. To keep from getting busted, Damien staggers which ones are open on different days. Tonight, the closest one is in the Upper District, under the new theater. Sometimes I even catch a show before going under. You’ll like it, I think.”
“I don’t care where I am.” As long as it wasn’t around him.
I wondered if she had a Glamour bloodline and read my mind, the way she grinned. “Tonight will be good for you. For both of you.”
One of us would certainly be having a good time, but I kept that thought to myself. The driver pulled the carriage to a stop, but before I could reach for the door, Elli stopped me with her clutch.
“I need to confess something before we go inside,” she said, rolling her red lips. “I didn’t bring you here just for fun—though if everything works out, we should still have time for a smoke.”
“Then what?”
She looked out the window, checking outside, before continuing.
“About Damien… The opium here isn’t called Essence’s Secret for nothing.
Once someone is under its spell, their inhibitions are lowered.
If Damien is hiding something from us, this is the best place to get it out of him.
” She grinned then. “Max tells me you’re lucky. ”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s the one getting lucky tonight. Not me.”
“Not yet. The night is still early.” She winked. “Come on.”
Long banners hung down the face of the theater, showcasing the performance of the night, while music from a brass band played behind the columns, filling the street outside with an upbeat rhythm.
Our entrance was off to the side, away from the crowded lobby and the doors leading into the theater. Instead, we approached a smaller entrance protected by several stocky men in fine suits and black fedoras.
They took one look at Elli and moved aside. One of them opened the door to let us through. She said nothing to acknowledge the gesture, so I followed quietly into the darkened hall beyond. As soon as they shut the door behind us, the hallway’s lights turned on.
“Neat trick,” I said.
“There’s more where that came from. Everything down here is designed to disappear should the coppers come for a visit,” she spoke as she descended a long slope of steps.
As we moved farther down, new music drifted up from the den.
This wasn’t loud and jovial like the brass band above.
Instead, it sounded like a few stringed instruments, soft and sweet. Like a lullaby—a very sensual lullaby.
We dipped under a brick archway, entering a large room.
Several oil lamps were placed sparsely around mattresses that were scattered around the floor.
A sweet scent was thick in the air, and smoke had stained the ceiling a sooty black.
The place was a massive lounge, with a table in the center filled with gear for the opium.
Lanterns and polished pipes, blackened bowls, and a woman draped in silks, with a gun tucked in the folds of her dress.
“That’s Mavus. She’s the keeper here. Nice girl.”
“Do we pick a bed?” I asked her, seeing various patrons lounging across rugs and pillows, smoking from long pipes while lying down.
“We would if we didn’t know Damien. Despite our strained relationship, he wouldn’t dare treat us so poorly in public.
We get the rooms with the booths.” She waved to Mavus before pulling me along through the smoke and shadows clouding the den.
Despite the cramped quarters, it didn’t feel small or tight, just intimate in a way I hadn’t experienced before.
Elli took us to a wall of velvet curtains, shoving one aside and leaving it open. There was a cushioned bench with a circular table, a selection of tools set up, and a silver container placed beside the bowl.
“Want a drink first?” she asked, her voice hushed.
I nodded. “More gin would be good.” I was unsure if I wanted to indulge in the unknown, now that it was in front of me. I sat on the bench and simply observed for a moment, enjoying the view from my perch. An attendant arrived and offered to take my coat, and I handed it over to give us more space.
“I haven’t seen you here before.” A man appeared in the alcove archway, wearing a suit finer than I’d ever seen before.
Smoke rolled off the material, it was so smooth.
Not a speck of lint ruined the gunmetal gray or the silver embellishments of his jacket.
He smoked a regular cigarillo, seemingly not partaking in the opium.
“You know everyone who comes here?” I asked, taking off my heels.
He glanced at my legs. “Considering I run the place, yes. I like to know who comes around. Especially when tugged along by my own family.”
A thrill, something on the spectrum of fear and excitement, sent my heart into a frenzy.
It shouldn’t have been surprising, seeing him here.
This was his territory, after all. But my luck was improving again, running into him so quickly.
That, or Elli had known he’d be here and that he would notice us.
“You’re Damien, aren’t you?”
His brows jumped, and it seemed he was impressed.
He removed his fedora and hugged it to his chest. He was handsome with a sharp jawline and a natural tanned skin tone that was a rarity among the Cursed, whose business was usually done at night.
His eyes were familiar immediately—a bright orange, burning with a stronger flame than even Max’s.
He passed a hand over his slicked-back hair. “My reputation precedes me, I suppose. And you are?”
“Nina.”
“Nina,” he repeated slowly. “I feel like I’ve seen you before. Not in any trouble, are you?”
I faked a small smile. “A few posters around town, and suddenly I’m notorious.”
His smirk was subtle. “Indeed. Where’s my charming sister you came here with? Hasn’t abandoned you, I hope.”
“Of course not,” Elli said, arriving with glasses in both hands and squeezing past him. “Good to see you, Damien.”
“I was just dropping in to check on things. I don’t see you around much, Ell. What brings you in?”
Elli handed me the drink and sat close beside me. “She’s a friend of Max’s. He asked me to bring her out for a good time.”
Damien’s pleasant smile vanished. “Yes… I heard he was back in town.”
“Just arrived. Isn’t that good news?”
His smile was too wide to be genuine. “Wonderful. If you see him, tell him to come by my office. I have a lot to discuss with him.”
“Oh, he’s eager to see you as well. I’ve updated him as best I could.”
Damien nodded curtly. “I won’t bother you with work matters while you’re off the clock. Enjoy your night, ladies.” He gracefully returned his hat to his head and winked my way before turning to walk out of the den.
“Hold on,” I said, passing Elli my drink.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve traveled too far and waited too long to let this chance slip by me. I need to figure out why the hell he’s sending money to body smugglers. And if Max is too busy satisfying himself, then I’ll figure it out alone.” I stood from my seat.
Her eyes widened. “Woah there, Killer. Damien isn’t someone to mess with. If you think Max is cruel, you’re in for a bad trip with that one.”
“I don’t want to sleep with him! I just need to get close enough to ask him about his business. He seemed nice enough to me—”