Page 18 of Dark Alliance
I turned back to James, my eyes locking onto his with lethal clarity. “Find out where Rhea’s primary distributor is hiding. By dawn, I want his operation crippled. We're going to remind this city why staying neutral was a choice I made, not a rule I have to follow.”
Six
AFRAGILE ALLIANCE
DAPHNE
I stood before the heavy mahogany doors of Thal’s penthouse, my heart a frantic prisoner against my ribs. One more step wasn't just a meeting. It was a defection.
Every nerve in my body screamed at me to turn back, to run for the silver promise of the elevator and to stay within the suffocating safety of Zeno’s world.
But Zeno’s world was a cage. I was too old to be kept on a leash, begging for permission to breathe, to work, to exist outside his shadow. I tried to tell myself I was here for information, a strategic move for Olympus, but the slick heat between my thighs called me a liar. I wasn’t here for Zeno. I was here for the man who made me feel as if the sun was finally rising.
“Are you insane, Daphne?” I whispered to the empty hallway.
If Zeno found out, he wouldn't just be disappointed. He’d be lethal. I’d be trading a lifetime of loyalty for a single nightof betrayal. I actually turned, my heels clicking a frantic beat toward the exit, my mind racing with thoughts of the safety of the status quo. I almost made it to the elevator, almost tasted the freedom of my cowardice, before the air behind me changed.
“Daphne.” I froze in my tracks when Thal’s voice called out behind me, startling me.
It was too late to back out. I was already caught in his stare. Turning around, I gave him a polite, steady smile.
“Hello, Thal.” He stood at his door's threshold, looking as if he had just stepped out of a dream. His long hair swept back, revealing a face that seemed carved from stone, with a subtle clenched jawline and piercing ice-blue eyes that appeared to see right through me.
“I hope you weren’t having second thoughts about our meeting?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. I took a deliberate step toward him, the question lingering in the air, but I chose to ignore it. We both knew the truth, and I wasn’t about to turn this into a game.
I approached, raising an eyebrow. "I’m here, aren’t I?" My tone was calm and steady.
A slow grin spread across his lips as he stepped aside gracefully. “And so you are. Please, come in.”
I moved past him, heels of my black suede stilettos echoing on the sleek Italian white marble floors in the foyer. With each deliberate step, a weight settled on my chest, a quiet reminder of my decision to be here. Zeno’s face flickered in my mind, but I pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the ornate grandeur of Thal’s luxurious furnishings.
Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a stunning view of the clear Vegas sky outside. If not for the relentless glow of neon lights from the Strip, I might have seen a thousand stars shimmering overhead. Instead, the full moon reigned in thedarkness, its luminous presence like a lone sentinel, as if all her celestial companions had abandoned her.
A sunken living room centered around a massive stone fireplace emitted a warm, inviting glow, its crackling fire flickering despite the late summer evening. French doors swung wide open to the terrace, inviting in a gentle breeze that mixed fresh outdoor air with the cozy heat of the flames.
On the opposite wall, a bold abstract painting in striking red and black commanded attention, its dynamic shapes contrasting beautifully with the room's minimal and masculine decor. In the center, a large red leather sectional sprawled out like a regal serpent, its glossy surface catching the flickering firelight. The space exuded quiet strength and sophistication, perfectly suited to Thal’s taste.
“You look like you’re waiting for an execution, Daphne,” Thal rumbled, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that seemed to travel through the marble floor and straight up my legs.
He didn't stay by the door. He began to circle me, a slow, predatory prowl that forced me to stay rooted to the spot. The scent of him, sandalwood, expensive whiskey, and the kind of trouble that felt like a death sentence, hit me in waves.
As he passed behind me, the tail of his suit jacket brushed against the sequins of my dress. The sound of the metal beads clicking together was deafening in the silence.
“I’m here for the information, Thal. Not the hospitality,” I said, my voice sounding thinner than I wanted. I tried to find my steel, but his shadow was already stretching over me, swallowing mine.
He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel the scorching heat radiating from his chest. He didn't smile. He watched me with those ice-blue eyes that stripped me. They took in the tremor in my hands and the frantic pulse at the base of my throat, and I knew he liked what he saw.
“Zeno is a blind king, Daphne. He has you walking the streets like a sacrifice, dressed in armor he polished so the wolves could see its glint from a mile away. He didn't dress you to protect you, more so everyone would know exactly what he was willing to lose.”
He reached out, his hand slow and deliberate. He didn't touch my skin, not yet. He ran his knuckles down the length of my arm, over the cold sequins, and I felt the involuntary shiver start at my scalp and end between my thighs. “Rhea’s men are trailing you. They’ve seen every door you’ve entered. And your 'protector' hasn't even noticed.”
He turned to the side, picking up the glass of Bordeaux. But he didn't hand it to me. He held it just out of reach, forcing me to step deeper into his space to accept it.
“Take it,” he commanded softly.
As my fingers curled around the stem, he didn't let go.
He kept his hand over mine, his thumb pressing firmly into the back of my hand, pinning my fingers to the glass. The luxury of the vintage was lost in the raw, primal friction between his skin and mine. He leaned down, his face inches from mine, his gaze dropping to my mouth.
