Page 4 of Dark Alliance
“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 orundercover. 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.
