Not a flicker of recognition. The guy looked like he spent more time bench-pressing than binge-watching TV shows. His eyes remained flat.
“Nice try. I’ve seen every trick in the book. No entry without credentials.”
Emma’s head whipped to Darren, eyes widening. “We left them with our clothes.”
His jaw flexed. He leveled the guard with a look sharp enough to cut glass, then spun around, scanning the space. Something far above them caught his attention. He pivoted back, jabbing a finger upward.
“There. That’s my credentials.”
Emma followed his gesture—straight up to a massiveDarkreachbanner hanging from the rafters overhead. Kael Ferros, three times larger than life, glared down with Darren’s face.
The guard let his arms drop.
“Right. Okay. That works.”
Chapter 34
When the masks come off.
They slipped back inside, laughing under their breaths as if they’d just pulled off the heist of the century.
The corridor was dim and quiet—and they were alone. After the chaos outside, the silence felt surreal, like being underwater. Just the air vents whooshing softly above, keeping the air mercifully cool.
Emma pressed her back to the wall, pulse still racing. Darren pushed his hood back, running a hand through sweat-damp curls before smoothly pulling the mask free. He stripped off her gloves along with his own, tossing everything aside.
“Okay,” Emma said, her voice hoarse. “That was—”
“—ridiculous,” Darren filled in, folding her hood down.
She took off the mask, shaking her hair free with a grin. “But fun.”
He looked at her then—really looked.
The moment stretched, the air thickening between them.
“See?” he said softly. “You don’t owe them everything. You can still carve out pieces that are entirely your own. You just have to be a little creative about it.”
Emma attempted to smooth a tangle out of her hair, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “I’m starting to see that.”
But her smile faded slowly, melting into something quieter. Something curling inside her, making the rest of the world blur and recede.
“I like you like this,” Darren murmured. “Relaxed. Laughing. Dressed like a rebel.”
“I like you like anything,” Emma blurted.
It slipped out before she could stop it. Her eyes widened, heat flooding her cheeks. She automatically raised her hands to wave it away. “I mean—”
“Don’t.” Darren caught her wrists, calm and steady. She tensed, but didn’t resist as he gently lowered them back down her sides. The move drew him closer, his suit brushing hers. The faint graze of fabric sent sparks across her skin. “Don’t apologize. Don’t make yourself small. You’re incredible, Emma. I don’t know why you can’t see that.”
She fixed her gaze on his shoulder, tracing the pattern of his suit. “I’m really not,” she whispered.
“You are.” Something in his tone made her look up. His eyes caught hers, holding them for a moment before he spoke again.
“And I like you like anything too.”
And there it was.
No audience. No teasing. Just the truth between them, so plain and simple it made her chest ache.
