She raises an eyebrow, smirking right back. “Hey, Hottie. Fancy seeing you in daylight for once.”
“His name is Sylus.” I chuckle. “And this is Ac—” I start, then correct myself quickly. “Alaric.”
Annabelle’s grin softens as she meets his gaze. “Alaric. Nice to meet you.”
Thankfully, she doesn’t offer a handshake or try to touch him. I made sure to warn her about that in advance, asking her not to touch each of the guys, and her response was to laugh.“I didn’t peg you for the jealous type, but don’t worry. I’ve got my own man, thank you very much.”
Ace nods, his expression polite but cautious. “You too.”
“Ready to head up?” I ask, glancing between the three of them. Annabelle nods eagerly, looping her arm through mine as we make our way into the lobby.
The Plaza’s interior is as opulent as the exterior, with marble floors, gold accents, and a chandelier that looks like it cost more than I’ll ever make in a lifetime.
Sylus leans in as we walk, his voice low in my ear. “Cameras,” he mutters, nodding subtly toward the corners of the ceiling. “Two near the entrance, one by the concierge desk and another by the elevators. Stick close to the walls to stay in their blind spots.”
I nod, following his lead as we weave through the lobby, making sure Ace is on my side next to the wall so I can shield him from the people walking past. Annabelleoohsandaahsat the decor while Ace is tense and keeps his focus on our surroundings.
When we reach the elevators, Sylus leans closer again. “These have an emergency override setting,” he explains. “It’s common in buildings like this. If you hit the floor button in a specific sequence, it bypasses all the other stops and takes you straight to the top.”
“How do you know that?” I whisper, genuinely curious.
“Because I’m good at what I do.” A smile ghosts over Sylus’s face. “And because I used to pull this trick all the time to sneak into places I wasn’t supposed to be.”
Ace presses the call button, his posture still tense but more composed than before. When the elevator doors slide open, we step inside, and Sylus immediately starts punching in the sequence. He presses the ground floor button twice, then the rooftop button once, followed by a long press on the close-door button.
The elevator hums to life, bypassing every floor as it ascends smoothly.
“Emergency setting,” Sylus repeats with a wink. “Designed for staff to use during urgent situations. Works like a charm if you know the sequence.”
“Impressive,” Annabelle murmurs, her eyes darting between Sylus and the control panel.
Sylus smirks, leaning back against the wall. “Stick around, Blondie. You might learn a thing or two.”
I roll my eyes, but a small smile tugs at my lips as I glance at Ace. He’s still holding my hand, his grip steady, and I see the faintest trace of a smile on his lips too.
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open to reveal the rooftop bar. The view is breathtaking—glittering skyscrapers, the endless sprawl of the city, and the faint haze of the desert in the distance. But I barely notice it, my focus on Ace as he steps out beside me, his hand still in mine, though his posture is tense again as soon as the chatter and music from the bar hits us.
There are white lounge chairs and tables scattered across the terrace. A glass cage sits prominently at the far end of the rooftop, housing the Lamborghini Huracán that Belmont owns purely to show off. My stomach tightens as I glance at it,imagining Koen driving it off this very roof. The thought alone is enough to make my pulse skip.
Sylus steps ahead of us, his eyes scanning the place. “There’s only one camera up here,” he says, pointing toward the exit of the elevator. “Angled at the door, so if we drape something over it, they won’t track. This is a sunroof bar, open during the day for the view, but at night, it’s closed.”
“Okay, all this talk is getting suspicious,” Annabelle mutters. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear all the crimes you’re describing.”
I snort and study the setup. “And how does Ace get up here when the bar’s closed?”
“The plan was to hack in, but thanks to you snagging Belmont’s hotel card, we can do that a lot easier,” Sylus replies with a grin. “It’s universal access. I made a few copies before Ezra had one of his cops return it to Belmont. We made sure it looked untouched. No recorded access, no changes. So, yeah, I’m sure Belmont hasn’t updated the system. Would be a nightmare for him if he did.”
“A lot of guesses you’re making,” I remark, raising an eyebrow. “And what about the employees in the lobby and everywhere? What if they notice that somebody goes up here when it should be closed?”
“They will all be way too distracted by what’s going on outside. Another perk to doing it out in the open on the street.”
“I hope you’re fucking right.”
Sylus chuckles as we make our way to a table at the far end of the bar, close to the Lamborghini. The car gleams inside its glass cage, reflecting the sunlight like a jewel.
We settle at the table, and a server approaches almost immediately. Annabelle orders something sweet, and I follow suit, asking for a caramel macchiato. Ace and Sylus glanceat each other before mirroring our choices, though their amusement is clear.
I laugh softly. “Good thing Nicholas isn’t here. He’d probably scoff at all the sugar.”
