The edge in her voice makes my stomach tighten. “What does that mean? Dev, did something happen?”
“It means people are scared,” she says. “Jak’s scared, and so is the staff. Something changed after you left.”
“That’s not my fault,” I say defensively.
“No,” she agrees quietly. “But it doesn’t seem to be unrelated either.”
I cross my arms, suddenly cold despite the heat. “Kazimir doesn’t own me. I thought everything had been figured out. Jak didn’t seem mad about it.”
She lets out a sharp laugh. “Hethinkshe owns you, and that’s more than enough.”
“The engagement is fake,” I say, the words tumbling out faster than I intend. “You know that.”
“Sure,” she replies. “But you’re sneaking out like you’re cheating on him.”
I open my mouth to argue and then stop; the truth sitting uncomfortably on my tongue. The engagement might be fake, but the way my body reacts to him isn’t. In my head, I replay the sound of his voice and the words he said to me.
I don’t say any of that.
The Foundry comes into view, neon signs buzzing softly, and relief washes over me so hard it’s almost dizzying. This place is dangerous, but familiar. It’s honest about what it is, and a part of me is curious how I’ll feel being here. Especially now that Kazimir has made it clear thatsomemen appreciate a woman like me.
Devin was right, though, and inside things feel different.
The music is there, the low thrum vibrating through the floor, but the energy is wrong. Conversations are muted. Laughter sounds forced. People glance toward the doors more often than they should.
Jak spots me immediately, his mouth tightening before he schools his expression. He gives me a nod that feels more like a warning than a greeting and turns back to a man speaking urgently into his ear.
My pulse quickens.
“See,” Devin mutters. “Told you.”
I scan the room and see Cinn almost immediately. She’s tucked into a corner instead of prowling the floor, her posture defensive, shoulders hunched inward. When she turns her head, the light catches on a faint yellowing bruise along her cheekbone, barely concealed beneath makeup.
My stomach drops.
I move toward her instinctively, but Asimov steps into my path, his massive frame blocking me with subtle precision.
“Don’t,” he murmurs, his voice barely audible over the music.
“What happened?”
His jaw tightens. “New guy. Last week.”
“What kind of guy?” Briefly, I think about that tech bro, but those kinds of clients should’ve been scared off after what Kaz did to him. Right?
“The kind that doesn’t care whose place this is.”
His words send a chill down my spine. “Jak let that happen?”
Asimov’s eyes flick briefly toward the office. “Jak didn’t stop it.” His expression changes, shifting to distrust, and it really hits me for the first time that something has drastically changed the dynamic here.
I slip past him anyway, crouching beside Cinn. She looks up; she’s surprised at first, but then her expression hardens.
“What?” she snaps. “Come to see if I survived?”
“No,” I say softly. “I came to check on you.”
She laughs bitterly. “Don’t. I don’t need your pity.”
