I let out a long sigh and stared up at the ceiling. The brownstone had always been a prison to me, walls I longed to escape. But after the incident, it no longer felt like confinement.It felt like a fortress, the one thing standing between me and the chaos beyond its doors.
I flipped over onto my stomach, burying my face in the cushions. The fabric still smelled faintly of Felix’s cologne, sharp and grounding, proof that I wasn’t alone here.
Felix walked in and found me stretched out on the couch, half-buried in the cushions. His mouth curved just slightly, the kind of expression he rarely let anyone else see. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said, although it came out muffled through the cushions.
He sat down next to me and gently tugged the pillow out from under my face. “I can’t have you suffocating yourself. And,” he said, brushing back a few tendrils of my hair. “I have some news I thought you might like.”
I lifted my head, blinking at him through the tousled strands of hair he’d brushed aside. “News?” I asked, letting the word hang in the air.
“Mhm. I’ve figured out a lot of what’s in that ledger you found.”
I shot upright, the cushions falling away as my full attention snapped to him. “You have?” My heart picked up, curiosity and excitement tangling together. “What did you figure out?”
“Someone had been stealing from my family for years,” Felix said, tracing patterns into my skin. “My grandma was keeping meticulous records of it. The theft only stopped after my grandfather died.”
I frowned, trying to wrap my head around it. “So your grandfather just turned a blind eye to it?” I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief.
“I think he refused to listen to my grandma. She was always better with numbers,” he sighed.
“I would divorce my husband if he refused to listen to me,” I muttered, angry for Felix’s grandma.
Felix’s gaze sharpened, a low, almost dangerous chuckle slipping past him. “Good thing you don’t a husband,” he said, his voice edged with ownership. “Because I don’t plan on sharing you.”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks, and part of me wanted to scoff, to tease him back, but I couldn’t find the words. I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. The gravity of his statement settled between us, heavy and undeniable.
“Come on,” he said, voice low but unyielding. “We’re going out tonight.”
“Out?!” I exclaimed, sitting up a little straighter, eyes wide. “Why now? After everything?”
“Because,” he said, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face, “you’ve been cooped up in here long enough. And I’m not letting you stay stuck on that couch while the world waits outside.”
I took a deep breath as I slid off the couch, glancing at Felix for reassurance. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with that half-amused, half-possessive expression that made my chest flutter. I changed quickly into the outfit he’d picked out for me—sleek, dark, and perfect for blending in while still standing out. My hands fidgeted as I smoothed the fabric, anticipation and nerves twisting together. Felix took my hand, and we slipped out of the brownstone, the city night swallowing us in its pulse. Streets blurred past, lights reflecting off wet asphalt, until we turned into a shadowed alley and descended a narrow staircase behind a black steel door. The muffled roar of laughter, clinking glasses, and bursts of cheering hit me before we even stepped inside. Eclipse. Underground, illicit, electric.
The interior was just as I remembered: low ceilings, smoky air, and the constant hum of money and risk. People moved witha practiced ease, chips clattering, dice rolling, voices rising and falling like a strange, hypnotic rhythm.
I hesitantly asked Felix a question I didn’t know if I wanted the answer to. “Do you do a lot of gambling?”
“Eh, not really.”
His eyes told me they already knew why I asked. Was he like my father, a gambling addict? The thought made my stomach twist, memories of chaos and broken promises flaring behind my eyes.
Felix noticed the flicker of unease in my expression and let out a soft, almost amused chuckle. “Relax,” he said, voice low and steady. “I play occasionally, yes. But I’m definitely not addicted.”
I nodded, letting a small sigh escape me.Okay,I told myself.I believe him.The knot of worry in my stomach eased slightly, replaced by a cautious curiosity. If he wasn’t like my father, then maybe this place wasn’t as dangerous for me as I’d feared—at least, not while he was by my side.
“There’s actually a club area,” he said, steering me in a different direction. “I didn’t get to show it to you the last time we were here.”
“Dancing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and intrigue in my voice.
“Something like that,” he said, his hand brushing lightly against mine as he guided me forward. “It’s more exclusive. Music, lights, people letting loose. You might actually enjoy it.”
“Felix!” I heard a familiar voice say.
Felix cursed under his breath. His cousin, Cosimo, had spotted us and was already weaving through the crowd. When he reached us, his grin was all charm and menace.
“And ‘just Tessa,’” he said, flashing that smooth, dangerous grin. “How have you been?”
