Page 14 of Take Me Darkly

Anton’s eyes darkened, a flash of pure, lethal fury passing through them—a promise of violence for anyone who dared threaten me.

“You are safe here. I swear it on my life,” he vowed. He reached up, his large hand cupping the back of my neck, drawing me in until his forehead rested against mine. “We will find them, Serena. And we will have justice.”

Something fragile and fiercely alive bloomed in my chest.

The club’s sound system flared to life as the resident DJ began testing the lower frequencies, the bass vibrating through the floorboards and rattling against my collarbone.

“What’s next?” I asked, holding back a wince as the noise reverberated through my healing shoulder.

“Next, I take you back upstairs,” Anton stated, his tone leaving no room for argument as he read my physical exhaustion. “You need ice, pain medication, and food. If you want, we can return later. But right now, you need to rest.”

“Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow,” I conceded, knowing he was right, even though a reckless part of me wanted to stay in the dark.

As we exited the heavy doors of The Dungeon, Myla was waiting on the landing. Her posture was perfectly composed, but a sharp urgency flared in her eyes.

“Anton. Er—Mr. Romano,” she corrected quickly, catching herself as she glanced at me. “Serena.”

I nodded, but my brow furrowed. Why did she stumble over his name?

I looked at Anton. His shoulders had gone rigid beneath his suit jacket, annoyance sharpening his features at the interruption.

“What is it, Myla? I’m taking Serena upstairs.”

“Zeke needs you in the command center immediately,” Myla said, her voice dropping. “Hale Fulton just sent over a major intelligence update regarding the investigation in Italy. Zeke said it couldn’t wait.”

Anton’s jaw flexed as he weighed his options.

“Have Zeke meet us in the apartment,” he commanded, his voice cold and decisive. “Now.”

Myla gave a crisp nod and turned on her heel, her phone already at her ear as her heels clicked against the stone.

“That was strange,” I noted as we walked toward the private lift.

“What was?”

“The way she tripped over your name. Like she wasn’t sure whether to call you Anton or Mr. Romano in front of me.”

He exhaled, the harsh lines of his face softening slightly. “I’ve known Myla for years. In private, she uses my first name. But in the club, particularly when others are around, she’s more formal. You, princess, break all the rules. She’s not used to me being with someone, so it’s likely that she doesn’t know how to address me in front of you.”

I arched a brow, intrigued by their relationship. “You share a history.”

“We do,” he admitted, his gaze shuttering. “But the story is hers to tell. When she’s ready, she will.”

More questions bloomed than answers, but I tucked them away for later. I fell into step beside Anton and we moved toward the lift that would take us up to the apartment. The pendant at my throat suddenly felt heavier. I began to prep myself mentally for the meeting with Zeke—and for the answers I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear.

Chapter Five

Anton

* * *

The iron lift ascended with smooth, mechanical precision, carrying us back to the apartment.

The silence between us was deafening. Serena stood flush against the side of the cage, her posture rigid, her chin lifted in that stubborn, beautiful way of hers even as she subtly favored her bandaged shoulder. The amethyst pendant at her throat caught the dim amber light filtering through the wrought-iron filigree, each violet flash pulsing like a beacon—a quiet, constant reminder of the crosshairs pinned to her back.

I watched her profile—the sharp line of her jaw, the way her delicate fingers absently caressed the stone. Her brilliant mind was spinning, processing everything she’d witnessed below. The decadence of Club O. The layered security. The gilded cage I had built around her.

When the lift shuddered to a halt, I pulled open the heavy iron gate and stepped aside to let her pass. As she moved past me into the private corridor, a subtle wince crossed her features, and my gut twisted.