Chapter 2
Adrenaline was a violent, cold fire in
Laika’s veins.
While Cassian’s dark gaze lingered on the shattered plaster where Dylan
had fallen, Laika
didn't wait to be claimed. She shoved past his broad shoulder, her silver tray crashing onto the carpet, and threw her weight against the
heavy steel push-bar of the alley exit.
The heavy door burst
open. Night air and fine drizzling rain slammed into her face as she bolted
out into the dark, cobblestone alleyway behind the Elite Club.
Her chest heaved, her feet skidding on
the wet stone. I lost the key. He has the token.
Panic
clawed at her throat. The hacker's deadline was ticking down, and the only
piece of evidence that could
pull her father’s
case out of the shadows
was currently sitting
in the waistcoat pocket of a mafia monarch. She reached into her
pocket for her encrypted phone, her fingers
shaking Headlights flared.
Blinding white light instantly flooded
the narrow alley, cutting through the drizzle.
Laika skidded
to a halt, shielding her eyes. The low, deep rumble of V8 engines
echoed off the damp brick walls as three sleek,
blacked-out Range Rovers blocked the alley exit, idling like waiting beasts.
The
heavy doors clicked open in unison. Four tall men in dark suits stepped into
the rain, their posture relaxed, quiet, and terrifyingly efficient. Jaye, Cassian’s
second right-hand man, stepped
forward, his eyes calm as he looked at her.
“Miss,” Jaye said smoothly, his voice barely
carrying over the rain. “Mr. Valecrest doesn't
like his guests running into
traffic.”
Laika spun around to run back toward the club, but the service
door swung open. Cassian stepped out into the rain.
He didn't
rush. He walked
with slow, deliberate grace, ignoring the water slicking
his dark hair and
tailoring his charcoal suit. Between his long fingers, the metallic hardware
token flipped casually over his knuckles—a taunting, silent reminder of what he
had taken from her.
“You have spirit, little
thief,” Cassian murmured, his baritone slicing
through the quiet
patter of rain. He
stopped two feet in front
of her, his massive frame
shutting out the rest of the world.
“Extremely foolish spirit, but spirit nonetheless.”
“Get away from me,” Laika spat,
stepping back until
her spine hit the cold,
wet brick of the alley wall. “Call the police if you’re
going to report the theft. Do it. See if I care.”
Cassian let out a low, dark chuckle that sent a shiver straight
down her spine.
He stepped directly into her space, trapping her
between the wall and his chest, his scent of cedar and rain washing over her.
“The
police?” Cassian purred, leaning down until his lips almost brushed the shell
of her ear. “Sweetheart, in this city, I am the authority. And handing a girl with eyes like yours to the precinct would be a tragic waste.”
Before she could scream
or strike him, Cassian’s arm swept around
her waist, lifting
her effortlessly off the damp cobblestones.
“Put me down!” Laika
thrashing against his iron grip,
her fists slamming
against his shoulder. “Let me go, you bastard!”
Cassian didn't even flinch at her blows.
He opened the rear door of the central Range
Rover, slid inside with her
in his arms, and pulled the door shut, cutting off the sound of the rain.
Twenty minutes later, the private glass
elevator opened directly into his penthouse suite .
The space was sprawling, minimalist, and suffocatingly luxurious, floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the glowing skyline of
Ravenshire, dark marble floors, and soft, recessed lighting.
Cassian set her down on the dark hardwood floor
of his private study. He calmly removed
his wet suit jacket, tossing
it over a leather chair, before pouring two fingers of amber bourbon into a
crystal tumbler.
Laika stood
by the desk, her white
shirt damp from the rain,
her jaw set in an absolute, unyielding line. She looked like a
trapped prey, but her dark eyes burned with lethal defiance.
“Where is my
phone?” she demanded, her voice tight. “Where are you keeping me?”
Cassian took a slow sip of his drink, his pitch-black eyes tracking
the rise and fall of her chest. He pulled the stolen
hardware token from his waistcoat, setting it heavily
onto the glass
desk between them.
“You
stole a high-level government encryption drive inside my party, under your
boss's supervision,” Cassian said smoothly, stepping around the desk until he
was towering over her once more. “I could drop you into a black-budget cell where nobody
would ever hear your name again.”
“Then do it,” Laika defied
him, holding her head high,
refusing to show the terror
clawing at her insides. “Because the second I get
out of here, I’m taking that drive back.”
Cassian stared at her, a dark, dangerous spark igniting in the depths
of his eyes. Her pride
wasn't just attractive—it was intoxicating. Most people trembled when he
entered a room; this waitress was threatening to rob him again while standing
in his own home.
He closed the distance in a single,
fluid step. His hand shot out, his long fingers
cupping her jaw and tilting her face up to meet his
relentless gaze.
“You’re not going
to jail, little
thief,” Cassian whispered, his voice dropping
into a thick, possessive
register. “And you’re not going back to serving drinks at Aureline.”
Laika’s breath caught in her throat.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re smart. You’re fast. And you have a fire that I am not going
to let waste away behind a cocktail bar,” Cassian
murmured, his thumb
stroking her lower
lip with a slow, agonizing pressure. “Starting Monday, you work for me. At Dominion
Constructions. Under my direct supervision.” Laika’s eyes widened in shock. “I
will never work for you.”
“You
will,” Cassian corrected softly, his hand sliding down to rest against the back
of her neck, pulling her impossibly close until she could feel the heat
radiating off his body. “Because if you don't,
I hand this token to Councilman Sterling, and I let him deal with the little waitress
who tried to ruin his night.
Choice is yours, sweetheart.”
Laika stared at
him, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped beast.
He had her backed into a corner.
She had no job, no key, and no way to reach the hacker tonight.
But as her eyes flicked down to the encrypted hardware token resting on the
glass desk behind him, a dark, dangerous realization took root in her mind.
If she worked for him... if she was under his roof, inside
his empire... she wouldn't just be his captive.
She would be close enough to steal the
token back.
Laika forced
her expression to harden, staring
straight into the eyes of the sovereign. “Fine,” she whispered, her
voice laced with pure, icy venom. “I’ll work for you.”
A slow,
lethal smile spread
across Cassian’s face.
He leaned down,
his lips brushing
the shell of her ear as his grip on her neck
tightened with terrifying possession.
“Good girl,” he murmured.
