Meret gaze flicked toward the paused screen of her own face frozen mid-smirk.
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing just slightly.
"And to know that… the big bad mafia has a little crush on me…"
Matteo shifted, stunned into silence.
Lucien smiled just a fraction. "Careful, Meret. Flirting with monsters tends to end badly."
She looked at him now.
"Not if you're the bigger monster." Her voice was light, but her eyes scanned the room. "Where's Cray Cray?"
Lucien took two slow, deliberate steps toward her, closing the space like a shadow that knew its weight.
"How did you get past the guards and track me to my private residence?"
"A magician never reveals her secrets."
"You're not a magician. You're a thief."
"That's a bit rude." She raised a brow. "I'm sure there are friendlier synonyms. Like…'unauthorized relocation specialist'?"
"Thief." he repeated, deadpan.
Meret tried to hold in the laugh, but a snort betrayed her.
"Well, don't look so amused on how I got here. You merely have 20 guards into total stationed around the house. Funny how the big bad mafia boss needs that much protection. Or…" she tilted her head, voice lilting with mock sweetness,
"Is it all for Cray Cray?
Lucien moved like lightning and slammed her back against the wall, his hand locking around her throat.
Meret didn't flinch. Instead, a low breath slipped from her lips, half a laugh, half a moan as she said.
"Careful, I've got a live censor linked to every man in this building. One command and everyone of you drop dead. So I suggest you back off… unless… this is you trying to live your fantasy after staring at the photo of me all night."
Lucien let go of her neck but didn't step back.
"Quite an extreme length you went for a dog. Did you ever consider you were walking directly into a trap?"
"We'll find that out after I get my dog."
"If you're as good as they say, Meret…" he said her name like he was tasting it. "Why didn't you go straight to him?"
"Because that would've been a little too convenient for you, wouldn't it?" Her tone was dry. "Not only did you lock my dog in a kennel that couldn't be moved by one or two people, your guy was posted outside with a bow loaded and a paralyzing arrow for anything that so much as breathes. Yeah, I clocked him."
"And yet, you still asked where he is. That means your little 'censor' tech couldn't break through. You couldn't take them down."
"I was weighing my options," Meret said coolly, her gaze sliding to Matteo, who was inching toward the desk.
"Mathew, buddy… press that button and you'll be the first to drop."
Matteo froze mid-reach, hand suspended in the air.
"It's Matteo," he muttered, slowly retracting his hand.
She gave him a pointed smile.
"Sure. Mathew."
She turned back to Lucien.
"I presume you don't want the coin, since you left it and took what's mine. So what is it you want?"
"You," he said simply, then walked over and leaned against the desk, cool and composed.
"So you do have a crush on me," she said, her eyes trailing him.
He smirked but didn't take the bait.
"You can keep the coin. I need you for something far more important."
She folded her arms. "And what would that be?"
"I need you to steal a few things for me. Personal items. From ten specific people." he tapped something on his phone and ten faces came to view on the TV.
"Let me guess. Rivals?"
"Let's call them… threads I need to snip. And I want to hold something of theirs before I do. Keeps the scissors sharp."
Meret eyed the screen but said nothing.
Lucien continued, voice smooth. "You're not just doing this for me. You get to leave your mark. Drop your little calling card. Let the world buzz about the mysterious thief who breached the untouchable. Your name stays on everyone's lips. And when you're done… you hand the items over, and we're even."
She tilted her head. "And if I say no?"
Lucien's expression didn't change. "Then on command…" He started, reiterating her words from before. "Your face will be on every screen across the country. Your dog dies. And then you go last. It's a yes or a yes offer. You say yes to my proposal or yes to airing you out."
Meret stared at him for a beat, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"So what's the job?"
Lucien leaned back slightly against the desk.
"Like I said—there are ten individuals. Threats, you could say. I want something from each of them. Things they wouldn't part with unless they were dead… or dazzled."
He paused, giving her a moment to react. When she didn't, he went on.
"The first hit happens tonight. At an auction. And you'll be going as my girlfriend."
Meret looked up, sharp and defiant. "No. That's not happening."
"You've done it before. When you stole from me," he said evenly. "It's the only way I can bring you in clean."
A beat. Then she asked, voice low, "What am I stealing?"
"Details later. After you tell me—" he held her gaze "—which yes is it going to be?"
"The yes that doesn't harm Cray Cray."
Lucien's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.
Glad we're on the same page. When it's all done… you walk. With your mutt."
He said it like a promise. But it wasn't one he meant to keep.
Lucien had no intention of letting her go. Not alive. When this was over, Meret would be nothing more than a headline. The infamous ghost finally unmasked. The legend brought to her knees. And he'd be the one who did it. The man who broke what no one else could touch.
He savored that thought.
Meret, on the other hand, didn't blink. She smiled faintly to herself.
Got you.
When she'd first laid eyes on the coin, something had been off. She'd seen the model before, studied it, even mocked up replicas for her own sleight-of-hand routines. But this one had a microscopic tap embedded inside—clever, but not clever enough. She'd almost dismantled it before getting to her house, almost removed the embedded tracker. But something told her not to.
Instead, she'd let it ride knowing he camera must have already captured her face.
Because if Lucien could trace her, she needed to know how far he'd go. And if he made the mistake of showing up on her doorstep, her apartment was wired to burn. No survivors. No trail. Just a name disappearing like smoke.
But he hadn't come. He sent people and although they found the coin, they hadn't retrieved it.
She'd watched it all happen from the self-checkout aisle of a grocery store.
And that was the moment she knew.
Lucien didn't just want her dead...yet. He wanted to use her first.
And now, so would she.
Because those ten names he mentioned? They were already on her list. She'd been watching them longer than he had. If he wanted her to steal from them, fine. She'd play along. Use his network, his access, his arrogance. And when the last mark was crossed off…
He'd be next.
They stood there a moment longer, still and unreadable.
Both convinced they'd already won.