Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The ride to l’Éclipse was unusually quiet.

Mason noticed the friction between them since that chat earlier. Elnora stared out the window, lost in her thoughts the entire ride. He didn’t push her to speak; he understood that her frustration stemmed from not getting her way. Her earlier statement that she hated him stuck in his mind, more of a sting than he cared to admit.

When they finally arrived at the club’s underground parking, Mason stepped out of the limo, his gaze sliding over Elnora’s figure as she followed suit. The neon dress she wore clung to her curves, accentuating her honey-toned skin, which seemed to glow like liquid gold. She had delivered on his request for something sexy—more than delivered, in fact. She looked divine, and the temptation to reach out and touch her was almost unbearable.

With a firm hand on her lower back, Mason guided her into the club, leaving her at the bar under the watchful eyes of two of his personal soldiers. He knew better than to draw unnecessary attention to her, despite her magnetic pull. His world was dangerous, and the last thing he wanted was for her to become a target because of his attention.

He proceeded alone to the inner chambers, a space where underlings and weapons were strictly prohibited. The rules were clear—peace was to be maintained at all costs, though the rivalry among these criminals was always razor-thin. Mason took his seat among the five, pulling out a cigar and lighting it with deliberate slowness. The smoke curled around him as he studied Akim, the head of the Russian mob, his eyes cold and calculating.

“What’s this about?” Mason asked, taking a long drag on his cigar.

“Anton should be here, not his subordinate,” Suárez, the Mexican cartel leader, spat, his disdain plain to see.

Mason chuckled darkly, exhaling a plume of smoke. “Call me that again, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.” His gaze locked onto Suárez, eyes hard as steel. “Let’s get this over with, Akim.”

Akim growled, his expression sour as he turned away from Mason. “My business with you is private, M.” He then directed his attention to Oisin, the Irishman across the table. “Oisin, why did you call this meeting?”

The absence of the Chinese representative left the cast incomplete. It was a subtle imbalance and tardiness that Mason didn’t like.

“Octavia has ears in the Underground,” Oisin whispered. “She’ll be ready to move in on us in a week or two. Apparently, she has been listening in on us for months now.”

Mason’s eyes narrowed as he mulled over Oisin’s words. “And you chose the place they supposedly have ears in to discuss this?”

Akim’s eyes flashed with irritation. “It is our common ground. I don’t know of any other place where we could meet without putting a bullet in each other’s heads.”

Mason crushed his cigar in the ashtray, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. “Interesting,” he murmured. “How did you come by this information? A covert agent couldn’t infiltrate this place without Marcello knowing.”

Suárez leaned back, a smirk curling his lips. “I have my ways. It’s not about uniforms any more; there’s a snitch in our midst, and rumours are swirling that the Priest is on their payroll. We need to move the underground. As much as I despise all of you, this place is good for business.”

The room fell into a tense silence, each man eyeing the other, waiting for Mason’s next move. They expected him to give Marcello the order to relocate, but Mason had other plans. He was more interested in verifying Oisin’s intel and uncovering the mole. If the Priest was involved, it could explain how Octavia had gotten wind of his shipment from Ordridge. The Icarus files were crucial, and he needed them before making any rash decisions. Octavia’s tenacity was well-known, and while he was eager to face her, he couldn’t afford to rush into anything that might reveal his true identity.

Elnora was his ace, a card he hadn’t played yet. Octavia might have been misled by the beamer on Antonio, but it was possible that one of these fools had a beamer as well.

“M, it’s your call. We need to move,” Oisin pressed, breaking the silence that had stretched into an uncomfortable pause.

Mason stood, smoothing down his tuxedo. “Let this play out,” he said. “I don’t care where your intel came from. I’ll look into it personally, and if we need to move, we will. Gentlemen.” With that, he left the inner chambers, slipping through a series of doors until he emerged into the lounge.

As he holstered his gun, his eyes swept the room, searching. The sound of her laughter drew his attention like a magnet, and his gaze snapped to her. Elnora, seated at the bar, laughing with a man she shouldn’t even be speaking to. His jaw clenched, irritation flaring as he spotted Lewis and Benny nearby, doing nothing but watch. All they had to do was escort her to his booth, but instead, she was here, chatting up the German billionaire he’d been struggling to bring on board with a deal.

“Mr. Elias,” Mason called. Both turned toward him, the billionaire with a polite smile, and Elnora with a look of surprise.

She had dressed up as he’d asked, but this wasn’t what he’d expected. With its backless design, the neon satin midi dress clung to her like a second skin, revealing her flawless, honey-toned skin. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, highlighting the delicate curves of her neck. The dress had Kristine written all over it, but it wouldn’t have looked this good on anyone else.

Mason’s irritation simmered as he took in the sight of her, the woman who had been haunting his thoughts, now in the company of a man he needed to control. He forced a tight smile.

“Dimitri,” Elias greeted him, stepping forward and extending a hand.

Mason turned his attention to Elias, gripping his hand with a firm shake. “I see you’ve met El.”

“Indeed,” Elias replied, his gaze sliding over Elnora in a way that made Mason’s fists clench. “I must commend your taste. We have business to discuss, do we not?”

Mason bit back the urge to react, keeping his expression neutral. “Business?”

Before Elias could respond, Elnora spoke up. “Mr. Elias and I were discussing the future of augmentation and genetic mutation. He has an undeniable fascination with technology.”

Elias’ smile widened as he turned back to her. “Please, beautiful women call me Luis, Elnora.” He took her hand and kissed it, lingering just long enough to provoke Mason’s silent fury.

Elnora offered him a polite smile, her eyes flicking sideways to meet Mason’s gaze. “We’ll continue our conversation later, Luis. I will leave you gentlemen to your business,” she said. She kissed Elias on the cheek, a gesture that felt like a challenge, before turning and walking away, her black pumps clicking on the polished floor.

Mason watched her leave, his irritation spiking as his men finally stepped in to escort her to his table. Too little, too late, he thought grimly, his gaze narrowing at them. They should have intervened sooner, before she had the chance to engage with Elias.

Turning back to the German billionaire, Mason’s expression hardened. Elias had made a fortune working with the German mafia and other crime syndicates, and had been playing hard to get with the Castelli family, insisting on a face-to-face with Anton. But Mason knew that wasn’t going to happen—not for all the money in the world.

“As far as I’m aware, we have no business to discuss, Mr. Elias. You’ve made your position clear,” Mason reminded him.

Elias didn’t miss a beat, his gaze sliding back to Elnora with a calculating smile. “It’s great that you’ve got her on your team, Dimitri. She’s smart and beautiful. You always know how to pick the right people.” His eyes lingered on her a moment too long. “What kind of technological advancements does your organization plan to incorporate into its legitimate front? Technology is the future, and I’d like to be involved.”

Mason’s eyes narrowed as he studied Elias. The man’s tone had shifted from lecherous to businesslike in an instant, leaving Mason wondering what exactly Elnora had said to him. What game was Elias playing?

“Whatever business you choose to do with us,” Mason replied, his voice as cold as steel, “let me make one thing clear, Mr. Elias—there will be no sit-down with Anton.”

The bartender appeared with a glass of whiskey for Elias, who accepted it with a smile. “I can overlook that,” Elias said smoothly, “if there’s a chance to make a lot of money. Let’s arrange a meeting to discuss this further, and Elnora is a non-negotiable part of the deal.”

Mason’s gaze darkened, his jaw tightening as he leaned in slightly. “Elnora is an asset, not some whore for you to satisfy your pathetic urges,” he said quietly, the threat in his tone unmistakable. “If she’s involved, it’s in a professional capacity only.”

For a tense moment, Elias held his gaze, the two men locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, with a faint smirk, Elias broke the stare. “Of course. Good evening, Dimitri.” He turned and waltzed off into the club, leaving Mason standing there, seething.

Mason walked over to the booth where Elnora waited, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp as she observed the room. He waved his soldiers away and slipped into the seat beside her.

She glanced at him briefly, then returned her attention to activities happening around them.

“It’s clear you’re upset about something,” Mason said, though he already knew the cause. She was chafing against the constraints he’d placed on her, her desire for freedom clashing with his need for control. The ride over had been nearly silent, with her icy demeanour only fuelling his frustration.

“El, you shouldn’t talk to just anyone around here. That was—”

“Luis Elias,” Elnora interrupted. “German billionaire with a penchant for beating his whores to death as part of his twisted sexual fetish.” She fixed Mason with a steely glare. “I’ve researched the common ground activities for a long time. I know most of the despicable criminals here.”

Mason’s eyebrow lifted, a smirk playing on his lips as he realized the implication. She was including him in that list of despicable criminals. “If you can track it, it isn’t much of an underground,” he replied.

Her frown deepened, a striking contrast to the fire in her eyes. If she could track these men even with Giorgio’s security protocols, then so could Octavia. His smirk faded as he remembered Elnora’s firm worked for the bureau, and if she knew, so did Octavia. The unsettling thought clawed at him—could Elnora be Icarus, the mysterious hacker auctioning off secrets on the deep web?

Leaning in, Mason forced her to meet his gaze. “El, is the underground bugged?” He watched her closely as she hesitated, then turned away with a sigh of frustration. “Come on, talk to me.”

“It’s not bugged, but it isn’t secure either,” she admitted. “As long as there are phone lines and networks down here, anyone with the right skills can listen in on everything. They just need to know where to look.” She paused, her expression troubled. “This location is most likely compromised.”

“Hmm,” Mason mused, the wheels in his mind turning. They needed to burn this location, and soon. Staying here any longer was a risk, not just for him, but for the entire network. His gaze drifted to Andre’s table before returning to Elnora. She was here to keep Minister Andre Gresley occupied while he secured the information they needed.

“Why did you bring me here tonight, Mason?” Her question cut through his thoughts, almost as if she had read his mind.

“What was all that noise you and Luis were discussing?” His tone sharpened. “My organization isn’t doing whatever you told him, and I’m not about to let any deal with Elias be based on some lie your silver tongue spun.” Her eyes finally sparkled with that mischief he loved, and she leaned in closer.

“I sold Luis on the idea that crime is going digital. In this modern world, running a successful criminal organization requires futuristic thinking,” Elnora explained. “Believing you’re the king is one thing, but actually being it? That’s where the real power lies.”

Mason listened, her words striking a chord. He understood the truth in what she was saying. Recruiting tech experts and system analysts had been one of his greatest challenges, but if Elnora could pull off her projects, it would give him an edge that no one else had. Still, there was something more immediate on his mind.

“True,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “but don’t ever broker a deal on my behalf again.” His gaze locked onto hers, and he saw the flicker of something—was it sadness?—in her eyes as she nodded. The thought that she might truly hate him now bothered him a lot. He hesitated, wanting to say more, but—

“Sorry, boss. Andre’s open,” Benny’s voice cut in, pulling Mason’s attention away from Elnora.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer. “Get her a drink and make sure she doesn’t chat with any more strangers while I’m gone,” he said, his tone firm.

He held her gaze for another heartbeat, his mind a tangle of conflicting thoughts, before finally turning and heading for Andre’s booth, leaving her with the gravity of his warning.