Chapter 15

Chapter 15 : Velvet and Knives

Raven’s POV

The ride home is silent.

Leon doesn’t speak. Doesn’t look at me. His fingers rest on the gear shift, tense and motionless. The blonde is still painted on the inside of my skull like a stain I can’t scrub out.

I say nothing. I don’t need to.

Because I have plans of my own.

When we arrive at the mansion, he doesn’t even hold the door. Just stalks inside like the walls owe him something. I follow at a distance, heels silent against marble. The butler greets us with a stiff nod, and Leon waves him off with a flick of his hand.

The second we step into the main hallway, Leon speaks without looking at me.

"Stay in tonight. Don’t leave the estate."

“Why?”

His tone darkens. “Because I said so.”

I hum, noncommittal.

Inside, I’m already slipping on a mask.

An hour later, Leon is in his office with the door locked.

He thinks I’m upstairs in the bath.

He’s wrong.

I’m in the garage.

Dressed in black, hair down, a blade tucked into my thigh holster. I grab the keys to one of the lesser-known cars,an unassuming matte gray coupe,and slide into the driver’s seat like I was born behind the wheel.

The moment I’m clear of the gates, I call Marcus.

He picks up on the first ring.

“Raven.”

“I want eyes on a blonde.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific."

“She wore white. Red nails. High society. She was at the fundraiser. Find out who she is, who she belongs to, and if Leon is fucking her.”

A pause. Then, “On it.”

I hang up and steer the car toward the lower part of the city.

To District Eight.

Where the real secrets live.

The building I enter has no signage.

Just a rusted door and a keypad only a few people in the city know how to use.

Inside, the air smells like gun oil, ink, and old secrets.

A man named Jax runs this place. He’s one of ours, loyal to the Caruso family. He doesn’t ask questions,only deals in clean weapons, burner phones, and forged documents.

“Didn’t expect you,” he says, eyes skimming over me. “Heard you were married to the enemy.”

I smile. “Marriage is a contract. Contracts can be broken.”

He nods and leads me to the back.

I pick up two things: a new burner phone and a silencer.

Then I ask him what I really came here for.

“Do you still have access to the shipment records from the Vitali ports?”

His eyes narrow. “What are you looking for?”

“Anomalies. Hidden crates. Anything coming in that isn’t declared. Anything that might explain why Leon is suddenly charming politicians and businessmen with dirty hands.”

He whistles low. “You think he’s planning something?”

“I know he is.”

Jax nods. “Give me 48 hours.”

“You have 12.”

Back at the mansion, Leon’s car is gone.

Figures.

I head straight to his office. The lock is standard. He really should know better.

Inside, the scent of him lingers,cedarwood and cruelty.

I move quickly. The desk drawer is rigged with a pressure sensor, but I disarm it in seconds. Inside: nothing but papers. Boring on the surface

I flip through the stack and find something wedged behind a file,an invitation.

It’s not to a fundraiser.

It’s to La Rue Noire,an exclusive underground auction.

I’ve been once. Years ago.

They don’t sell paintings.

They sell people. Secrets. Weapons. Lives.

And Leon has a front row seat.

Bastard.

I scan the date. It’s tomorrow.

I snap a photo of the invitation and slip everything back the way I found it. As I close the drawer, I hear something,soft. A floorboard creaking upstairs.

I freeze.

A voice.

Then another.

I move toward the hallway just in time to hear Leon’s low growl,and hers. The blonde.

She’s in our house.

I flatten myself against the shadows and listen.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispers.

“Then why are you?” Leon’s voice is low, dangerous.

“Because I miss you.”

“Don’t,” he snaps. “This is temporary. Once it’s done—”

He cuts off. She kisses him. I can hear it. The wet sound of betrayal.

I clench my fists until my nails pierce my palms.

Once it’s done? What’s done, Leon?

When they disappear into one of the guest rooms, I don’t follow.

I walk outside instead.

The night is cool, wind sharp.

I pull out my burner and text Marcus.

Me: New target. Blonde’s in the house. Leon’s protecting her.

Marcus: Do I need to eliminate her?

Me: Not yet. I want leverage first.

There’s a pause.

Marcus: You okay?

Me: No. But I’m alive.

I tuck the phone away.

The next day, I play the perfect wife.

Leon returns sometime before noon, he ignores me like he always does.

I smile. Let him think he’s won.

Because tonight, I’m going to La Rue Noire.

Not as Leon’s wife.

But as my father’s daughter.

A Caruso.

A killer.

And if I find out Leon is selling something,or someone,important…

Then tomorrow I'll have my leverage.

And I’ll be walking out in velvet and blood.