The Ascendant Shadow

Chapter 14: A Devil's Heart Beneath Her Smile

Xander's POV:

We finally arrived at the party, and though I didn't want to separate from Valentina but I had business to take care of with my guys.

"Chris?" I called as we headed toward the basement door.

"Yeah?" Chris replied, walking alongside me.

"Stay with her," I told him, knowing I could trust him with Valentina. He let out a small laugh.

"I wasn't planning on leaving her alone anyway," he said before heading off in the opposite direction. I knew he'd watch over her.

"Let's go," I said, putting on my serious face. 

The blonde girl, Claire, who was hosting the party, had an older brother with a notorious reputation. He was the type who had one foot in legitimate business and the other knee-deep in criminal activity. Claire's parties were just a convenient distraction for the dirty work going on beneath the surface. The basement of their sprawling suburban home was his playground—a haven for drugs, gambling, and sometimes even prostitution. Most people upstairs, drunk on the party's excitement, had no idea what was happening right below their feet.

As we made our way through the crowded house, the shift in energy was immediate. Jason led us toward the back, weaving through intoxicated party-goers, his shoulders tense with purpose. Ron trailed behind, casting glances over his shoulder, his usual humor nowhere to be found. This wasn't his scene, and it sure as hell wasn't ours either, but business was business, and we couldn't afford to ignore what was going on here.

The staircase leading to the basement creaked under our weight, and with each step, the noise of the party grew fainter. The space below was dim, lit only by a few flickering yellow bulbs that barely illuminated the grim reality of the place. The air hit us like a wall—stale, thick with the stench of sweat, booze, and something metallic. It felt suffocating.

The basement was filled with clusters of men—some familiar faces, others strangers—all huddled around low tables cluttered with drugs. Baggies of powder and pills, glass pipes, and syringes were scattered everywhere. Half-naked girls lounged over them, some draped lazily across laps, others slouched against the walls, their vacant eyes glazed over from whatever they had been given. It was a sickening sight, but we had seen worse.

Jason kept his gaze steady, eyes scanning every corner of the room, his jaw clenched. I followed his line of sight to one corner where one of Claire's brother's men was exchanging a fat stack of cash with another guy. Nearby, a girl, barely out of her teens, stood nervously. She clutched her arm, her posture tense, as if she was waiting for something she knew she didn't want. The transaction was quick, and it was clear this place was a haven for every kind of vice.

Ron's voice was low, almost growling beside me. "This place is a fucking cesspool," he muttered, disgust evident in his tone. His eyes roamed the room, assessing each face, each shady deal going down. He wasn't one to hide his emotions when something sickened him, and this basement was no exception.

I kept my expression blank, though my stomach churned. We were here for a reason, and distractions wouldn't help. As we moved deeper into the basement, the scene only worsened. Claire's older brother, Danny, was lounging in the far back, surrounded by his two hired goons. He was in his element, a joint dangling between his fingers as he laughed at something one of the girls whispered in his ear. She didn't laugh back. Her body language screamed discomfort, but she stayed close, her movements robotic, as if she had no choice.

"Where is he?" I asked a guy sitting on a nearby couch, draped in a blanket with a girl kneeling beneath him, her head moving rhythmically. The repulsion hit me hard, but I kept it off my face.