Blade

Chapter 67: Mayhem Unleashed

Sienna

Tracing the IP took longer than we expected. Whoever sent the message wasn’t just cautious; they were skilled. Layers of encrypted reroutes, fake servers bouncing between continents, and a lot of technical jargon I barely understood.

After hours of digging and cross-checking, the team finally hit something solid.

The trail led to an underground club known for its exclusivity, crawling with people from the underworld. Despite it being exactly 11 a.m., the place was already alive. According to Franco, this club never sleeps; it’s packed every hour of the day, no matter how early or late.

Deals are struck every minute, blood is spilled, and illegal trades go down like it’s just another day in the mafia’s world.

"I can't believe I let you manipulate me into doing this and drag me along like your accomplice," Franco grumbles, shutting the car door after helping me out like a gentleman.

I give him a mischievous smirk. "You are an accomplice. Or would you rather I came alone, knowing how stubborn I can be? And if something happens to me, what exactly will you tell Blade?"

Franco turns to me, eyes narrowed and lips curved into a frown. "I'm telling you, Sienna, this is a terrible idea and you know it. Aside from Blade eventually finding out and losing his mind, we have no idea what we're walking into."

"Would you relax?" I say, looping my arm through his and holding onto his elbow. "Yeah, it's reckless, but it's the only option I have to deal with whoever's been threatening me."

“Telling Blade was another option, but you ignored it because you’d rather keep playing this little game of pretending to avoid him.”

I scoff. “I’m not avoiding him. I just don’t want to see him or talk to him.”

“That’s exactly what avoiding someone means.”

I give him a sharp look, raising a brow as we walk through the club’s entrance. The music is deafening, the bass vibrating through the walls. Smoke hangs heavy in the air while women in silk glide past men with dangerous eyes. Cash, guns, and bottles of liquor litter the tables like part of the décor.

"You wouldn’t say that if you’d ever been in my situation," I mutter, irritation crawling down my spine at the vile, lustful stares thrown my way. Their eyes rake over me from head to toe, lingering on the black off-the-shoulder dress that hugs my body and the long slit running up to my hip, exposing my thigh.

A single wicked glare from Franco has most of them reluctantly turning away, and I let out a quiet breath of relief.

"Thank goodness for that," he says, his watchful eyes sweeping over the room.

"Tell me something, Franco," I ask as we stop by the bar. I order a glass of tequila while he orders whiskey, his gaze never leaving the dangerous men around us. "Have you ever been in love?"

His jaw tightens briefly as he takes the glass from the bartender and drinks, his eyes narrowing in irritation when a burst of laughter erupts from what looks like a Russian smuggler sitting in a nearby booth.

"I see that’s a touchy topic," I say, tipping my glass back and swallowing the tequila, my brows furrowing at the look on his face.

"It is. And I’d rather not talk about it, Sienna," his gaze hardens for a moment. "Let’s just focus on finding the person we came here for."

I decide to let it drop. Franco has never been the type to open up about what bothers him or what weighs on his mind. Still, curiosity burns quietly inside me.