That evening, Samia went to the local inn for a few drinks. It was nice not to have to sell her body for food, drink and a warm bed. She'd been given an allowance now, as a member of the Shadow Blades, and as payment for the Vernia job.
As she took a gulp of wine, someone sat next to her. She smelled the hint of tobacco in his hair, Reynaldo.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
“It’s a free country,” she said with a little venom.
He drank his ale sitting beside her, the pair of them didn’t look one another in the eye.
It was a tense silence, filled with unspoken words and uneasy tension. Samia still nursing the wounds from her past.
Reynaldo finally broke the silence, "Samia, I know what you're going through. I've been there myself. We all have, in one way or another. It's part of being a Shadow Blade."
She looked at him, her eyes hard and unyielding. "I just need to make sure I'm not being played again. That's all."
Reynaldo nodded, understanding the gravity of her words. "You're not alone in this, Samia. We're in this together. And if there's one thing I've learned as a Shadow Blade, it's that trust has to be earned. But I believe you're worth it."
Samia sighed, her heart softening.
Samia couldn't help but wonder what Reynaldo was really after. She had seen his true colours in the past, and she knew that there was more to him than he was letting on.
"What do you want, Reynaldo?" she asked, her voice low and hard. Her insides screamed with rage, and she was on the point of leaving to get away from him.
Reynaldo sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not going to lie to you, Samia. I'm here for the same reason you are. The Shadow Blades have a goal, and we all have our parts to play. If we work together, we can take what we want, and I can get what I'm after."
Samia stared at him, the words hanging in the air between them. She knew that she was playing a dangerous game, but she couldn't ignore the opportunity that was before her.
"You want something else, don't you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
And as those words left his lips, a rush of emotions flooded her heart. She looked up at him, her eyes mirroring the sincerity in his gaze. A blush crept up her cheeks as a shy smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Time seemed to stand still in that moment as they both realized the depth of the connection between them.
That bastard. He’d made her heart flutter. After everything he’d done to her. It wasn’t fair. She thought about getting up and leaving, but stayed seated.
"I want you," he said, his voice low and sincere.
Samia's heart raced at his confession, and she felt her stomach flutter with nervous excitement. She had always been aware of the chemistry between them, but she had never let herself get too close. She knew that the Shadow Blades were a dangerous and unpredictable group, and she couldn't afford to get attached. She’d already done that with Lexo. Did Lexo love her?
But as Reynaldo's eyes locked onto hers, she felt something inside her breaking down. The walls she had built up over the years slowly began to crumble, and she realized that there was no turning back.
