Chapter 4 — Vows of Convenience

Tara

The Velvet Ember was a cathedral of shadows and whispered power, wrapped in velvet and gold. The air inside was thick with the mingling scents of aged whiskey, cigars, and expensive perfume, weaving together into a potent haze that clung to the skin. Jazz music curled through the room like smoke, its low, sultry notes punctuated by the soft clink of crystal glasses and bursts of too-sharp laughter from the Mafia elite.