Elysia sat at her desk and everything was going smoothly.
Her phone vibrated.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Madam, I'll be there in twenty minutes to take you back home." Marco's voice was formal yet efficient.
"You don't have to worry, Marco. I'll take a taxi today. I'll be a little late there's something I need to do with a friend." She forced a light laugh. "But I'll be fine. Just go on with your work." She hunged up.
The workday blurred into evening. By the time she left, the welcome party for the some of newcomers was in full swing: loud music, neon lights, a crowd of laughing faces.
Elysia had come straight from the office an oversized shirt tucked into neat trousers, hair tied back, face bare except for a touch of gloss. Plain, professional, invisible.
"Those clothes are not for this kind of party," Luna said with a wicked grin. She was standing at the entrance waiting for her.
Before Elysia could protest, Luna picked a pair of scissors. "That's not how we're going to party tonight."
Grabbing Elysia's hand, Luna dragged her toward the washroom. Luna jammed the handle and pushed them in locking the door. Within minutes the shirt's sleeves were slashed short, the collar tugged open just enough to be dangerous, and the hem hacked into a jagged crop that revealed her waist. A slit appeared in the trousers with a teasing edge of thigh left bare.
Luna let Elysia's hair fall free from its tight tie; it tumbled in messy waves over her shoulders. A swipe of dark eyeliner, a smear of bold lipstick and the transformation was instant.
Elysia stared at herself in the mirror half afraid, half thrilled. "No, Luna. This...this isn't me."
"You have to try new things before you grow old," Luna shot back. "Nobody will know it's you." She winked. "Besides, it's a welcome party am holding. Have some fun."
Back in the club the music rolled like thunder. Luna and Elysia stepped into the chaos with wide smiles. A waiter passed; they each took a glass, a swirl of color, a sweetness that sparkled on the tongue. Men nearby began to stare.
"Yo, isn't that the lady from the office?" someone hissed. "That bitch why's she playin' hard to get? But I've got a new target."
Dante sat with his friends, drink in hand. A man next to him nudged him. "You recognize the one beside her?"
Dante's brows rose. He'd seen that face somewhere, but his memory only offered a fragment: familiarity without context. He watched Elysia closely, as her image grew visible in his mind.
"Does she have a twin? This one gives off a whole different vibe," Dante thought, his gaze glued to her silhouette.
Unaware of the conversation around them, the two girls laughed and drank until the room tilted. Two more drinks arrived. Elysia found the cocktail syrupy and sweet; she tipped it back and swallowed it in a single gulp.
"Bathroom," Luna announced suddenly. "Be right back." She slipped away, leaving Elysia alone.
A man slid into the empty seat beside her. "Hello there miss, we meet again." Nick's voice was too close, too smooth.
"Troublemaker," Elysia muttered softly.
The drink's warmth hummed in her chest. Nick shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Let me get you out of here," he offered, standing and steadying her.
She felt dizzy, a blade-edge panic threading through the fog. She tried to push down the alarm, to force herself awake, but the world wavered.
Nick opened the backseat door and carried her into the car. "That was quick," Zarek said from the front.
"What about the noisy friend of hers?" Nick asked.
"She's probably all right. Fake a message," Zarek suggested. "Text her."
Elysia's head throbbed as they spoke about her as if she weren't there. Nick nursed her phone into his hand, thumbed the screen, and bypassed the passcode with practiced ease. He typed a message to Luna: Something urgent came up. I have to go. See you. Nick pressed send, then switched off the phone.
They drove away.
Unseen in the near distance, Dante and his group remained where the car had pulled away. Dante's thumb flicked through photos on his phone snapshots taken as Nick carried Elysia to the car. He smiled, a dangerous curve. "Now that's a very good catch," he thought.
---
Malric hadn't left the house since he arrived the night before. Dinner was on the table; Mr. Storm hovered nearby, an anxious presence.
"The miss is not home yet," the old man said cautiously. "Enjoy your meal."
Malric sliced a piece of meat and placed it in his mouth. He chewed without looking up, then he finally spoke, voice flat. "I never asked you to report to me about her." He pushed the fork and knife down hard enough to make a sound in the quiet dining room. "You've spoiled my appetite."
He stood abruptly, passing the old man and the startled maids. He paused outside Elysia's room, then continued to his study at the far end of the floor.
His phone vibrated.
"What?" he barked when he heard Nick on the line.
"I've got information," Nick said. "Good and bad. Which do you want first?"
Malric massaged his temples. "Tell me."
"I found the lady she works for the company."
"And?" Malric's patience thinned.
"Only that she's married," Nick said. "I tried to get her husband's information but nothing. Something's fishy."
Silence stretched between them for a moment. Nick's voice softened into a sinister whisper. "But we have her."
"What did you do, Nick?" Malric growled.
"We have her with us now," Nick confirmed.
A cold silence fell. Malric's breathing steadied until it sounded like a threat. "I never said you could kidnap her. his grip on the phone tightened. That is not what we do, Nick I never said you could include zarek."
"I want you to find the man," Malric said finally, voice low and lethal. "Do whatever it takes to bring him before me. I don't care if you kidnap him or break his legs bring him. Understood?"
On the other end, Nick's grin was audible even through the line. "Understood."
Malric set the phone down slowly. The room felt smaller, the house colder never knowing the man he wanted to see was he himself.