Leah's POV
A pang ripped through my chest, sharp and unwelcome. I didn't want to know what Lycidas had done - didn't want to picture the claws, the needles, the hunger in that bastard's gaze. Darren wasn't the man I'd known anymore; he was a husk, cracked open and spilling fear. My fingers found the lock, bending the steel like it was clay, the cage door groaning as it gave way. He lunged at me, wild and blind, and I struck fast - knocked him cold with a blow that felt like betrayal. His body slumped, limp and heavy, and I hauled him into the cart, draping a cloth over him like a shroud.
I shoved the cart toward the door, every nerve screaming, when a shadow blocked my path. The hotel manager, all puffed-up indignation, glared down at me. "What the fuck? Who are you?! Why are you here? Don't you know this whole floor is reserved...?"
His words choked off as my fist met his jaw. He crumpled, a sack of meat, and I dragged him back inside, stuffing him into the cage. The handcuffs on the floor clicked shut around his wrists, locking him in tight. No loose ends.
Seth cheered in my earphones. "Boss, that move's so fucking sick! I mean, when guys from NSA see you, they will never let go of you! I mean, they'll fucking work their ass to recruit you!"
I ignored him. The shadow of NSA will haunt that boy for the rest of his life. That's for sure.
Back in the elevator, I ripped off the cleaner's rags, the fabric tearing like skin. Underneath, the black deep-V dress clung to me, sleek and dangerous, a second hide. Seth whistled through the earphones, low and cheeky. "Wow, boss! Isn't tonight's dress code low-key?"
"Shut it," I muttered, ignoring the grin I could hear in his voice. My hands moved quick, twisting my hair into a French roll, the hairpin biting into place. I punched the button for the third floor underground and stepped out as the doors sealed shut, the cart - and Darren - sinking down to the basement.
A few seconds later, Liam's voice cut through. "Boss, I've got Darren. Heading to Exit 3."
"Good," I said, already moving.
"Boss," Seth's voice became concerned. "We've got a problem. The control room's door is deadbolts. I can't open it from my side. You need physical keys."
"Who's got the keys?" I whispered while looking around.
"That security guy in front of you," Seth replied. "But can you get them? You don't want to make a scene by knocking him out."
"Shut up. Watch and learn," I said.
Security loomed ahead, but I slipped through like smoke, swiping a lipstick from some woman's bag, then a purse from another's desk. I let the lipstick fall as I passed a guard, bending just enough to distract him. His fingers brushed the floor, and mine brushed his pocket - keys in my purse before he straightened, handing me the tube with a dumb smile. I thanked him, voice sugar-sweet, and kept walking.
"Boss, that's so fucking neat!" Seth's voice cracked in my earphones.
The banquet hall buzzed, a hive of fools gnawing on spoiled lobster, oblivious. On stage, the mayor droned, thanking the swarm of suits. Al Cosa sat smug beside Lycidas, Finn at his elbow - Finn, with that flawless face I'd once trusted, now a mask for the monster I knew. Lycidas radiated menace, a predator in a tailored coat, and my stomach churned. Memories clawed up - Lucas' dreadful glare as he pinned me down, Darren's hands pressing on my back that night.
"That's weird," I thought to myself. "I haven't felt like this for a long time."
I shook them off, heat prickling my skin.
The control room door yielded to the stolen key. A staffer jolted up, eyes wide. "Madam, how'd you get in? Non-staff aren't..."
I swayed, slurring like a drunk. "Keys are in the door! Where's the toilet?" He grabbed my arm, his gaze dipping to my chest, and I slid the USB from my hairpin into the console. Seth's voice hummed, "Video's up."
I yanked the drive free, letting the staff steer me out.
On stage, the mayor was mid-praise, Al Cosa preening as the screen flickered with his fake charity. Then it shifted - my screams filled the room as Cosa's people shoved me into the incinerator, Al Cosa's voice cold - "Leave it open. I want to watch her eyes melt."
The crowd gasped, a wave of shock crashing over them. The mayor bolted, Al Cosa froze, his eyes hunting in the crowd until they found me. His face drained white, lips trembling. "You… you… this is impossible… you're already dead!" He convulsed, foam bubbling from his mouth, and hit the floor hard.
Chaos erupted - screams, footsteps, guards rushing the stage. The crowd churned around me, a chaotic swirl of silk and sweat, but I walked out calm as death itself. The banquet hall's clamor faded behind me, every step steady, every breath measured. Everything had unfolded according to plan - no surprises, no stumbles. Until I reached the threshold. Two tall shadows loomed up, one blocking my path, the other pressing close at my back. I lifted my gaze, and there they stood - Lycidas and Finn.
Right then, the four surveillance cameras overhead sputtered and went black, their lifeless eyes snuffed out. Lycidas' Lycan breath had coiled through the air, a silent snarl of power bending the machines to his will. He stared down at me, his cold smile cutting like a blade, a predator savoring the tremble of its prey.
Seth's voice crackled through my earpiece, sharp with panic. "Boss! I've lost the sight of you! Are you okay?! Talk to me!" Liam piled on, his tone jagged. "Boss! You need me..."
"Stand by. Don't leave the car," I snapped, yanking the earpiece free and crushing it under my heel. The splintered plastic bit into the floor, and I let the silence settle.
"Long time no see, Leah," Lycidas drawled, his voice a low, menacing purr. "Last time I saw you, you were only this tall." He sliced a hand through the air at waist height, a taunt wrapped in nostalgia, his eyes glinting with something cruel.
I stared back, unyielding. "What did you do to Darren?"