The slight sting of the hot coffee against his face and neck brought him out of his haze. And effectively ruined the suit he wore. Samuel was pissed, there was no hiding it or denying it either. Who would not when they feel like they have been hit by a sledgehammer one minute and doused in expresso the next. The only puzzle was why Rita was on the floor.

Unfortunately, he had been too angry to get the details. But now, he realized he had made a mistake somewhere and it boggled him because he could not remember. The last thing he remembered was asking Rita to get him the coffee and looking at the pictures Max and Xavier sent him. His cousins were really going out there with getting his attention, the havoc spree they were on had to be stopped. He was comparing Irina and Anthony's corpses to the bodies that were undoubtedly the handiwork of his cousins.

Back to Rita, what was done is done. He could not take it back even if he wanted to. He would have to get back to that issue later. He pushed that morning's incident to the back of his mind and focused back on the task at hand. The company had a really big event coming up, it would be the last major thing he had on his schedule before he could leave for Astoke to form a strategy against the Delezes.

The bottle of Shadow's gem he had bought from Gero sat on the indoor bar table. He had wanted to take a glass or two but he really needed to get this done before anything else and heaven knows whatever Gero put in the stuff. Last time, he had woken up with a splitting headache and sprawled on the terrace. It was a miracle he had not fallen right off.

****

It did not take two hours for the news of the incident to spread.

“The boss was really mad.”

“You really think she did that?”

“Was there any doubt that she was just like the rest.”

“I knew it.”

“Can you blame her?”

Exactly what she needed, more looks, ostricization and Mrs Ortis on her back. Even though she had said more than once that it was not her fault and she had not been trying anything. And how long had she been at the company? Six days.

This had been a long, stressful and embarrassing day. Even though her ass still hurt, her stomach and the top of her breasts still felt a little sensitive and the gossip mill was working overtime, she was happy to be out of Samuel's arms. Ordinarily, she would have given him a barbed earful of insults but the files she had seen gave her pause. The photos she had got a mere glimpse of only increased her fear and paranoia.

To think about it, all she knew about her boss, was that he was her boss, his name, his pack and his schedule. One he almost did not completely follow. She gripped the steering wheel harder. Aside from what happened between them three years ago, search engine results and her current job, she had no fucking clue who he was. Setting aside being the Alpha of the such a huge pack, he might as well be a mafia don or a psychotic murderer.

Her left hand left the steering wheel and found her neck. She could feel his lips against it. Like a brand. A brand she did not want, no matter how permanent or temporary. He had just been toying with her and he managed to humiliate her in the process. Her hand want back to the steering wheel. What she needed was a bath, some soothing cream, a hot meal and–Was that the car from earlier?

A red car with tinted windows was behind her. She had seen it in her rearview mirror when she left the store. That was forty-five minutes ago and it was still behind her. Dread settled into her bones and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Rita wanted nothing more than to step on the gas but if she did that, so would whoever was in the red car. And she was willing to bet everything that the car behind her was way faster than hers. What to do. What to do. Her phone. That was it. Ok, just act casual. With one hand she reached for her phone on the other seat, scrolling till she found the number from the cops. She pressed it.

‘Sorry call cannot be placed. Try again later.’ Her phone read. Confusion mixed in with the dread. That could not be right. She had connection and the number was correct. She tried again. Same result. Again. Nothing.

A pit grew in her stomach. She frantically scrolled through her contacts and pressed any number. It was ringing. ‘Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Please.’

“Hello, Rita.” She had called Gordon. Oh God thank you.

“Hi Gordon. How is my mum?” She asked, looking at her rearview mirror.

“She's doing fine. She's downstairs in the kitchen with Dax.” Gordon answered.

“I'm glad to hear she's doing okay.” She could not keep her voice steady. “What's wrong? I sense panic in your voice.”

Rita headed to Weveryn road, there was usually lots of traffic and people around there. She could lose them there. “I'm being tailed, right now.”

“Where are you headed?” He asked, recognixing the level of urgency.

“Home. It's been close to an hour since I realized I was being followed.” She turned into Weveryn road and was shocked to find it devoid of any traffic and people. Even the shops were closed. The street lamps were the only things on. What the hell?

“Did you try the cops yet?” Gordon asked. She could hear him typing away at a keyboard.

“I tried. It's not connecting.” She swallowed. “I think they're blocking it.”

“Are they still behind you?” The keyboard smashing got louder. Faster.

Rita looked at her rearview mirror. “Yea–no.” “No, they're coming up the side now.”

“Where are you?”

“Weveryn road but it's comp–Gordon?”

No response. “Gordon? Are you still on? Say something?” Rita looked at her phone and found the message from earlier displayed on the screen. ‘Sorry call cannot be placed. Try again later.’

Rita turned her head to her window and watched in despair as the red car came up to the driver's side of the car. The driver keeping pace with her for several moments before zooming ahead. Before she could breathe out a sigh of relief something warm, solid and scarred slide down her cheek. And covered her mouth before she could scream.

****

Percival watched from his shop window as two cars, one red and the other grey came down the road. His lights were off, his current sight only afforded by the city street lamps. There were only two reasons why anyone would be out tonight after the warning Carmilla gave. One is that the worked for either Carmilla or her younger brothers. The second was that the poor souls had no idea.

The cars came nose to nose for a few heartbeats before the red one zoomed ahead. He was sure either one or both of the cars would let out a flurry of bullets. Percival breathed a sigh of relief, only for the Mercedes to swerve wildly before coming to an abrupt halt right in the middle of the road.

A scream broke from the car and even that too like the car came to an abrupt halt making the hairs on his neck stand on end. Percival hurriedly backed away from the window and hid in his closet. Shivering like a naked man in winter and quaking like a leaf. More than in his entire sixty four years of life. A chant running like a broken record in his mind. ‘Ever merciful Artemis please spare him. Ever merciful Artemis please save him. Ever merci–

‘Your Dear Artemis won't save you, old man.’ A dark voice said that chilled him to the bone.

Percival could not even make a sound before crimson shot out of his mouth and he started to choked on his own blood. He tried to beg, cry, scream but nothing worked as the blood filled his lungs.

All he could hear was chuckling as he writhed on the floor of his closet and he drowned painfully in darkness and his own blood.