Fallen Queen

~ C H A P T E R S I X T E E N ~

I turn around ever-so-sharply at the familiar voice. His face is full of shock, too. Now that he is dressed to the nines in a professional way, he looks more manly than he did, but still retains the naivety of the bartender from before.

"You, here-" I mutter confused, until I start to piece together the facts that he worked in Tease Beat which apparently belongs to Wolfe. Yet again, the bartender- why?

"My pleasure on having met you twice," he beckons me with a gentle smile. "I'm Dan Fabrizi."

"Achelois Crimson," I nod, returning his kind smile. His eyes travel to my feet and he notices the gum on my stilettos.

"Oh, I shall call someone to help," he mutters thoughtfully and looks around. I shake my head frantically. "No thanks, I'll manage," I smile cheerfully and use the piece of wrapper to remove it. It's fairly easy because I made it moist just the same. Creepy and nasty, but helpful information that I've pocketed now makes it worth the pain. I throw the wrapper into a trashcan at the side and use a pocket sanitizer to clean my hands. "Fancy seeing you here."

"The same could be said for you, yet, you quite gave off those elite vibes," he nods and grins. "I work for Mr. Theodore-"

"Why don't we settle this in my office, Miss Crimson, and," I feel Wolfe's eyes trained on Dan, "Mr. Fabrizi." He stretches the 'z' in Dan's name. I have little time to make something of it as I feel myself walking into Wolfe's cabin. Dan maintains a professional stance as he crosses his wrists behind his back and stands in front of Wolfe's desk as he walks into his seat. "Miss Crimson, Mr Fabrizi, have your seats."

"Sit down," he says, not bothering to take the heels of his shoes off his mahogany desk. His voice is the perfect melange of disdain and annoyance. For once, I put aside my stubbornness and sit down, my fingers slowly grazing my mouth in thought and the expensive material of my satin suit pants stretching across my lithe thighs, the ankle-rise pants now inching a little farther up my leg, slowing a bit more skin.

"Dan," Wolfe introduces him to me curtly, "He works for me. He spies for me at Tease Beat usually, but I assign him prime locations sometimes too."

"And I assume this is one of those times," I shrug, "Nevertheless, good to know."

"She's Achelois Crimson," Wolfe nods at me but his eyes are on Dan. "Theodore and Co.'s chief senior economic analyst and financial advisor alongside Mr. Thelonious."

"And it's completely my pleasure for having run into her once again," Dan smiles at me coolly and then snaps his eyes back to Wolfe. "We can wait, Sire."

"Actually, I might make the best of this assembly," Wolfe spares us a glance before reaching for his drawer, but I see the smug smile beneath it. I feel the chill creeping up along my back. "Dan. Have a look."

He hands Dan a stack of prints and Dan's eyes carefully skim through the paper and he passes it back to Wolfe. "I see, Sire. Twenty fifth of May, it says."

I figure out what they're talking about. I almost raise my voice until I realize Dan is with us too. I might be psychotic and a heartless bitch, but I'm not the kind who backstabs people and basks in the consequences they suffer unless it is an enemy whose downfall I've sworn to cause.

"Top security. Miss Crimson here will be accompanying us."

"Security?" I say incredulously, not able to stay shut any longer, "This is exactly why I despise this stuff."

"We often loathe life itself but we still live on. Our hope is the strongest when it should be the weakest. That is the nature of hope, Miss Crimson." His face contorts into a hard, poker face and I hear the tiniest gasp that my mouth makes. Dan is still looking at the papers- he isn't focused, but as our eyes clash, I feel the lethal electricity starting to pass through my veins as every syllable of the words has rolled off his tongue.