𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 || j. daniel atlas

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

Alena woke briefly for a groggy phone call with Campbell, who ensured her that her family was safe and cared for in the hotel rooms that Walter had booked. She awoke again in the late afternoon, more well-rested than she had felt in months.

She'd slept through a few text messages, but no phone calls. One from each of the Horsemen, reminding her of their show that would be happening in a few short hours. Daniel had, once again, told her that she had a front row seat if she wanted it. Another from her mother – Campbell must have taught her how to text – saying that she would call later, that she wanted to let Alena sleep. She and the rest of Alena's family had enjoyed a breakfast in bed, and were going out to enjoy the local shops, with a police escort, of course.

Alena sent a reply, then considered calling Walter to thank him. She could put on her most sultry voice and grovel at his kindness. She knew he'd like that. But, eventually, decided against it. He might be with the Horsemen already, and Alena didn't want to give them any longer to fester in their hatred of her supposed betrayal than she had to.

Still, she did have a great cause for celebration. So, as ridiculous as it might have seemed, she dressed herself up to the nines, hair, make-up and all, and took herself out.

Blissfully, Chase was nowhere to be found. Alena was able to acquire one of Walter's SUVs and had the driver take her to the food district of Macau; not to the fancy restaurants that she was certainly dressed for, but to the little street-food stalls and bars that would close in a couple of hours. There, she enjoyed three courses of the most divine Chinese cuisine she had ever tasted.

"Are you celebrating, ma'am?" asked the waiter, when he came over with a refill on her drink.

Alena sat back in her chair and gave a contented sigh. "My family is safe. That's all I've wanted for so long."

"I'm glad that luck has found you," he said.

"It wasn't luck," Alena shook her head, allowing herself a small, prideful smile. "It was me."

The waiter smiled also, bowing his head to her, and left.

When she got back to her hotel room, night had fallen and, despite having filled her boots with chicken and noodles, Alena carried a chill into her hotel room. She went into the en suite and drew herself a deep bath, scented with peony bath salts that made the bubbles shimmer gold.

On her bedside table, she found a tablet that hadn't been there when she'd left. Perhaps another gift from Walter? When she turned it on, Alena found it was brand new. She wouldn't put it past Walter to have installed some kind of bug into this device that could listen to her conversations or spy on her through the camera, so she ensured the camera was covered as she got undressed.

Just as she was dipping her toes into the bath, Alena's phone pinged. Pulling her silk robe back on, she padded her wet feet back into the bedroom. Her heart sank a little when it wasn't another message from her mother. Alena thought about calling her, but couldn't quite figure out what time it was in England, and didn't want to disturb her family if they were enjoying themselves. Instead, the notification had come from Walter.

Miss Warbeck,

I hope you're enjoying your time in Macau (and not missing me too much).

The show is about to begin and I thought you might like to watch it on a bigger screen.

See you soon!