Page 49 of My Ghost

The week has been weirdly…calm.No stalker in the lunchroom, no moody Matteo glaring at me from his desk, no possessive behavior, no heated arguments.In fact, I’ve barely seen him at all.And that is unsettling.

Matteo vanishing from my orbit should feel like freedom, but instead it feels like the silence before a storm.Each passing hour without seeing him intensifies the tension coiling around me until I am ready to jump out of my skin.

However, I’ve used the sudden reprieve to focus on something far more important—digging deeper into that secret message.The one I haven’t told Matteo about.Someone messaged Geryon from inside this building, and I am going to unmask them.So I threw myself into the hunt, ripping apart code, combing through network servers, and cross-referencing connection logs and surveillance camera footage until my eyes burned.

The message had been sent on a Friday night at ten-o-four p.m.From somewhere in this building.

At that hour, the only areas in the building still active are the club in the underground and the restaurant on the ground floor.The restaurant isn’t exactly discreet for exchanging sensitive information, which leaves the club.

So here I am, in the locker room of the gym on the second floor of The Bastion on a Friday night, looking at myself in the mirror and wondering why the hell I am doing this.Maybe the red dress is a bit too bold, but it’s too late to turn back now.I smooth the fabric over my hips, square my shoulders, and take one last look at my reflection before stepping out of the showers.

You can do this.

Matteo’s absence has also given me time to dig into the Second Circle’s internal server, Pandemonium.The firewalls are unyielding, airtight fortresses of code, but not for someone who knows how to slip through from the inside.The client list was…interesting, but not the revelation I’d hoped for.No client flagged as ‘Potential Bad Guy’.Too bad.

Still, I made it count.I hacked my way in to activate a membership for myself.Tonight, I’m going to see what secrets Second Circle is hiding.

I slip into the elevator, heart racing.I scan my palm, and sure enough, ‘Hell’ has been added to my available destinations in the building.

Here goes nothing.

I tap on it, the elevator doors close and the engines hum to life.Yes!

When the doors open again, I am standing in what looks like the entry of a cathedral.High black marble pillars frame an enormous double door made of black glass.A door-person is standing on each side, unmoving and unblinking like statues.I gingerly move out of the elevator, trying to look like I fit in.

I walk inside and find myself in an extravagant lobby, all red velvet and black wood.A hostess is smiling at me from behind a large mahogany reception desk, and I step up with a faked confidence and a smile that feels a little too bright.

“Good evening, how may we be of service tonight?”she asks, voice warm but professional.

“Good evening, I…uh, joined very recently and…um…” My words trip over each other, and I want to slam my forehead on the desk.Smooth, Erin.Really smooth.

Her smile widens, as if she’s used to nervous first-timers.“Of course.Welcome.Let me assist you with your first entrance.”

Relief floods through me, and I nod eagerly.“Thanks.”

“May I have your ID, please?”

I hand it over, trying not to fidget while she scans it.

“Welcome, Ms.Skye.The next time you visit, you’ll only need to show your ID at the front desk for clearance.”

I nod again, my fake confidence fizzling thinner by the second.

She turns around to retrieve a dark wooden box from a shelf behind her and places it in front of me.It is about the size of a large jewelry box.She lifts the lid to reveal four metal bangles, each enameled in white, blue, purple or red.

She looks at me expectantly.

Oookay.What now?

“You have read our club rules, haven’t you?”

“Of course,” I lie with the brightest smile I can muster.I mean… I skimmed them.A little.Maybe.Not at all…I groan inwardly.

Her expression doesn’t change, but I swear her eyes are laughing at me.“Then, which color would you like tonight?”

I glance down at the bangles, as if they hold the answer.“Uh…the red one.”It’ll match my dress, right?

She picks out the bracelet, snaps it open and motions to my wrist.I extend it, and she clasps it on with what feels like finality.