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No answer.

The clock ahead reads ten to eight.

“Callie.” I pause before the grand doors. Enzo is at the end of the hall. Maybe I should have looked back. I wonder how long he’d stood there. Watching, listening.

And oh no, what if he can smell me too?

Something in me says Callie is fine. Something in me says talk to them. Something in me has been saying things all night and I have not once listened to it. Intuition? Maybe.

“Callie,” I hiss under my breath as I pace before the doors.

No answer.

Shit, I’m going to have to abandon everything and go find her. She never falls asleep on the job.Never.

Speech or Callie.

No-brainer. Callie. Every day all day.

I turn to leave and instead of an empty hallway I run right into Leif and Enzo.

“What did you do with Callie?” I seethe under my breath because I don’t want anyone to hear but I also want him to know if anything happens to Callie, I will hurt him.

Slowly.

And it had to be these two. They’ve been circling me like sharks. Who else here knows she’s my best friend? No one.

“She’s fine. Resting,” Leif assures me.

I don’t feel assured.

“Get her. Now.”

“You’ve got a speech, Ms. Astaroth,” Enzo says, and the smile doesn’t reach anything.

“So give it.”

I don’t like that smile. I don’t like it at all.

“I’ll walk you up.” He steps close.

“Don’t you dare.” So much for staying calm. I’m no longer calm. Instead I want to stab him with the pin in my hair.

Through the eye.

“She’s on the couch in my office. Pulse strong. Twenty minutes and she’s up,” Leif says, but again, his eyes sparkle. Well, not sparkle like glitter but they catch the light just so. The hallway is colder than it was a minute ago. Or I am.

“I don’t believe you.”

Instead of answering me, he looks at Enzo.

“Your speech, Ms. Astaroth.” Enzo steps closer and leans down. “Callie is fine. Out cold but fine. Give your speech and I’ll take you straight to her.”

“What did you two do with her?” And what do I do? Right now in this moment.

If these two are what, murderers? Then what am I supposed to do? Stay? They have Callie.

“Give your speech, Hadley.” Leif puts on a mask and fixes his cuffs. Not a real mask. Just fixes his face into unreadable mode. Corporate mode.