Page 16 of Naughty

"Fuck me, and I thought I liked it dirty."

Growling, I turn and pin Red with a glare. "You say one thing about this space -."

He holds up his hands and steps back.

"Not trying to fight. I heard a ruckus, and I wanted to see if everything was okay. By the looks of it, I'm guessing not."

"She's gone. That half-eaten nutmeg took off. I'm guessing she went back to whoever she's working for."

At Red's confused expression, I roll my eyes and give him a condensed version of events. His eyes widen as I finish up.

Pulling his wrist to his mouth, he turns slightly before barking orders.

"Get every staff member into the great hall. No one is allowed to leave. Northport is on complete lockdown. Get Asmon and Caitlin here now."

"Why them? Don't we have enough problems?"

Red grabs my arm and leads me back out of the rooms and into the hallways. I pause and close the panel, ignoring his piqued curiosity. Shaking his head, he follows a step behind as we make our way to the great hall.

"He might have some insight. That and Caitlin can help man the computer."

I whirl around, making him stumble to keep from running into me.

"You think I want her back into my system? She hacked me, for goodness sake."

"Yes, and that's why I think it takes a hacker to find a hacker."

Grumbling, I turn around and keep our course. He's right. I hate to admit it, but the fatherless reindeer is right. Soft voices prick my ears as we close in on the room. By this time of the night, all workers should still be accounted for.

Elves of varying ages mill about, some dressed for work, some in their nightwear. A small prick of guilt tugs on my conscience, but I shove it away and focus on the task at hand. The sooner we can weed through them, the sooner they can go about their way.

My eyes scan the familiar faces, each one filling my mind with a story or a memory. Frowning, I look back over the crowd, trying to see what I'm forgetting. Red starts clustering them together into groups, but I concentrate on each face. Someone's missing.

A large hand clapping my shoulder startles me out of my thoughts. Whipping about, I bring my hand up to strike, only to drop it when I see Asmon's face. Caitlin eases her way in between us, no doubt expecting to be the peacemaker. For a moment, I'm swamped with grief and guilt as her face shimmers, and Angelica stands before me once more.

Red clears his throat, his own eyes misting for such a brief second, I question whether or not it was real. Shaking my head, I motion for her to follow Red into the study. I trust him to fill her in on what she needs to know. Looking over at Asmon, I note his frown.

"What's wrong? I haven't even told you why you're here yet."

"No need. For you to call both of us, I have to assume it's due to the list issue." He pauses and scans them again. "Where's that new elf? I don't see him here."

My gaze wanders across the faces again, and blood drains from my face. He's right. That other elf is missing. Motioning Dasher over to watch the crowd, I take Asmon to the side.

"Do you know what he smells like?"

Crossing his arms, he looks me up and down for a moment.

"Do I look like a bloodhound to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Sighing, Asmon rubs his hand behind his neck.

"I'm sure I can pick up on his scent. Got anything he touched or wore?"

"He's an elf. How would I know -."

I pause for a moment, my brain clicking into gear.