“Wait, back up here,” I said, holding up my hands. “Thewholeteam? Was Sage Hexwood one of them? She’s a witch omega.”
Her eyes widened slightly in recognition. “Witch omega? I wonder if she was the one who made the big commotion…”
I took out my phone, pressing the record button. “What big commotion? I’ll be out of your hair as soon as you tell me what happened.”
She looked nervously over her shoulder at the couple now bickering loudly.
We watched as the man shook his head, and the woman began to cry. Then he took her hand and led her out the front door.
The tour guide sighed. “I knew they were a waste of time. Okay, let’s see, around five years ago, one of our caterers, your witch omega maybe, made a huge mess at an event, spilling some blood flutes I think. I only do weddings, so I hadn’t been there.” She looked around to make sure no one was close by,then leaned over and whispered, “But then, apparently all the staff working that day, even the event coordinator, never showed up again. They all quit en masse.”
“They didn’t say why?”
She shook her head. “Nope. They simply collected their last paychecks, mouths shut. And the weirdest thing?” The woman leaned in closer, her voice lower. “Their employment records were all wiped from our system.”
“Do you remember any of them? Can I get in touch with them?”
“Not really, they weren’t on my team. And we get a decent amount of turnover—it’s the nature of the industry—so I can’t really think of anyone else besides the owner or myself who’s still here from that time. And he certainly wouldn’t know.”
My stomach churned in weird, twisted anticipation. Hearing about all these people in Sage’s periphery disappearing or dying was certainly nothing to celebrate, but I couldn’t keep myself from growing intrigued, because this case was far more interesting than I’d first thought.
And the more I dug, the clearer it was becoming that Sage was no mere thief, and I was practically foaming at the mouth at the thought of getting closer. Of finally tracking her down. Of the look on her face when she realized I had her in my sights…
“Who was hosting? What was the party for?” I asked, trying not to seem too eager.
A wicked, conspiratorial smile grew on her face. “That’s just it—all records of the event disappeared from our accounts, too. Isn’t that wild? It’s like it never happened.”
This couldn’t be a coincidence, and I needed to know who organized that event and what exactly happened, because it sounded like that might have been the last night Sage officially “existed.” Was that the night she stole whatever it was that would cause the Premier of Noctis to hire me, five years later?
“Do you remember the date?”
She flattened her lips and squinted in thought. “Not exactly, but it must have been early spring. You know,” she added, looking down the hall to check again that it was empty. “Some of the employees even left their stuff here. The owner’s a sentimental fool and felt too guilty throwing any of it out. Do you want to see if there’s anything of hers?”
Jackpot.
“Definitely.”
I waited for her to start walking but then her eyes raked me over. She chuckled softly, biting her lip and running a finger down my chest. “I’d be happy to show you. They’re in a supply room down the hall. And my next tour isn’t for another thirty minutes, if you’re not in any hurry yourself.”
I clicked my tongue in fake disappointment. “Sorry, I’m a married man.” I flashed the wedding band I wore whenever I was on a job. I needed to minimize potential distractions when I was on a deadline, and this was the easiest way out of these kinds of situations without offending anyone.
She pouted, bringing her lips to my ear. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
I took her by the chin and winked. “I bet. But what can I say? I’m a fool in love.”
Sighing, she batted my hand away and walked around me, heading down the hall. “Just my luck, I run into the only faithful demon in Lundaria,” she muttered to herself.
Ouch.
“Oh well, follow me.”
She beckoned me with her taloned finger and I obeyed like a good little boy, letting her take at least some satisfaction in my submission. Alphas loved asserting their dominance whenever they could, especially over other alphas, and I certainly wasn’t going to get in a pissing match when someone was being helpful.
Besides, sometimes I liked being a good little boy.
She opened the door and turned on the light switch, fluorescent bulbs flickering and buzzing to life. Racks lining the walls of the small room were filled with boxes of plates, napkins, and tablecloths. A faint, sweet, familiar scent led me straight to the box of the employees’ things at the back, and I reached in, immediately pulling out a worn, cheap, fake leather bag.
“Oh wow, lucky guess,” she laughed.
