I taped the part of the tinsel I held to the wall and leaned back to inspect it. Once I was satisfied with my handiwork, I began to descend down the ladder.

Halloween was coming up in a few weeks and Mr. Fowley, my manager, had wanted us to start hanging decorations.

I wasn’t even able to finish dusting my hands before Colin crept from whatever hole he squirmed out of.

“Well done getting this section done,” Colin congratulated as he scoped the compartment we were in on the upper floor.

“Would be great if you carried on with the rest of this side. I think the manager would love to hear that your decorations were the most eye-catching.”

What he was really saying is, ‘it would be great if you worked my shift for me just because I asked’.

“Nah, I’m not doing your job for you Colin,” I replied, barely acknowledging him.

I was on my phone going through my messages while Colin stood to my right.

“Come on man,” he pleaded, “I can tell that you’ve been moving differently lately, I get that. But you know how stuffy the old man is, plus this is a chance for you to shine.”

Wow, he actually tried to convince me without threatening me first. I just quirked an eyebrow at him and returned to facing my phone.

“Listen, man,” Colin started, tucking his hands in the back of his pockets like the cunt he was. “I don’t want to have to go bring that ‘other’ thing to the big man’s attention.

And that was the stick.

“I am the last person you want to be screwing over today,” I warned as my eyes darted around to make sure no one was watching. “This little blackmail, extortion thing you’ve been holding over me is also coming to an end. You will not, be threatening me ever again.”

Leaning my head back, I continued expressing my profound annoyance at him.

“If you decide to continue, I’m going to go ahead and snitch on myself to the manager,” I explained.

Colin shook his head and did his best to conjure a smirk, he probably couldn’t even convince himself.

“He’s not going to believe you,” Colin challenged. “I’ve been working here a lot longer than you have-”

“And?” I interrupted with annoyance.

My quick anger suddenly flipped to amusement; I chuckled to myself.

“It’s crazy stupid really how I thought you actually had something on me,” I laid out for him. “Genuinely I thought that doing what you told me was the only option I had but that was because I let you make me think that.”

“I know you well enough that you would never risk this job,” Ethan said, eyes looking me up and down. “You’ve put in far too much effort to be this laid back at things.”

“That’s my decision,” I shrugged. “Now it’s time for you to make yours, Colin.”

He wasn’t as chatty as he liked to be but it was clear that he was genuinely going over the idea of telling the manager.

“If I leave that means that I won’t have to worry so much about what the manager might think,” I said. “That means that I wouldn’t have the same restrictions I did while employed here.”

Like Ray, I let a veiled threat float in the air between us. I really wouldn’t go after Colin if I got fired, his existence was beneath me. Maybe a couple of days ago but not right now.

My mood might change and I might feel a certain type of way down the line but, if I caught Colin by himself at a certain time of day with no witnesses, then I would express my reservations towards him, accordingly.

“You know what?” I said with a grin, “why don’t I just go to the manager and tell him myself? He’s coming later today before closing right?”

Colin’s brow furrowed and his stupid smile completely left his face.

“That won’t be necessary…”

“Are you sure?” I countered, “I’ll even tell him I begged you not to.”

Colin was now surprised and looked a little relieved but then understanding hit him when he noticed the evil smile on my face that was a promise of violence.

“Nah nah man,” Colin protested as he waved his hands. “It was an easy mistake you made and I got carried away with some requests I made of you. I-I’ll speak to the manager about it sometime, I’m sure he won’t come down on you as hard as I made it sound.”

I smiled and gave a single slow nod.

“You should get back to work Colin,” I advised.

“Yeah…” Colin replied subduedly and turned to head off.

After Colin had made his way to the start of the stairs, I called out him one more time.

“Hey Colin,” I yelled and he turned his head to face in my direction. “I really hope we don’t stop working together, for the sake of the museum.”

Colin just nodded and carried on downstairs.

Asshat.

I went back to my phone, scrolling through it. I had very little use of social media and I felt like some fifty-year-old boomer when I got Instagram and Snapchat mixed up.

After enough procrastinating, I checked to see Sophie’s conversation and she had sent me a text.

Stupid phone with its stupid notifications.

After I got back to my place, I had started snorting the Gold Rush but then I tossed the vial I was given at my wall. Her words had put certain things into perspective I didn't consider.

I still didn’t agree with everything she said, but it was like hearing her criticism triggered some emotional allergic reaction in me.

After that, I went for a run instead of staying where I knew I’d flare up and draw attention. When I returned, my phone kept blowing up with calls but I didn’t answer them and instead turned my phone off.

The text turned out to be a paragraph so I took a deep breath and readied myself for what I was about to read.

‘Niko,’ the text began, ‘yesterday was a complete shitshow but I’m glad that I said what I said. The last few weeks have been crazy just thinking about what you might be doing but I completely looked over what you were actually doing.

I knew you would get angry no matter what I said but being standoffish and sarcastic is beneath me, it’s actually more of your thing which is why I’m all the more surprised.’

That made me laugh.

‘The truth is, I’m scared you would trade one life of disappointment for a life of agitation. I’m sorry I hadn’t been able to help you with what to do with your new powers but I wouldn’t really know how to help you. I’d ask Jess for help but I honestly don’t know if that will do more good than bad. Anyways, the idea of teaching you to seduce people as I do does sound fun but ye…we need to speak. Niko, I promise I will do whatever I can to have your back, you stepped up for me so I'm not doing any less. Come see me please, or at least call me back. I won’t be standing on the sidelines and ducking my head to avoid attention.’

The final line of the text almost threw me off.

‘I love you dearly Niko, probably more than anyone else and I want to see you win, your homegirl Soph.’

I paused for a good few seconds to stare at my phone and then hit the call button to get a hold of Sophie.

The phone went to voicemail so I tried a second time, getting the same result so I cursed under my breath.

After the third attempt, I settled for leaving a text, asking her to call me or better yet to meet up face to face.

Aside from the text this morning, I got another one from yesterday about the recording she had taken about Zack. I had listened to it over and over again trying to wrap my head around it all but I couldn’t. If Zack was really looking to control me then…

I shook my head, overthinking the situation, and put my phone away to occupy myself with something else. >

It seemed I didn’t have to wait too long as another one of my colleagues came up to me.

“Niko,” Mark called,“there’s someone down at the front desk asking for you by name.”

Oh?

“Who is it?” I asked.

“She didn’t give a name,” replied Matt, “she just said it was urgent that you talk to her.”

Sophie? Is Sophie here, is the reason she wasn't picking her phone up because she wants to talk directly.

I followed Matt back downstairs and eventually overtook him to reach the front entrance area of the building.

Rather than the fair-skinned, seductress bombshell I was expecting, I was instead staring at the visage of a mildly pissed shifter woman with dreads and fitness model looks.

No doubt that Jessica had smelled me coming and her eyes were glued on me from the moment I was on the stairs till I reached the desk. Was this about Sophie? Was she going to rip me a new one because of the fight we had? As it was, I wasn’t in the mood for her shit.

“What is it? I asked.

“Could you come with me for a sec?” she demanded, pulling on my arm before she even finished her sentence.

“The fu-" I started to curse as I tugged against her.

With surprising strength, she was able to pull on me even harder to the point I lost my footing a little.

Jessica was able to drag me along a good few steps and I considered resisting some more but that would just cause a scene. Instead, I followed along until we reached the edge of the entrance.

It put us near a corner on a wall at the entrance window.

“What do you want?” I hissed to prevent myself from yelling.

“Where is Sophie?” she demanded.

My brows went high before my eyes then narrowed.

“Why would I know?”

Jess cursed under her breath and refocused her gaze on me.

“Last I saw her she wouldn’t say anything but I knew it had to be about you,” Jess accused. “I tried calling her but she never picked up and until recently, we talk about absolutely everything.”

“Have you tried calling her workplace?”

“Hell no,” Jess retorted. If I say anything I might risk her job, this might be a false alarm.”

I formalised what to say next.

“I spoke to her yesterday, we had an argument of sorts,” I explained. “She’s been trying to get a hold of me with calls and a text. I only read the text now.”

“And you haven’t called her?” Jess growled.

The little outburst caused the surrounding visitors and some other assistants to look our way.

We had to be someplace else to have his conversation. I gestured sharply for Jessica to move through the exit.

“Matt,” I called, getting his attention.

When he looked at me, I continued.

“I’m stepping out for five minutes, I’ll be right back.”

He nodded in acknowledgment and I followed Jessica outside.

Jess’ brow shifted from concerned to focus on me with bold accusation.

“What did you do to her?” Jess implied. “Every time I mentioned your name, Sophie’s mood went got darker and darker. What was it that you talked about?”

“None of that’s important right now,” I dismissed. “We need to head to Zack and speak with him.”

I didn’t need to be a genius to know that Zack’s crew might be the first suspects, which should have made me angry but it didn’t. There was also no fear in me about Sophie’s possible disappearance which in itself was frightening in a way but I couldn’t register that type of fear either.

“She kept mentioning this Zack guy a ridiculous amount of times when she spoke about you,” Jess offered. “What about him?”

“Zack’s my best friend. He and I are working on some side business together.”

“Cut the crap, I know you and him are involved in some nefarious bullshit. You know where he is?”

I looked at her and said nothing, knowing that she would give me another outburst and getting into a verbal and possible physical fight with her wasn’t going to help Sophie.

“Let’s go,” I instructed. See if you can get a hold of Sophie.

Within minutes we were in a taxi over to Zack’s apartment, Jess had no luck with getting a hold of Sophie so we simply sat most of the trip in silence.

Once we arrived, I lead Jess to Zack’s door.

“Ay ay ay,” I protested as Jess made to barge Zack’s door in. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She hesitated and moved back to stand up straight again, eyes burrowing into the door’s handle.

“We should at least check if he’s here,” I pointed out.

I couldn’t smell Sophie so there was a good possibility she wasn’t here but then again last time she was here, my friend had shifted to someone else.

“Can you smell Sophie at all?” I offered. “You might catch something I did?”

I doubted that, as my senses were more likely to be superior than hers but I needed to keep Jessica’s mind from wandering.

Jess did as I suggested and began to sniff the air around us, as well as swivel her head to pick up any movement.

I found the action to be adorable. What species was she?

“I’ve got nothing, there’s no one in there” Jess admitted. “Where else could she be?”

“From what I gathered from Soph, she can’t sustain a shift change for that long,” I said. “You may know a little better than me but can she sustain something for so long?”

Jess scrunched up her nose in annoyance, most likely because I was right.

“I don’t really know at the moment, we haven’t uh…”

“You haven’t what?” I probed.

She shook her head and I chose to drop it.

“Okay,” I said letting out a breath. “That leaves one other place where Sophie could be?”

I reached into my pocket to grab my phone and ring Zack’s number.

The line rang until it went to his voicemail so I just settled on leaving him a message.

“Zack,” I said neutrally, “we need to talk…”