Damian's Oracle

A brief search of the house yielded neither man. She snatched her satchel and dug out Linda and Traci's numbers. She dialed each of them, distressed when both calls went to voicemail. She stopped and closed her eyes, seeking the home videos that normally streamed.

Not even the videos were playing. Coldness filled her. Something terrible would've had to happen to break the connection between Damian and her.

She went to the key locker and chose one of Damian's sports cars, her instincts urging her to go somewhere, though she didn't know where. Within minutes, she was on the road. It'd been only a week and a half since she ventured into this new world, but she felt strangely exposed without Pierre with her. Her phone rang, and she snatched it.

"Did you call?" Traci asked.

"Where's Rainy?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Please, Traci, it's important," she begged. "I know something awful happened to Damian. I can feel it!"

"Come to the Sector."

"I need the address."

"I'll text it when we hang up," Traci said.

Sofia pulled over to the side of the road to await the text and load the address into the car's GPS. She drove fast and arrived half an hour later to the safe house and parked out front. The front door was open, as if they were expecting her.

"Traci?" she called as she entered.

"In here!"

Sofia followed the sound of her voice to the living room. Traci was alone with the man she recognized as Ving, who stood near the doorway. He looked past her.

"Where's your bodyguard?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she answered.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

She edged past him. The model on the couch looked between them with a frown. She was still pale after her encounter with Czerno.

"Ving, we're going to the site," Sofia told him.

"Hell no."

"You can take us, or I can go alone," she said and crossed her arms.

"Neither of you will go anywhere," Ving said firmly. She exchanged a look with Traci.

"Very well. I'll wait for Pierre to catch up," she said, joining Traci on the couch. Ving eyed her. Sofia put her purse down and tucked her phone into her jeans.

"Stay here. I'm calling Rainy," Ving said. Sofia watched, but he didn't go far, just stepped into the hall. He could still see them.

"Traci, we gotta leave," she whispered. "You know where Rainy is?"

"Yes. You're not going alone," Traci said, hesitating. "We can't outrun him. Wait a minute."

Sofia could hardly sit still. The sense of doom was building. She needed to reach Damian, now! Traci crossed to the kitchen door just as Ving hung up the phone.