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I paced back and forth as each of my men joined us one by one. I heard the imagined screams and cries of Elara ringing in my head, trying to shut them out. I was livid at myself for letting this happen, and I’d never forgive myself unless I got her back.
“We’re all here, Draven,” said Ryrik.
Taking a breath to gather my thoughts, I spun around and drew myself up. Each of my men faced me attentively, hands by their sides as they awaited my command.
“Gentlemen, as you know by now, Elara has been taken from the casino grounds.”
“All of us thought we spotted her, but her mask is quite similar to those worn by most of our guests,” Jalik pointed out.
“Here’s what’s going to happen then. All of us are going to move out as a unit and search the immediate vicinity of the casino. I’m talking about every nook and cranny.”
“And what of the gala?” asked Laux.
“I’ll ask Alkard to take over as host.”
The men nodded. The leader of the Syndicate was more than capable of controlling the event, no matter what happened.
Just then, an Ewani, a rat-like alien creature, was hurled into my office. All of us spun to face him as he clambered to his feet. He hissed at us and tried to run out but was caught by a bouncer.
“I found this creep in the side alley. Look what he had.”
The bouncer produced Elara’s mask, the tiny diamonds on the edges catching the light. My heart dropped at the sight of it, igniting anger within me. My gaze of fury locked in on the Ewani scum as my guys grabbed him. The bouncer tossed the mask to me and made a swift exit.
The Ewani looked around in fear, seemingly searching for a gap between us that he could scurry through.
“Bring him over here,” I ordered.
“No!” blurted the creature as I took hold of a nearby electric rod.
Forcefully, he was dragged along the ground. Laux grabbed his wrist and pinned it down on the table. I brought the tip of the rod to it.
“Tell me where Jocelyn went.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, I swear!”
“Very well then.”
I reeled the rod back and brought it down with force on the Ewani’s hand, the snapping of bones crackling through the air. He produced a blood-curdling scream. The guys gave him no time to recuperate as they grabbed him again.
I activated the electricity as sparks bounced off of the rod’s end. Slowly, I brought it near his face. Sweat trickled down his forehead as his breathing became rapid.
“Wait!” he exclaimed. “Now that you say it, the name sounds familiar!”
The Ewani’s betrayal was typical of his kind. Loyalty was something they knew nothing about.
“That’s what I thought,” I snarled. “Where did they go?”
“She took the human back to the flower shop. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Dammit. The cameras by Elara’s shop must have been hacked, footage looped to make everything look normal.
“Get him out of here.”
Ryrik and Laux dragged him away as I glanced down at the mask in my other hand. Filled with determination, I became filled with a rage that would fuel me for the rest of that fateful night.
“Gear up!” I commanded. “We move out in five minutes!”
The rest of my men broke away. I clutched the mask in my hands. In all of my years, no one had ever stolen from me. After tonight, no one would ever dare to steal from me again.
