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CHAPTER 7 | FAKE EMAIL
ALEXIE’S POV
The flickering light of my computer screen cast a muted glow in the dim room. The email notification blinked, pulling my attention away from my thoughts. I clicked on the message, my sister's name catching my eye—Ana.
“Hey Bro,
I hope this letter finds you okay. This is a quick note from my wild adventure in Greece. It's been a crazy ride, and I've decided to go off the grid for the rest of the year. The islands, the people, the ouzo—it's all too good to pass up.
I know you're the responsible type, constantly worrying about where I am and what I'm doing. Please don't bother looking for me. I'm fine, really. I've made some incredible friends here, andwe're on this spontaneous journey together.
I'll be soaking up the sun, dancing under the stars, and living life like there's no tomorrow. I hope you understand. Don't stress, bro. I'll be back when I'm good and ready, probably with a sunburn and a suitcase full of souvenirs.
Take care of yourself and, who knows, maybe you should join me next time!
Cheers,
Anastasia”
The words haphazardly sprawled across the screen, like they had been hastily typed out. The email claimed she was in Greece, having the time of her life. A hollow laugh escaped my lips as I read her words. It was so unlike Ana. My sister would never type like this, no matter what, and I crosschecked the email address to confirm if it was hers. Oddly, it actually was.
She had a way of reaching out—sending postcards or sharing snippets of her adventures—but not a shabby email like this. A simple email, devoid of her personal touch, didn't align with her character. And the plea not to bother—that made me worry even more.
I have been doing a shitty job of reassuring myself that she was safe, but this email further sent me down the abyss of worry. My only sister was out there, god knows where. I had already checked every flight manifest and watched every CCTV footage from the airport in case she left town in disguise. There is no record of her leaving town, increasing my ever-rising concern.
A knot tightened in my stomach. Something was wrong, I could feel it. With its lack of authenticity, this email painted a distorted picture that clawed at the edges ofmy concern. Maybe Ana was being held somewhere against her will and made to write emails when they realized I was closing in on them.
I couldn’t develop a list of people who would want to hurt Ana; she might be a pain, but she made sure to stay out of other people’s business. She was all about having fun on her terms, and for a split moment, I wondered if this was one of Ana’s pranks. Possibly to get me riled up for nothing only to appear in my house wearing my shirt and attempting to burn down my kitchen.
As possible as that might be, I wouldn’t stop searching for her. I reached for the business card my secretary had obtained earlier and punched in the number of the bar Lily had mentioned—the last place Ana was seen. The phone in my hand felt heavier with each passing second.
Dialing the number, I waited with a tension that tightened my jaw. The phone rang several times before it was finally picked up, and a groggy voice came on. At this point, I was struggling to hide my irritation. The bar was human-owned, and that was the only explanation for Ana being there. She enjoyed toying with the humans. The supernaturals had a shorter fuse, according to her, and she was trying not to piss any more people off.
“Good day. Thank you for reaching Midnight Pleasures. How may we help you?”
“This is Mayor Alexei. I would like access to your security footage for last week.” I went straight to the point, and the line went silent for a long time. I was tempted to repeat myself, but I heard the shuffling of feet, and I knew they were probably connecting me to someone important.
“Hello, Mr Mayor. I am the manager. Unfortunately, we delete our CCTV footage every two days, and we might not have anythingsubstantial to offer right now. I will work closely with the technical team to see if we could retrieve some. I will be in touch.”
“I would appreciate that very much.”
A click on the line marked the end of our conversation, leaving me to go over the email again, and each time, I still came up with the same conclusion: Anastasia never wrote this email.
A ping signalled the arrival of a new message. An update from the bar, or so I hoped. Their attempt to retrieve the footage had hit a dead end—the digital traces were erased beyond recovery. Irritation surged within me, adding to the storm of emotions that threatened to overflow with each new dead end.
The shabby email, the deleted footage—they painted a picture of a reality I was reluctant to accept.
***
The imposing chamber of the vampire council echoed with hushed murmurs as I stood before them. The weight of their gaze bore down on me, a collective force that spoke of centuries of existence. The recent disappearance of another vampire had escalated the urgency of our situation, and I could feel the scrutiny intensify. I knew this was coming, it was just a matter of how soon.
“Alexei, you promised us that this madness would end last week, but now we are about to have our eleventh body.” the first elder stated, earning murmurs of acceptance from the rest, and I sighed. These people have no idea how hard it is to catch a killer who is several steps ahead of you. I hope Diego hasn’t descended the same path as the previous ten dead vampires.
"My lord and council," I began, choosing my words carefully. “The police have been doing an excellent job of looking for him, and we will leave no stone unturned until we find him. At least now we know he is missing and hopefully won’t end up like the rest.”
I was exaggerating here because they had been searching for him for the past six hours, and I knew he was running out of time if he wasn’t dead yet. I wouldn’t tell them that. They would just talk my ears off.
“Why aren’t you out there working with them? Do you have other important tasks than the one you were appointed to watch over?” Mitchelle asked with a snicker, and I sighed.
