Ilana felt unreal, an entity weaved with threads of hopelessness and regret as she walked through the halls of the twentieth floor.
She wasn't sure where she was going but she knew she was supposed to meet Calix Meyer. Make him aware of her presence.
Her secret was out and now it was time to exploit it.
And she would do it without complaints because Helene had said it was important.
She had repeated the interaction in her head so many times, the words had stopped making sense. Like whatever happened wasn't real. Just like Ilana herself was not real anymore.
It was important. Calix was important to the plan, the mission. He was just a means to an end. Nothing more. Helene had said it was important.
Ilana didn't have to pretend when she slammed into someone. At least that had been real.
“I'm sorry. I wasn't looking,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground as she bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen loose from the folder in her hands.
She didn't want Calix to see her yet. She was sure he'd sense the deception.
Someone scoffed. “I'm so done with all these bimbos tripping over themselves just to get your attention, Calix.”
The words made Ilana snap out of her train of thought, clearing the haze that had surrounded her senses since last night.
“Shut up, Daniel,” Another voice said and Ilana recognized it immediately.
She gritted her teeth and looked up.
She could feel Calix's eyes on her but she ignored his gaze, allowing him a few more minutes of freedom before she spun her tale of lies.
“Excuse me?” She said, glaring at Daniel. “It's not my fault you walk with your eyes shut.”
“What…” Daniel began but Calix cut him off.
“It's you,” he said and Ilana finally turned to him. She let her eyes widen and a look of regret crossed her face. The regret felt real.
“Oh, god, this is…” she began, panic filling her eyes as she looked from Calix to Daniel. “This isn’t how this was supposed to go. I’ll leave now.”
“How about you don't?” His voice called and Ilana bit the inside of her cheek. She turned around slowly, glancing at Calix apprehensively.
“You both know each other?” Daniel asked, his eyes darting from her to Calix.
“Daniel, please excuse us,” Calix said and Ilana wanted to laugh at the offended look on his face.
He quietly stalked away.
“How about we talk in my office?” Calix turned to her and she saw the questions in his eyes.
“Are you sure about that?”
He raised an eyebrow in response and Ilana was struck all over again with how much he looked like his father.
“Okay,” she whispered, noticing his unrelenting gaze piercing into her skull.
He held the door open for her and she stepped inside. Her heart jumped when he closed the door and the walls turned opaque.
“This is…” she paused, searching for an appropriate word.
“Cool?” He provided.
“I was going to say extra but cool works too,” she shrugged, doing her best to avoid his eyes.
Not because of the act but because she couldn't look at him. Couldn't stare into the warmth of those brown eyes and not get lost in her own guilt.
His office was almost as huge as Adam’s, with almost the same layout and same furniture. The wall behind his desk was all glass, providing a view of the world outside.
“Mr. Meyer, I…” she began and he immediately made a sound in the back of his throat, cutting her off.
“Don't call me that, please. Calix is fine.”
“Oh, you must really hate it here, then,” she said, a smile forming on her face.
She both hated and loved how naturally the smile came to her.
He laughed but it was nothing like the laugh she'd heard that night at the bar. It sounded fake.
“I searched for you, Mirage.”
Ilana stilled, finally glancing up at him. She wasn't sure what surprised her more. The fact that he searched for her or the way he was looking at her with such intensity, she felt her heart jump.
“I searched for you too,” she admitted in a whisper.
“And you found me, didn't you?”
She nodded her head in response.
“So, you just didn't want to see me?” he asked, lips quirked up in a half smile.
She bit the inside of her cheek, letting her eyes take in his sharp jawline, the specks of golden in his brown eyes and the way his hair curled just so, falling onto his forehead.
“That’s not why I did it. It would have just been… awkward. You are my boss and…” she drifted off, letting her words fade into nothingness.
“And?” he asked. The half smile was still there on his face as he walked towards her.
He perched himself on the edge of his desk in front of her so that his leg bumped against hers.
“Well,” she shrugged. Now that she’d looked at him, she found herself unable to look away. “It would have been awkward.”
“You’ve already said that, Mirage. What I want to know is why you think it would be awkward?” he whispered, leaning forward slightly, trapping her.
“Because,” she whispered back, unsure of what would be the appropriate thing to say.
“Because?”
“Because this is inappropriate,” she said but didn’t make any effort to push him away.
“I didn’t take you as a stickler for the rules,” he replied, a challenge glinting in his eyes.
She bit down on her lower lip and watched with concealed glee as his gaze drifted down, a dark look filling his usually warm eyes.
She stood up slowly and he pulled back, sitting straight now. She walked towards him and tugged on his collar softly before hooking her arms behind his neck. He inhaled sharply.
“Oh, I'm not. But there’s a certain fun in leaving them wanting for more,” she whispered, blowing a breath over the shell of his ear.
She'd already decided that he would never fall for the naive newbie act she was putting on for the rest of the office because he'd already seen the other side of her. So, she'd skipped the act altogether.
With Calix, she was Ilana. At least as much of Ilana that was left.
His arm snaked around her waist and he tugged her forward so that she was now standing between his legs.
“Then I’ll let you have your fun,” he said, his thumb tracing the outline of her lower lip. “And see how long it takes before you end up right back here.”
She smiled. “You sound confident that I’ll be back.”
He hummed his agreement.
“I do because I'm not the only one who’s wanting this.”
Her fingers brushed against his knuckles as she turned around and walked out the office.
Ilana stared at the messenger for a lot longer than was acceptable.“Miss?” She blinked, her mind drifting back to the present.“Sorry. I… I completely zoned out. What were you saying?”He looked offended but quickly shrugged it off.“Mr. Meyer has asked for you.”“Mr. Adam?” she asked even though she already knew the answer, biting on her lower lip to stop the smile from spreading.“Mr. Calix Meyer.”She wondered why she wasn;t paying attention the first time. This was the kind of thing she’d been waiting for.She nodded, getting up from her desk and following the messenger towards Calix’s office.He dropped her off at the door before disappearing into the crowd. She pulled in a breath and knocked. She had to be careful of her words in front of Calix. The sooner the job got done, the better.She wasn't here to enjoy his company.“Come in,” his gruff voice replied.She walked in and he looked up, that breathtaking smile on his face. She felt her heartbeat pick up the pace. “You call
for her. The words were a sham but they bought comfort. A candle in the dark.A candle with flickering, dying flames but a candle nonetheless. She sought the warmth from it greedily every single time. The flames had grown weaker and weaker with every life taken and she wasn’t sure how much she could give before the candle went out entirely. Until she was left in the dark with nothing to hold onto.She wasn’t sure what would happen when the flame did die. Maybe she would drown in that bleakness. Maybe that’ll be the end of Ilana Meyers.But she stroked the flame now, giving it air to breathe. She needed it to stay strong for a little longer. Ilana wasn’t done right now. She wanted her revenge. Once that was done, she would gladly allow the flame to go out.The darkness would be a welcome respite then. But she had to fight until she had her vengeance.She took in a sharp breath and looked around the room. It was messy enough to depict a crime scene but not enough to give any clues.The
Ilana felt around the wall for a soft edge before she pushed her knife in. She pulled herself up, hooking her left leg on the pipe clip attached to the drainage pipe that ran along the back wall.Once you built the momentum, climbing wasn’t hard. Just one foot after the other. It took a lot of strength but in the end, it was just like walking. Ilana pulled the dagger free and then hooked it into the next purchase she found. She pulled herself up, using the pipe clips to give her some sort of support.She wasn’t even out of breath by the time she reached the window but her palms were red and aching slightly. She put her body weight forward, leaning against the wall as she pulled the lockpicks from her pocket.Lockpicking needed both her hands. She pulled in a breath and tried to stay as still as possible, her chest pressed against the wall. She played with the lock, her fingers working delicately. The lock gave away and she hefted the small window in, pulling herself over the ledge an
“Helene told me you are on an undercover mission near here?” the kid asked excitedly.“Yes.”“That’s so cool. I want to do undercover missions too.”Ilana held back a scoff, letting the moment pass without commenting on it.“So, where are you stationed for this undercover mission? I know it's pretty far away from Knoxville.”Knoxville was the small town where Helene had built their supposed headquarters. That's where Ilana had spent most of her childhood, either with Vincent perfecting her throws or with Nancy learning sleight of hand or with Lily learning history and art and geography.“It is far,” she answered vaguely. “What are you doing all the way here anyway, kid?”“Oh, I'm with Vincent. He said he had business here and Helene insisted for him to take me. And then this mission came…”“Vincent is here? In West Creek?” “Err… no. Not in West Creek. We're in the city. We’re in Nashville.”Ilana frowned. She was also in Nashville for the mission.“What's he doing in Nashville?” she
Ilana got out of her car at least twelve blocks away from the apartment she was supposed to go to and began her walk along the dark street.She usually never drove to her missions. Cars were too risky and the chance of getting caught doubled whenever a car was involved. But today, she felt lazy and a little too confident. She’d been doing this for fifteen years now. She had earned the right for a little rest.The silence around her was thick, pressing onto her ears and she looked around, trying to spot the cause but she saw nothing. Extreme silence had never meant good.There was not a single soul roaming the street. It was only 1 in the morning but there was always someone. A drunk stumbling out of a pub or the whining of a child from an open window.West creek was devoid of life. Ilana bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the familiar rush of excitement wash through her. A fight was coming and she was so ready for it.She mentally counted through her daggers. Two in each arm band ar
Ilana felt unreal, an entity weaved with threads of hopelessness and regret as she walked through the halls of the twentieth floor.She wasn't sure where she was going but she knew she was supposed to meet Calix Meyer. Make him aware of her presence.Her secret was out and now it was time to exploit it.And she would do it without complaints because Helene had said it was important. She had repeated the interaction in her head so many times, the words had stopped making sense. Like whatever happened wasn't real. Just like Ilana herself was not real anymore.It was important. Calix was important to the plan, the mission. He was just a means to an end. Nothing more. Helene had said it was important.Ilana didn't have to pretend when she slammed into someone. At least that had been real.“I'm sorry. I wasn't looking,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground as she bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen loose from the folder in her hands.She didn't want Calix to see her yet. S