A ghost

Chapter 3 A ghost

MABEL'S POV

My heart skipped. Nikolai’s sudden appearance felt like a punch to the chest.

I stood up from where I crouched near the wall. I pushed my face into something neutral but internally it was chaos. My pulse hammered and my stomach tightened. My brain raced through every possible excuse looking for the most believable in the bunch.

He shut the door behind him and the quiet click of the lock felt like a warning. His eyes moved over me. His eyes were sharp and unreadable.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said. His voice was soft but I could hear the amusement in it.

I forced my lips into a faint smirk. “Didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Neither did I.” He took a step closer. His movements were slow and deliberate. “Yet here we are.”

I gritted my teeth. Was this a test? Had he found the envelope under the bed already? Or was it something else that gave it away.

His gaze slid past me to the rest of the suite. I waited for him to glance toward the bed and also for the ground to fall out from under me but he just turned back with that same smile. That annoying smile that made him look like he knew more than he was letting on.

“You always work this hard when I’m away?” he asked.

I shrugged but my pulse was still racing. “You said you trusted me to keep things running while you were gone.”

“That I did.” He unbuttoned his cuffs and then rolled up his sleeves casually. “And trust should be rewarded, don’t you think?”

He was playing with me. I could feel it. Each word he spoke was a dagger hovering above my head. Did he know who I really was? Did he know about the envelope? At what point did I blow my cover?!?

But I stayed quiet. I refused to flinch. I refused to let anything show.

Nikolai smirked like he could read every thought scribbled across my brain. “Relax. You’re too tense.”

Easy for him to say. He's not the one working as an undercover cop almost caught snooping in the suite of one of the most dangerous men to walk the earth.

He stepped back toward the door and gestured for me to follow. “Come on. Let’s get a drink. You’ve earned it.”

I hesitated as I weighed my options but then nodded. I couldn’t risk raising suspicion now.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Someplace… special.” His grin widened. “But first, you’ll need something to wear.”

An hour later, I stood before the mirror in my hotel room staring at the dress he’d sent over. It was custom made and expensive. I could tell just by looking at it. It clung to my body and curves like a second skin.

I ran my hands down the silky black fabric and swallowed hard. It was perfect. And it felt like a trap.

Still I liked it…a lot.

By the time Nikolai’s sleek black car pulled up outside my heart was pounding for reasons I didn’t care to admit. It wasn't fear but something else. Something darker.

I climbed into the passenger seat and stayed quiet as we sped through the city. His cologne filled the car and it was damn intoxicating. I focused on the city lights flashing by. In my mind I plotted my return to his suite.

The envelope was still there. Hidden. But for how long?

I needed to get it out before he found it. Before he confirmed what I was.

“You’re awfully quiet,” he said as he glanced over at me.

“Just tired.” I lied.

“You’re always working,” he said. “Even when you’re off the clock.”

“Occupational hazard,” I replied.

His chuckle was soft. “That’s what I like about you, Raven.” His voice lingered on the word, Raven, a little too long.

I stayed silent. Too focused on how to get back into his suite unnoticed.

The bar he chose wasn’t a bar. It was a cathedral disguised as luxury. It was the kind of place only the wealthy had access to. I knew I'd never have been able to enter in my lifetime if it wasn't for Nikolai.

He guided me to a private booth tucked away from the rest of the patrons. The moment we sat the waiter brought over two crystal glasses and a bottle that probably cost more than my apartment back home.

“To loyalty,” Nikolai said raising his glass.

“To loyalty,” I said clinking mine against his.

I sipped. It was a smooth dangerous mix.

Just then I knew what I had to do. I'd get him drunk enough to share his secrets with me and if I'm lucky he'd tell me just enough to help me put him behind bars.

That plan burned the moment he suggested a drinking game. I knew it wasn’t just about unwinding anymore. It was about control. About seeing how far I’d bend before I snapped.

The rules were simple but he had a knack for making sure I lost more often than not. Every time I did he filled my glass higher.

I tried to pace myself but his stare across the table was hypnotic. The man knew how to make the walls feel like they were closing in and there was nowhere to run.

My grip on logic weakened with each glass.

I knew he was trying to peel away the layers when he leaned in and asked, “Tell me, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”

I smirked as I pretended to be unaffected. “I’d need more drinks for that story.”

His grin said he’d be happy to oblige.

But I couldn’t afford to get sloppy. I could already feel the world around me tilting to the left and right. It was a struggle trying to remember if my name was still Raven or Mabel. Or was it both.

“I need the restroom,” I said standing on legs that felt too unsteady.

He didn’t stop me. He just lifted his glass. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

Inside the restroom I gripped the edge of the sink. My face was flushed and my vision blurred at the edges.

“Get it together,” I muttered to my reflection. “You're in control dammit."

I pulled out my phone and thumbing through my contacts. Sterling. I needed him to know I was close. That I could almost taste the finish line.

But my fingers fumbled and I hit the wrong buttons. The phone slipped from my grasp and fell on the floor.

I bent to pick it up breathing hard. My head felt like it was full of fog.

“Damn it,” I whispered.

When I straightened I caught movement in the mirror.

Nikolai stood behind me with his arms crossed. His grin was sharp as ever.

My stomach dropped.

He stepped forward in one quick move closing the distance between us until his chest pressed against my back. The heat of him soaked into me instantly.

I tried to move away but his hands trapped me against the cool tile wall.

“Surely,” he whispered near my ear “you’re not in a rush to get to your boss now, are you… Agent Mabel?”

My breath froze.

No.

No, no, no.