8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Drakos
The muted morning sun came through the blinds, casting shadows across my office floor. I did my best work early in the day.
A small package sat on my chair when I’d walked in that morning. I set the box aside for later, turned on my laptop, and got to work. My mind drifted when the emails and documents I read through didn’t demand my full attention. It was too bad Luna didn’t come in on Mondays because I wanted to pump her for Sylvie’s reaction when she’d delivered my message. My lips twitched when I imagined her dark brown eyes narrowing in indignation and anger.
Then I started fantasizing about other things, like fisting her hair and shoving my cock down her throat while she stared up at me with that innocent face. Great, I had a rock-hard dick and my concentration was shot.
Adjusting myself, I leaned back, stretched my neck out a little, and glanced at the package. Absently, I picked it up and checked the return address. It wasn’t one I recognized. Pulling out a letter opener from my top drawer, I slit the tape. The packages I received at the office were usually document-related, but when I opened this one, it held a square box wrapped in a black silk bag.
It smelled faintly of expensive perfume and… something I couldn’t quite place. I pulled the box out, opened it, and picked up the plastic-wrapped object. It looked flesh-colored and felt oddly meaty. When I realized what it was, I dropped it and pushed back my chair as I stared at the severed human hand.
“What the fuck ?” I growled.
The pale, lifeless hand wrapped in plastic had been positioned into a fist, except for the middle finger, I realized. Even as my stomach lurched, I couldn't help but admire her grisly creativity.
There was a note under the package that I itched to read, but I wouldn’t be touching anything else with my bare hands. In the break room, I searched under the sink and found a box of cheap latex gloves. Pulling a pair out, I headed back to my office and stared down at the half-wrapped package. I carefully picked it up and held it to the light.
It was a man's hand, judging by the size and shape. The nails were clean and trimmed, and the pads of the fingers smooth. The note, scrawled in her slanted handwriting, stated simply, “I believe this speaks for itself. S.”
I put the hand back in the box and removed the rubber gloves. Then I grabbed my phone and texted my partners. They had to see this.
A moment later, Roman and Ivan walked in. “Where’s the fire?” Ivan demanded.
Roman noticed the box sitting open on my desk. “What did you get?”
“Just a little token from Luna’s roommate.” I nodded toward the hand resting on the plastic wrap and realized that the other scent coming from the box was formaldehyde.
“Christ.” Roman approached the desk, his eyes narrowing at the sight. “Tell me she didn't cut someone’s hand off.”
“I can’t guarantee it,” I teased, but Roman was not amused.
Ivan gazed down at it. “Which roommate?” He asked carefully.
“Sylvie Spade.”
His shoulders relaxed and his lips twitched. “This is her answer to your challenge. How do you know her, anyway?”
They were all aware of my interest in Sylvie by now. But they didn’t know how we’d met or the depth of our involvement. Things were coming to a head, I could feel it.
“We’ve run into each other a few times,” I evaded.
Ivan looked down at the strange package. “She may be a Spade, but I like her. She beats the hell out of those shallow, plastic women you like to tie up, fuck, and discard.”
Roman turned to stare at Ivan. “She cut off someone’s hand and then delivered it to Drakos. At our office.”
Ivan shrugged. “She probably bought it online. Can’t you smell the formaldehyde?”
“You can buy body parts online?” Roman seemed both appalled and intrigued, his disgust slowly giving way to morbid curiosity. “On the black market?”
“On the regular market because it’s perfectly legal,” Ivan replied.
Roman studied me. “Let’s hope she doesn’t escalate and send a head next time—or something worse.”
Frowning, I pointed a finger and glared up at him. “You don’t like Sylvie because she’s protective of Luna, and she knows you’re a cold bastard who has nefarious designs on her sweet roommate. You need to re-think your plan, for all our sakes.”
Roman and I stared at each other until Ivan broke the silence. “I wonder how she got the package into your office.”
That was a good question. Swiveling, I opened my laptop, pulled up our security app, and navigated to the footage of our outer office door from last night. We watched as Sylvie, dressed in a brown delivery uniform, approached the outer office door. Setting the package down, she removed her hat, looked up at the camera, and kissed and winked at us. Then she flipped us off and casually strolled away.
Ivan laughed, and I growled under my breath.
Roman just shook his head. “She’s a damn lunatic. Are you planning to start something with her?”
“Fuck yes, especially if she keeps fighting me.”