Chapter 7 · Traceless - Chapter 7: Vera Comes Back

Layla woke up strapped to a chair.

Not the warehouse. Clean white walls. Medical lights overhead. Her wrists zip-tied to metal armrests. Her head pounded like someone had split it open and poured concrete inside.

Across from her, Cole was conscious. Barely. He sat in an identical chair, blood crusted under his nose, eyes unfocused. His hands weren't restrained.

That should've been the first warning.

"You're awake." The voice came from behind her. Female. Calm. The kind of calm that meant someone else was in control and knew it.

Layla tried to turn her head. The zip-ties bit into her wrists.

Footsteps. Heels on tile. A woman walked into view and stopped between them. Late twenties. Black pencil skirt. White blouse. Dark hair pulled back so tight it looked like it hurt. Her face was the kind of beautiful that came with money and good genes and the certainty that both mattered.

She looked at Cole first. "Hello, Cole."

Cole didn't answer. His gaze stayed on the floor.

The woman smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "Nothing to say? That's new."

Layla's stomach dropped. She knew that tone. The intimate kind. The kind that came with history.

"Who are you?"