Page 84 of Titan

I nodded and pushed her towards the hallway. She was dressed and ready to go half an hour later.

Theia was quiet on the journey over to my building. She sat staring out the window with a pensive expression on her face, but she did let me hold her hand for most of it. I didn’t let go when I took her inside the old printing factory. Her eyes darted around the place. She kept close to me as the men stared at us. Likely in their minds, a woman being here was the event of the fucking year, especially one that I’d brought, considering I never dated.

I was about to take her upstairs to my office when Edric rounded the corner with a grim look on his face. The moment he spotted Theia, his eyebrows raised.

“Well, hello again. Didn’t realise it was ‘bring your girlfriend to work day’.”

I’m going to kill him. He’s never learned to keep his mouth shut about anything.

“What do you want?”

He pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling.

“There’s been another one.”

“Another what?”

“B-O-D-Y.”

For fuck’s sake. Just what I needed.

“Take me to it.”

He lowered his head and glanced at Theia.

“Are you bringing her?”

I was about to open my mouth to answer him when one of the men came up to us with an envelope in his hand.

“This came for you, boss.”

I snatched it out of his hand and gave him a dark look. He backed away, perhaps realising it was not the time to get chatty. My eyes darted down to the envelope. It had my name on it in gilded lettering.

“Theia, do you want to come with us or wait in my office?”

“I’d rather stay with you.”

I looked up at Edric.

“Then yes, I’m bringing her.”

“Are you sure? It’s kind of gruesome.”

“She doesn’t have to look. Now move.”

He let out a huff, rolled his eyes, and turned around. Theia and I followed after him. I let go of her hand to open the envelope. Inside was an invitation to a gala. There was also a handwritten note from Dino’s wife, Pippa, insisting I come to mend bridges with the family. I hated going to these functions. They were full of stuck-up fucks who had more money than sense.

Edric slowed down, so we were level and looked over at the invite.

“Ooo, a gala? That sounds like fun.”

“Good. You’re going with me.”

“You’re actually going?”

I showed him Pippa’s note. His eyes narrowed.

“That’s Dino’s wife, right?”