72. Unexpected Guests

Alisa - Her apartment
Browsing channels at 4 AM is a bad idea. Only subpar porn and disgusting talk shows switch before my eyes. I shouldn’t have bought a new TV after Laura smashed the previous one.
Oh, Laura... Where are you now? What happened to you? I can't think of any other method to track you down. I tried everything I could think of. I wish I knew where to start looking for you.
I lean forward over the coffee table, one hand rubbing my temple and the other tapping on the wooden surface. A creaking sound notifies me barely a fraction of a second before the table buckles beneath the pressure of my nails.
“Ahh,” I scream my frustration in the stale air of the living room.
Oh, the irony of being extremely powerful and yet feeling completely powerless.
My palm lingers above the emptiness where my coffee table previously stood. I'm upset about the loss of the said piece of furniture, but I'm not sure why. I didn't even like that hideous chunk of wood.
I stare blankly at the remains of my coffee table. A short silence follows my outburst as if the apartment took a breath. Then another. And then I hear it. A knocking sound at the door. Who can it be at 4 AM?
It can’t be Laura. I don’t get my hopes up. Besides, she has keys.
After getting up from my couch, I pace the length of the living room.
As I open the door, I scan the three men in front of me. Even though they all look dashing in those black suits, the one in the middle catches my immediate interest.
The man wears a light brown silk tie around his neck and a fedora. The color matches his dark hair and chocolate eyes. I usually don't dig men with mustaches, but his suits him nicely. He looks like a handsome devil straight out of the nineteen-thirties.
His eyes stand out—the way they're set on me.
A smooth voice complementing his appearance asks, “Alisa Cristescu?”
In other circumstances, I would have been delighted to hear my name spelled out like that. But I'm not in the mood right now.
I narrow my eyes and stare at him. My hair flows out of my bun when I tilt my head to the side, tickling my bare shoulder near the strap of my tank top.
“Yes, I am,” I answer curtly. “Who are you, and why do you knock at my door at this hour?”
The man flashes me a charming smile, his lips parting to reveal perfectly white teeth. The other two gain uneasy frowns as if I just committed a felony or something.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alisa.” The handsome devil holds out a hand toward me. “I’m Ion Corvin.”
Huh?! If he thinks I will bow in front of his name and rep, then he’s sourly mistaken. After scowling at his hand, I leave it hanging and lock my gaze with him.
“Why are you here? Do you know where Laura is?”
I can’t believe he dares to chuckle before calmly answering, “As we speak, Laura is in the dungeon under the Council’s Headquarters. She’s not in the best shape, but she’ll live.”
“What have you done to her?”
“She’s receiving the punishment for her actions.” Ion Corvin walks inside, passes me by, and remains standing, staring at my broken coffee table. “Hiding her abilities from the Council and harming another strigoi aren’t small offenses.”
I clench my fists and barely hold myself from punching him. I wonder what’s the punishment for that.
“How is she?”
“A bit bruised up. Sorry.”
Anger burns in my chest. The injustice of all that's happening to Laura strikes me once more. Does he think one simple sorry will fix everything?
With my teeth gritted, I shriek, “If you have nothing to say, then get out!”
"If the lady of the house requests that I depart, I have no option but to comply. But you'll accompany me."
Ion Covin waves and one of his two security goons most probably goes to bring the car in front of the apartment block.
"There was no parking here, so I had to walk for ten minutes through alleyways and streets before arriving," Ion Corvin recounts. "We nearly had an accident before that. A vehicle veered into our path. This metropolis is becoming more disorganized by the minute." He gracefully falls into my sofa. "I'll stay here till my guy gets back."
With my arms folded over my chest to avoid punching his smug face, I glare at Ion Corvin.
“What makes you think I wanna come with you?”
He unbuttons his suit, revealing the silk shirt beneath as he leans on the backrest.
“You’ll participate in the Council meeting today. We will be discussing things you’ll be interested in.” To my surprise, he winks. “And at the end, you’ll be reunited with Laura.”
He had me with his final line.
I had nothing more to say except, "Okay, I'll come with you."
“You know, you’re more beautiful than I imagined.”
I freeze, and he chuckles.
“What?” he asks. “I’m telling the truth. Don’t you know by now how beautiful you are?”
As I shake my head to remove the daze, it's my turn to chuckle.
"It's always nice to get confirmation." Flushing all my teeth with a broad grin, I continue, "But not from you."
As soon as his escort returns, announcing the car is now parked in front of the building, Ion Corvin gets up from the couch and walks away.
I step out of my home, my mind racing, trying to figure out what will happen next.
We all descend the stairs of the apartment block. Ion Corvin first, then a goon, followed by me, and the second goon close behind me.
I have no idea where we're going exactly, but I'm getting the impression they expect me to walk right into danger or something.
If I kick the guy in front of me as he’s taking a step, he’ll fall into Ion Corvin, and I can then tackle the one behind me. I’ll spin him around to cover myself from any powers the others may have, maybe even take a weapon from him if he has any. But I think I can beat the shit out of them all just by using my super strength.
It won't be easy, but even if all of these men are stronger than me, I know I can defeat them. But my actions might cause them to harm Laura. She has done so much for me that I cannot let them hurt her.
Even though I play out the entire scenario in my head, I finally decide against pulling off the stunt. With my head down, I climb down the last flight of stairs as Ion Corvin opens the doors of the apartment block.
As soon as I go outdoors, my jaw drops.
Dan is attempting to enter the building while being blocked by another of Ion Corvin's thugs.
"I wanna see my girlfr— Alisa," Dan immediately rephrases when my eyes shoot daggers at him.
One of the goons snickers, and another one has a wicked grin. Dan can't possibly understand what is happening. He can mess things up big time.