Petra had been looking around as subtly as she could wandering down halls and through doorways. She turned down a hall, walked through a doorway pretending to admire the paintings up for auction as she went. She was near the end of them when she spotted guards standing much farther down the hall. Petra walked back through the door frame and straight into a taller gentleman throwing her off balance, she looked up at him apologizing to find his gaze wasn't on her but looking back past her from the direction she'd just come.
"Excuse me, you look familiar, have we met?"
He didn't look at her at all.
"Wait, I'm sure we've met."
He looked her over as if examining her full worth like she were one of the shop items. The glance was brief but seem to take her in and judge her valueless in seconds.
"No we haven't, you're mistaken, good-bye."
"Are you sure? Please if you only give me a moment I'm sure I'll know where I."
"Are you deaf or stupid, get out of my way Valeria."
"It's, I don't care who you are!"
He attempts to push past her.
"Maybe I was mistaken, maybe I don't know you, excuse me."
She mutters "He looks so familiar though."
"Stupid girl, mind your own business."
He then brushes past her nearly knocking her over as she was thrown off balance again by the unnecessary force of his weight moving her.
"Valeria Strom what a beautiful name, like I've heard it before but?"
She trailed off not able to finish why the name had popped into her head. Strange she had felt so sure she knew his name like it had been there at the very tip of her tongue.
Who are you, She thought.
She quickly headed back to find her sister. Petra found her sister Allison.
"So did you get your scoop?" She asked Allison.
"What scoop?" Allison slurred.
"What do you mean what scoop? On the guy Grayson who is supposedly involved in human trafficking that scoop?"
Allison's eyes remained glassy, but she spoke up. "I met the most attractive guy. His eyes were so lovely I just wanted to take him home maybe show him a good time." She smiled at that.
"Are you drunk?" Petra fumed.
"No, I think Graydon can wait let's have fun I'm going to fine that guy."
"Oh my god how much have you had to drink?" her eyebrows knit together in a scowl when she saw the empty bottle near her feet. "A bottle of champagne are you serious? It's Grayson not Graydon, the guy you've been fanatically obsessed with for the last 2 months trying to get this story." her sisters wouldn't meet her eyes. "What is wrong with you?"
"I think I wanna sleep with him."
"No the guy I was talking to earlier."
"Have you been drugged?" Petra shook her.
"hummm?" Allison sounded distant.
"That's it I'm calling you and Uber." She pulled out her phone. "Tom, I need you to come get Allison someone put something in her drink. I can let her story get away you know she'll never forgive me."
She heard him say he'd be there in 15 minutes or so. "Ok. Thanks. Allison I need you to sit down and wait here for Tom. I'm going to look back down that hall one more time."
Petra hedged slowly down the hall over towards the doorway leading to the hall with two guards standing outside of it. There were fewer people in this end of the building and the paintings ended well before the doorway leading to the hall with the guards. Still she tried to look lost and confused as she wandered down the hall towards them.
"Excuse me do you know where I could find a restroom?"
"This is a restricted area, you have to get back to the area with the other guests immediately or you'll be removed."
Petra plucked up her courage and tryed to stare this man down
"Is that anyway to treat a guest of Mr. Grayson's?"
At the moment she said it a man emerged from the door.
"We're sorry sir we'll have her removed immediately."
"You heard the lady is that anyway to treat my guest? Young miss, sorry dear I've forgotten your name?"
"Allison," Petra blurted out. "Allison Dawn"
"Allison is my guest this evening, she'll be joining me for dinner tonight after the art auction. Won't you my dear."
"Yes sir of couse sir, we didn't know you had a special guest."
He grabbed her wrist and guided her down the hall.
"That was plucky, trying to lie to my own guards, do you have a death wish?"
He stopped pulling her along the hall they were quite alone standing by a door with an exit sign above it.
"A death wish no sir. I just wanted to meet with Mr. Grayson, well you sir to discuss."
She turned to look at the door it sounded like a car pulled up. As she turned back he was practically up against her seeming to breath her in like you might perfume.
"I like plucky girls they always seem to be real fighters."
her eyes got wide shit she thought this was actually a really bad idea, a really bad idea, like now she'd be getting off'd by a mob boss bad or raped or.
"Won't you join me for dinner and drinks?"
"I uhh left my sister back at the auction, she'll be worried."
"I'm sure she'll get along without you."
The way it sounded as he said it like there was a double meaning like she would need to get along without her for more than the night. she backed up a little towards the door.
"You know, tell you what you can ask me anything you want and I'll answer truthfully."
"Tempting, but I think," her hand fumbled on the doors bar to open it. "I'll pass."
"No, you wont." He said flatly.
His arm circled her waist and he pushed her out the door. There was a limo waiting with a door already opened he shoved her in and closed the door behind him the vehicle immediately started moving and she heard the doors locks click.
"Are you planning to kill me."
"Great now that that's out of the way, what business are you in the mob, human trafficking? With all the disappearances."
"Oh no nothing so Germaine, the people that disappear around me are for far more amusing reasons."
"Then how did you aquire your wealth?"
"Magic," seeing her face "No truly there are so many things in this world that humans will never understand never even get a glimpse of, well and you my dear won't get to see any of it."
"I should be terrifed right now but I'm still laughing that you believe in magic."
"Laugh while you can you'll be dead before sunrise. I will enjoy watching the demons peel your flesh from your bones while you scream."
She took a steadying breath.
"But how does it all work?"
"A wallet I got a very long time ago."
"Ok, where did you get it?"
"I stole it from a child, a long time ago, see I was a homeless beggar on the street, hungry, dirty, tired. I watched her leaving a sweets shop, little hands filled with candy no idea what it is to be hungry, I saw her glance over at me then look away. She dropped the candies into a little purse. She didn't know what it was to be poor and hungry. I followed her down an ally and smashed her head in with a rock I hadn't meant to kill her but I didn't feel pity either. When I pulled the purse from her body only to find to my surprise it turn into a wallet in my hands and when I opened it up expecting sweets instead I found 1000 dollars waiting for me perfect crisp bills. I spent it that first day on new cloths food a bath lodging I woke up the next day in a bed believing I was still dreaming but no, and the wallet had refilled as I slept. The little girls mother when they found her body, so heart broken." He clicked his tounge, "I eventually tryed to pay her but no matter how much I offered her it wasn't enough she said she couldn't be bought, so I started an insurance company that specializes in the death of children. Children that are sick, or at risk. She maybe, couldn't be bought but I've found everyone has a price. The wallet has refilled everyday since I acquired it."
"Wait you didn't literally try to pay a women for murdering her daughter did you?"
"Oh, people sell others out all the time for lots of reasons, insurance, to get away, jealousy, there are a thousand reasons. I've found a great many problems can be solved with someone's death. Sometimes it's easier to kill someone and pay a family to not ask questions, its always been easy enough to pay them off, offer enough and they don't complain."
"What business did you say you where in?"
"Ah we must be here, I quite enjoyed that haven't talked about that in years."
"What murdering chilren?"
"What a thing to say? No the wallet dear, and try as I might gamble it, made quite a lot that way, invest it , spend it straight out, it faithfully refills everyday at the stroke of Midnight what ever timezone I'm in."
"Like I said you're insane."
"Come now let's go inside I'm sure my pets are hungry."