May 6, 2023

Three Days Later

Queen

"Do you think he's okay?" I asked, twiddling my fingers nervously in my lap. Cain rolled his eyes at me before swinging his head back towards the fridge and rummaging through it.

"If you ask me that again I'm going to rip your head off...'kay?" He shot me a fake smile before turning back to his task. I sighed, leaning my elbows on the counter and burying my hands in my hair. I knew Syn was acting strange the night he left, but I didn't think he'd just ghost like this. It had been three days of him being gone. Three days of me calling and blowing up his inbox and receiving no reply. As mad at me as he was in the past, he'd never ignore me.

"I should go check on him, right?"

"We need to get groceries." He sighed before standing up. I glanced at the full fridge then back at him with a confused expression.

"I just went yesterday...?"

"Uh-huh...but you didn't get what I wanted so...mission failed. I'll go later with Iris," he said as he pulled out his phone. All of his attention went into whatever he was preoccupied with and I frowned, letting my mind continue to drown in the possibilities of Syn's disappearance. He came here for Saint yet he was nowhere to be seen. "Let's go."

"Hmm?" I looked at Cain who grabbed his keys from the hook in the corridor and tilted his head towards the front door.

"You know where Syn lives?" I nodded, unsurely getting off of the stool. "Then let's go to him."

"Right now, Cain? We can't just pop over at peoples' houses without notice."

"Live a little bit, sister." He grinned slyly before dipping past the corner.

"I'm not dressed," I complained. "And I can't just leave Saint."

"I told Iris to watch him."

"What? When?"

"When I was texting in the kitchen?" He shook his head. "Why does all this shit matter? Can we go?"

"It's just so sudden—"

"You're making excuses, Queen," he said. "I'm going to be in the car and you have two minutes to join me."

"Wai—"

"One minute and fifty-eight seconds—"

"Okay! Just let me put my shoes on." I raced up the stairs and burst into my room. Instead of going straight for my shoes as I said I would, I changed my entire wardrobe within thirty seconds. Cain was insane if he thought I was going to walk out of here in sweats. I adjusted the oversized graphic shirt on my body before slipping on my denim jacket and attempting to fit whatever hair I could into a bun.

"Is that Cain yelling?" Iris asked as she walked into my room, bouncing Saint on her hip.

"You hear counting?"

"Yes," she said slowly.

"He's being an asshole and giving me two minutes to get ready."

"Weirdo," she whispered under her breath as she sat down at the edge of my bed.

"Well." I shrugged a shoulder. "That's your husband." She grinned at my words and I scoffed. As annoying as she claimed he was, her reaction to even the mention of him was enough to tell everyone what she was truly feeling. She loved that motherfucker...yuck! Happy for them though, of course.

"Who are you dressing up for?" She raised a teasing brow.

"Nobody." I zipped up the heeled thigh-high boots in my legs and Iris let out a small chuckle.

"She's lying to us Saint," she whispered loud enough for me to hear. When I swung my head back in her direction, she tilted her head. "Syn?"

"Iris please," I whined as she smiled at me. "I'll tell you everything when I come back. I think I'm past two minutes." I scurried to her before giving Saint a kiss on his small head. "I'll be back soon baba." He smiled up at me and I gave Iris a quick kiss on her head before dashing out of the room. I heard Iris gasp at what I had just done and Saint's giggle followed me out of the house.

I headed towards Cain's car and as I approached he rolled his eyes. "You owe me now."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." I waved him away as I got into the car. When I sat down, Cain gave me a strange look as he tapped the steering wheel. "What?"

"He's ghosting you, Queen."

"Obviously."

"If when we get there he's not dying, you should react as such. You tend to fall into his trap, Queen." He sighed. "Do better."

"Cain, shut up and drive."

"Love you too."

I rolled my eyes and put on my seatbelt. He wasn't wrong— I mean I was already dressing up and making a fool out of myself for a dude that was obviously ignoring me...As I thought about it longer, I felt a bubble of anger surface inside of me.

For three damn days, he didn't answer his phone. Whatever qualms he had with me shouldn't have been relevant. We lived in a dangerous world and we had more enemies than we could count. Saint at his age already had people who would kill him if they knew about him. What if something happened to him and I couldn't reach Syn?!

All because he wasn't answering his fucking phone.

I held back my anger as I told Cain the directions and I took a deep breath. I'd just have to figure out what the hell was going on but I knew for damn sure I'd be following Cain's advice...

If he wasn't dead...I was going to react.

꧁꧂

We parked at the sidewalk of the busy street next to his building and I prepared to get out. When I heard Cain making no move to leave, I turned to him. "Are you coming?"

"No." He shook his head. "This has nothing to do with me. I only brought you here." I frowned and he smiled at me. "I'll be here when you get out. Go." I nodded and exited the car with a sigh. Here we go.

I carefully maneuvered the crowded sidewalk until I was at the clear double doors into the building. The large and clean lobby was almost silent except for the faint piano playing in the background, a stark difference from the busy streets of New York I was just in seconds ago.

I walked towards the desk and before I could say anything, the older woman sitting behind her computer held a finger up to me. I was slightly taken aback until I remembered I wasn't exactly a Queen anymore. Here, I was "human"...like everyone else. Meaning I was now gifted the luxuries of the rude ass finger to the face.

I leaned my forearms on the marble counter patiently as I waited for her to finish her conversation. Her long nails rapped against the keyboard and I pursed my lips in boredom and thought. After a few seconds, I heard her say goodbye and I turned to her with a bright smile. "Hi, can you—"

"Young lady," she said, "didn't I tell you to wait? I'll get to you when I'm done with everyone, okay?"

"Sorry, but this is kind of urgent. I need to—"

"I hear that all day every day." She rolled her eyes. "Have a seat and wait. You're no better than everyone else."

"Umm...okay." I sighed, shaking my head before walking towards the small waiting area where a gentleman was reading a newspaper. When I sat down, he smiled at me and I nodded my head.

I tapped my leg impatiently as I waited for the woman to call me over. There was no one else in the lobby so I didn't understand why she was so adamant about me waiting, but it was starting to get on my nerves. Seeing as I didn't know when I'd be out of here, I sent Cain a text telling him to leave without me.

"You're not supposed to be here." The man beside me said, his eyes still glued to his paper. "The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn't he?"

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"You're prettier in person," he said. My perplexed expression grew as I slightly moved away from him and he shook his head. "Saw you on the magazine..."

"Oh..."

"You have quite the fan base," he laughed softly. "You and him."

I realized he may have been a fan of Aidan's team which explained how he may have known me and I relaxed. "Oh, you know Aiden?"

"Who is...Aiden?"

Huh—

"That'll be floor three. Enjoy your stay."

My head snapped up towards the reception area where the same lady that turned me away was waving at a couple headed towards the elevator. What the fuck? I walked back over to her with a forced smile on my face as I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Hey, maybe you forgot about me but—"

"Listen, sweetheart," she said. "This is a high-class establishment. The strip club is down the street. Far down the street." She pointed towards the door.

Suddenly, all the patience I had with her had disappeared. Not even because she had insinuated that I was a stripper, but because of the way she was looking at me. The disgust in her eyes was zeroed in on me as her lip curled. From where we were both standing I wouldn't think she'd be so high class but I guess the pit of rude bitches drew from all walks of life.

"What's your name?" I asked her, letting my eyes slowly fall to her name tag. "Matilda," I read slowly with a small smile spreading across my lips. "Listen to me, Matilda." It had been almost a year since I had used my powers, but I didn't have the time nor the patience to do this the rational way. I locked my eyes with hers and heard a small gasp escape her mouth. "Don't make a fucking sound," I ordered, holding a finger over my lips.

Her eyes moved around wildly as they filled with tears, but she obeyed. I had told myself I'd never use this against humans, but I had reached my breaking point. "You're going to wipe your tears and get me a key to wherever Syn SinClaire is staying, understand?" When she didn't move I rolled my eyes. "Hurry up, Matilda. You may have the time and pleasure to be a bitch to everyone, but I don't. I'm bored right now, you see that don't you?"

She nodded quickly and opened a drawer in front of her, her eyes clashing with her movements the entire time. I looked around to see the man from the waiting area with his eyes on me and I furrowed my brows. When I was next to him, his eyes were glued to his paper...but now that I wasn't, his eyes were firmly on me.

"Here is the master key," Matilda said quickly. Use it on the elevator and it goes to any floor. Mr. SinClaire is on the top one."

I let the chilly feeling I got from the guy on the couch subside and I grabbed the key. "Thank you, you've been a pleasure. When I walk away, I want you to get back to work and not spare a second thought as to what just happened." Her eyes slowly moved back to the computer and she began typing as I walked towards the elevator.

I pushed the button with my free hand as I held the key in the other and waited. After a few seconds of descending numbers, the doors opened and I walked in. I searched the rows of numbers until I saw the highest floor and inserted the key. Once it turned, I stood back against the wall—

My body froze as I looked out of the elevator to see the man from the couch now standing in front of me. He wasn't in the elevator, but he was close enough for me to see the detail in his sinister smile. He knew me, but...do I know you? I crossed my arms and his eyes remained on mine as the elevators closed. He didn't even make a move to come in with me.

I stood still, trying to figure out what just happened. My eyes floated to the number board showing the numbers slowly going up. I watched them distractedly for a few seconds until I remembered the same numbers were reflected downstairs. If that man was still downstairs, whatever floor I landed on...would be one that he would see.

Not knowing his intentions, I immediately removed the key and the elevator stopped. It remained closed and unmoving as I thought about what was going on. If my intuition was correct, the man from earlier would be seeing floor 27–the one I was currently on. If he was as dangerous as I felt as he was, as soon as these doors opened, I should've seen him.

With that in mind, I slowly moved the key in my hand towards the floor I was on. My heart thundered as I slowly turned it, and once it fully did, the elevator dinged. I prepared to fight him if need be, but as the doors opened...I saw no one. Just an empty corridor when a couple of doors on either side of it.

"What the hell?" I whispered, running a hand through my hair. "Get it together, Queen." I blew out a breath before taking the key once again and moving it to Syn's floor. My paranoia was beginning to get the best of me. The guy was probably just a creep. I leaned my head against the wall and the elevator slowly began to close. I thought about all the possible reasons Syn could've gone AWOL, but nothing besides mortal danger made sense. It wasn't like him to—

Ding!

"Queen? What are you doing here?"

꧁꧂

Author's Note
That better not be—

Chile...istg.
Let's just get into it.
So Syn disappeared and after the last chapter we know he's been into some heavy shit. What do you think happened?

Also, the dude in the lobby?...I would've shit myself ong 😭 was he just a fan or???
Lmk✨

P.S. I had eight chapters for today but it's come to my attention that a lot of you don't like big dumps so I've split it into two days. After the four chapters tomorrow we will dive into every other day uploads of 3 chapters❤️