Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 307

Chapter 307: Nothing Personal

Alicia walked into her office with her heart slamming so hard against her ribs that she could hear it in her ears. Her hands were shaking like she had been standing outside in a blizzard instead of a climate-controlled office building. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, trying to remember how breathing worked.

This could not be happening. Not now. Not when everything was finally falling into place.

She crossed to her desk, sat down, dug her phone out of her bag with fingers that did not seem to be hers, and dialled her mother’s number. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Alicia’s grip on the phone tightened with each unanswered tone.

"This had better be important, Alicia." Valerie’s voice came through with sunshine behind it. "I am on holiday. Do you know what a holiday is? It is the thing where nobody rings me. And if you are calling about Kai and his illusions again, I will—"

"Your number has been switched off all morning," Alicia cut in, and even to her own ears, her voice sounded strange. Too high. Too thin. Like it belonged to somebody smaller. "I’ve been trying to reach you since nine. Nine, Mother. I have called seventeen times."

There was a pause on the other end. The sound of waves in the background, and Valerie’s slow exhale. "I silenced my phone because I was busy. What is going on? You sound deranged."

Alicia tried to form a sentence. The words were all there, queued up in her head. "I saw her," she managed finally.

"Saw who?"

"Jessica."

There was a silence on the other end so complete that Alicia checked the screen to see if the call had dropped.

"What did you say?"

"I saw Jessica, Mum." The words came faster now, tripping over each other. "This morning. In the building. She came out of the lift and I turned round and she was just there, holding two cups of coffee, and I fell over. I fell on the floor, Mum, in front—"

"Where?" Valerie’s voice had gone completely flat. All the sunshine was gone out of it. "Alicia. Where exactly?"

"Here. In the building. She works here."

"She what?!"

"She works in the restaurant." Alicia laughed, and it came out wrong. "Downstairs. In Kai’s own building. She’s a waitress and—"

"Listen to me carefully." Valerie was all business now, whatever relaxed persona she had worn for the beach packed away. "Do not panic. Panic makes people stupid, and we cannot afford for you to be stupid right now. Are you certain it was her? Absolutely certain?"

Alicia’s mind flashed back to that face in the corridor. The ginger hair. The steady eyes. The smile that had stopped her heart cold and dropped her straight onto the floor.

"It was her," she whispered. "I saw her face. She looks...older, different somehow, but it was Jessica. It was definitely Jessica. She didn’t seem to know me." The words tumbled. "I asked her name and she said Sidonie. Like she had never heard of Jessica in her life. Like she had no idea who I was."

"Then you have work to do." Valerie’s voice was crisp and certain. "Find out everything. Where she lives. What she remembers. How she came to be employed in that building. But most importantly, Alicia, you must make sure she does not come anywhere near Kai or his office again. Do you understand me?"

Alicia nodded, then remembered her mother could not see her. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. Yes."

"And Alicia?"

"Yes?"

"Do not panic. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. Don’t confront her before then."

"Right. Yes. I’ll—"

Two brisk knocks came at the door, and it swung open.

Alicia startled so badly she dropped her phone. It clattered to the desk with a sound like breaking glass, and she scrambled to retrieve it, her face flushing a deep, mortifying red.

Kai stood in the doorway with a file under his arm, looking at her with his brows drawn together. "Are you alright?"

"Yes! Yes. Fine." Alicia’s hand went to her hair, then to her collar, then to the desk. "Yes, I’m fine. I was just—" she waved a hand vaguely, "I came over a bit dizzy."

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