Chapter 5

"Scarlett, I need you to focus," Grace snapped.

"Did you hear what he said to me? And then, then he had the audacity to take a step away from me. Like I smell or something," Scarlett recapped.

"Yes, Lucas is an ass. That's probably why he and his boss get along so well. So let's show those two assholes what we can do, shall we?"

Grace knew exactly what buttons to press to get Scarlett going. Her assistant may have been flighty, unreliable, lazy, and came across as stupid, but she also thrived on competition and proving people wrong. Lucas just became Scarlett's number one enemy.

"Yeah, let's put those pricks in their place. What do you need me to do?"

Grace and Scarlett kept their heads down, working through lunch and staying later than their usual office hours.

Lucas had sent an e-mail to Scarlett, confirming the meeting time for the next morning, which fueled Scarlett's rage further. She became a research machine while anticipating Grace's every need .

I need to make her angry more often , Grace chuckled to herself when she was shutting down her computer. She didn't get everything she wanted done, but to Scarlett's credit, Grace wouldn't have been able to accomplish what she did without her.

"Scarlett, can you check for any public announcements, to see if it's safe to walk home," she asked through the intercom.

Scarlett walked into Grace's office a few minutes later.

"It's all clear, no announcements. No news about that vampire that killed Jake either though. You sure we should be walking home?"

"I have my UV flashlight with me, and I'll stay on streets that have the UV lamposts," Grace assured her. "If you're nervous, I can walk you home."

"No, I'm fine. I just thought you might be freaked out. What if the vampire saw you on the call in all your delicious half-nakedness and goes after you next?"

"I honestly didn't think of that, but they aren't known to do anything like that, are they?" Grace pondered.

"Do what? Go after attractive people and try to have sex with them?"

"Well that, or hunt down specific people in general," Grace clarified.

"Right, though victims rarely make it out alive. How do we know the vamps aren't having a little fun with the bodies before or after?" Scarlett speculated.

"We know, Scarlett. It's called an autopsy," Grace said in disbelief.

"Right, right right…" Scarlett trailed off, as they left the building and started walking. "So, you're not a fan of Mr. Kennedy, right?"

"One hundred percent not a fan," Grace replied.

"So you'd be okay if I slept with him?" Scarlett asked.

Grace stumbled over her feet .

"Why would you want to?"

"Because Boss Man is beyond hot, duh," Scarlett said, her tone suggesting Grace was an idiot for not seeing the obvious.

"But he has been so rude to both of us," Grace scoffed.

"Yeah, but that's just boring work stuff. I'm sure he's different outside of work. Mind you, if he wanted to bring that dominance into the bedroom, I wouldn't complain."

"He's all yours. You probably should work fast. I'm just waiting for him to realize that this place is worse than he remembers. I can't wait to watch him run out of town scared shitless the moment he experiences his first minor event."

"Says the woman who now has to make Hell's Gate look desirable to tourists and potential new residents by telling them about all our minor and major events," Scarlett laughed.

"Yeah, fuck my life."

"Anyway, I snuck a peak at Lucas's planner when he went to the washroom. Mr. Kennedy has dinner reservations for one at Chevalier Noir Friday night. I'm going to conveniently bump into him and see if I can't sway him to make it a table for two," Scarlett said with a wink. "I'll see you bright and early boss."

Scarlett took the next left, while Grace went right.

When Grace got home, she heated a microwaveable meal and poured a glass of wine. It was late, but she read over her proposals and ideas one last time while she ate. She was confident that her ideas were solid, despite hating everything about this campaign.

Satisfied with her work, she got ready for bed. After she washed up and changed, she came back to her bedroom to find a text from Scarlett.

Scarlett

Hey

Forwarded work phone to my work cell. Vamp Control called and left a message

Grace

What do they want now?

They figured out how the vampire got into Jake's apartment

They referred to him as your boyfriend

Did they know you only went on one date? I guess with what you were doing, they assumed you were together together

How did it get in????

Jake was due to re-sign his lease. His condo is city property. He was literally one day late signing, so it technically became public property and the vampire was able to enter

Seriously? Jake was killed because of a clerical technicality?

Maybe these vamps are smarter than we give them credit for

Anyway, I know I'm good for now, but I'm still going to double-check my lease date in the morning anyway. You might want to do the same

All good, I own my townhouse

Thanks for letting me know

Goodnight

Night night !

Grace was about to put her phone down to go to sleep when she saw she had new notifications from her dating app–Doomsday Dating.

"Fifty potentials?" she said out loud in disbelief.

It had taken days just to get a match with Jake. People always got a bit desperate after something tragic happened, and body-melting fog was a good push to get people wanting to partner up, or at least get laid before they died.

She went through all the men who swiped up on her profile. It was now up to her to swipe up or down. If she swiped up, that would be considered a match and only then would chatting be possible between them.

It was evident that the majority of potential suitors hadn't read her profile and just wanted a quick hook-up, but there were a few profiles that stood out. She swiped up on four men who she was open to starting a conversation with.

With her phone plugged in, Grace turned off the lights to go to sleep. She couldn't afford to be tired or off her game.