The drive back from the lake was silent, though it was clear that Nora had a dozen things to say. She kept glancing at Nicholas, silently asking for permission to speak, but he didn't even look at her. If she was serious about talking, she would.And sure enough, she spoke up just as they were driving into his place."Do you think she'll do it?" she asked."What do you think?" he replied. "Do you think she will?""No. Not if she's smart," Nora said immediately.Nicholas laughed like she had just said something naive. Nora couldn't believe the way that laughter grated on her nerves.Since when had she become the sort of person Nicholas laughed at like that? Such an act used to be reserved for people like Despero and the likes of other fools that had dared to cross Nicholas.'Just how far have I fallen in his sight?' she thought. 'Is he going to discard me one of these days?'She could feel that old fear rising up within her, no matter how hard she tried to push it down. The fear that sh

Time seemed to have stopped.Nicholas and Nora stood still in that room. At their feet was Nadya, lying dead in a pool of her own blood. Their eyes were fixed on the open door swinging from side to side. The door through which Asphalt had made his escape only a moment ago.Finally, Nora broke the deafening silence."We should go after him," she said. "He couldn't have gone that far. We can still catch up to him, and—""And what, Nora?" Nicholas cut in.The tone of his voice startled her. It sounded bland, like he was suppressing an outburst of emotion. She hesitated before answering."And kill him, of course," she said. "He was always going to be a problem, but after what happened here? There's no telling what he might do. Eliminating him takes priority right now."Nicholas gave her a look like he couldn't believe she was saying this."After what just happened…" he said. "Why is that all you can think of?""What?" she replied, confused. "What do you mean, Young Master? What else am I

For his next trick, Asphalt had chosen to vanish into thin air. Not only had he disappeared completely from Nicholas's radar, but he was apparently not anywhere in the city, either."Or maybe that's just what he wants you to think," Nora said while she and Nicholas discussed it."My thoughts exactly," he replied. "This vanishing act might be just another ploy for attention. I wouldn't put it past Asphalt.He must have learnt that I've chosen to come after him, and decided to turn it into a hide and seek.""That way, he can make this into even more of a big deal," Nora added. "Remember that the whole point of this is to send a message to the other founding fathers.""So what do you think he plans to do next?" Nicholas asked. "Is he that certain that I won't be able to find him?""I think he intends for you to find him, actually," Nora replied. "That's why he's setting up this whole charade. So that you'll come after him instead of the other way round. Whatever he plans to do, it's nece

"How soon can we get into this room of his?" Nicholas asked."Roughly half an hour, give or take," Nora replied, tapping furiously into the tablet on her hand.She had connected it to the central computer in the place, and hadn't looked up from it for what felt like forever."Make it less than that," he said."What the—" she exclaimed, finally looking up. "I wish I could obey that order, Young Master, but hacking isn't magic. And there are too many codes involved in the security of this place. Cracking them will take time.""Enough time for Asphalt to make his escape?""You don't need to worry about that, Young Master," she assured him. "Asphalt knows that he's only safe because he's in that room. He's not stupid enough to leave it. And even if he does, Kabuto and the rest of the ghosts are watching every corner of this building. He won't get far. More importantly…"She hesitated, wondering if it would be wise to continue."More importantly?" Nicholas prodded.Nora hesitated, then dec

He knew it was the sort of behavior Nora would call weak, but Nicholas went to see Natalie, anyway. Even though he had just been to see her a short while ago. She had asked that he call her that night, so he figured that she wouldn't mind if he showed up again so soon. Despite how unbothered he had acted before Kabuto, he was actually a bit agitated about the current situation. And whenever he felt like that, the only place he could go was to Natalie.If there was a new person targeting Belfords, it couldn't be good for him. Even if their only target had been Asphalt, with the way his body had just been dumped somewhere, Nicholas could tell that the culprit was not only capable but ruthless as well. In his experience, that could only mean trouble.As he thought, Natalie was startled to see him, but more than that, she was excited."I was just thinking about the next time you'd visit," she said, hugging him tightly.Nicholas hugged her back. He was reluctant to let go. In her arms, it