The lights in the warehouse came to life with a harsh buzzing noise, each one cracking the silence with a loud *squelch* before settling into their monotone hum. They revealed a peculiar scene: half-a-dozen people, stripped naked and with their hands and feet bound, arranged in a straight line facing one wall. Opposite them stood three figures, two women and a man, who were dressed in stylish but practical formal wear. One of the women, whose silky black hair was tied into a bun behind her head,

As Blaire watched the well-dressed man step out of his car and walk down the alley, nervously looking around him as though worried he was being observed, she poked at the soft bulge on her midsection. It rippled slightly at her touch, and she grinned as she thought of the idiot mugger it had been yesterday. It had been ages since anyone had tried to attack her in this part of town, her reputation ensured that.


Around here, she was known as Bottomless Blaire,