Leaving the man pale-faced and floundering, Emma entered the parking lot and climbed into the back a black car while the feminine guard took the driver’s seat, turned on the ignition, pulled out of the lot… and then parked only a block away, around the corner just out of sight from the building entrance. Meanwhile, Shiori watched the hotel staff and guards and staff frenzied and panicked from the roof of a nearby building. Her belly had already shrunk to half the size since she left the warehouse. The thought of a second meal had unconsciously prompted her stomach to digest a bit faster to make more room. Her belly rumbled again, growing eager to welcome more prey.

Before Shiori made her way to the alley where her "snack" was stashed, she noticed a familiar face in a car parked on the nearby street. A tiny ember of anger still burned towards Emma for how little she cared for her sister, but that wasn't why she came. Besides, Shiori hated eating other preds since they always put up more of a fight. She snuck past the car and returned to the alleyway to claim her second course.

Unbeknownst to her, the cell phone on her belly has yet to be fully digested and still had a signal though very faint.

As the engine was shut off only minutes after being turned on, Emma handed her cell phone to the driver with a scoff, who took it with a slight note of haste and began hooking something into it.

“You’d better be able to track that idiot’s phone” Emma growled out. “I put too much into this to have cold feet spoil it all.”

“Yeah, I got it - don’t worry” the feminine guard remarked, tapping a button on the device she’d hooked into the cell phone… and then reached a hand up to tug off her neck-length brown locks, which slid away to reveal Dalhia’s short-cut green hair. “You just hope that maid you dragged back to me doesn’t wake up anytime soon, otherwise people are probably gonna ask questions how your ‘intruder’ switched costumes with one of the staff.”

“You assume anyone would believe her“ Emma snorted, crossing her arms. “All I have to say is that she used being a maid as her cover - it’s my word against hers… and given how you ended up, I doubt anyone would be surprised by her coming across as incompetent.”

“Hey, that’s not my fault!” Dahlia complained, rubbing her forehead where she still felt the puncture-mark. “You never said anything about a third goddamn party, and I’m lucky that thing didn’t go deep enough to pierce my brain!”

“For what I paid you, it shouldn’t have been a problem - I’ve done more work than you in this job, what with how much I had to do to wake you” Emma scoffed. “As it stands, the only reason I haven’t severed your contract is because my cousin is even *more* incompetent then you and tracing phone calls isn’t my forte… provided you can do something right for a change tonig-“

“I’ve got him….”

Emma’s tirade faltered to silence at the sudden, surprised-sounding statement from Dahlia, pausing for a moment before giving a thin smile and mirthless laugh.“Well, it seems you can do something right after all.”

“My skill doesn’t have anything to do with it - and they *are* good, by the way” Dahlia remarked irritably, though she was more focused on the device in her hands. “It’s a matter of distance; with how weak the signal looks, I shouldn’t have got a trace this fast. Not unless… he’s close.”

The smile fell away as surprise and suspicion overtook Emma’s expression. “Define very.”

With her free hand, Dahlia pointed in a direction behind them… and with her other hand, she held up both the phone and the device, the former’s screen showing a small map representing the street - with a faded blip just visible at what marked the entrance to an alleyway. “Close enough to walk.”

If Emma had been surprised before, she was now outright stunned by this as she looked out the car window in the direction Dahlia pointed. The moment of disbelief eventually broke to be replaced by anger and contempt, grinding her teeth with a snarl - and quickly stepping out of the car with Dahlia right behind her, both making their way towards the alley in question. It would take a few minutes to reach on foot, but even she figured using the car would alert him... though even then she didn't expect a fight. In her mind, her cousin was never much of a fighter.

Art by MrMetroid107
Story and characters belong to me

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