"No."


    Perhaps he had been asking too much of her. She was intelligent, capable, a master strategist who couldmand a corporate battlefield, and brave enough to stand against the forces of darkness. She was already perfect, already powerful. What right did he have to demand she also be strong?


    But seeing her so vulnerable was unsettling. Something deep inside his chest continued to sink.


    "We found it! We found Ms. Archer''s phone!"


    With more people and the clear light of day, it didn''t take long to find Elsie''s blood- stained phone.


    "Is she...?" Seeing the blood, Evadne''s fear reached its peak.


    Thaddeus remained calm. He tried to power the phone on, and to his surprise, it worked.


    "What''s the passcode?" he asked, his voice gentle as he looked at Evadne''s tear- filled eyes.


    With trembling hands, Evadne took the phone and tried entering Elvis''s birthday. It unlocked easily.


    In the photo gallery were pictures of several documents. Elsie had made backups on her phone, just in case.


    Thaddeus leaned in, his head nearly touching Evadne''s as they carefully read the contents. Both were fluent in French, so they had no trouble understanding the documents.


    Jareth, ever curious, peered over their shoulders, but his French had always been terrible, so he couldn''t make sense of a single word.


    "RC was the driving force behind that human drug trial! The drug came from them!" Evadne''s eyes zed as she met Thaddeus''s intense gaze.


    "Yes. Elsie must have found these documents in The Velvet Haven. Avery probably left them behind in his haste."


    "So, was she attacked because she got her hands on this?" Jareth asked anxiously.


    Evadne clutched the phone, her sharp eyes narrowing. "Finding this file at The Velvet Haven proves that Avery was RC''s agent in this country. Thisb report was likely sent to him by RC, and he kept it as leverage, just in case. Now that Avery and his people are dead, who would want this information?"


    A heavy, oppressive silence fell over them.


    All signs pointed to Chad and Alexia. They couldn''t think of anyone else who would see Elsie as such a threat.


    Thaddeus''s face was a mask of calm, but the crimson rage ring in his eyes betrayed the storm of fury raging within him.


    "Goddamn animals," Jareth snarled, his fists clenching.


    "But there''s one thing I don''t understand Evadne took a deep breath, trying to force herself to think rationally. "Why would Ellie call me in that moment of crisis? With her personality she would face death head on without a second thought rather than drag anyone else down with her.”


    Thaddeus looked at her intently, his voice raspy. "Yes. In that way, the two of you are very much alike."


    A tremor went through Evadne''s


    heart. "So, for her to think of calling me in that split second she must have wanted to warn me about something, to tell me something."


    But no matter how hard she tried, her mind, aching with exhaustion, drew aplete nk.


    "Go home Rest and recover."


    Thaddeus''s own breathing grew tight as he watched her anguish. "Tik contact Elvis. We were ssmates, and we''re on good terms. He might listen to me."


    Jareth shook his head. Thaddeus was making a bold promise. His blunt way of speaking was more likely to convince someone to jump off a cliff than to calm down.


    In the end, apletely drained Evadne was escorted to a car by Thaddeus and Jareth. Gordon drove her back to her home in Skyrim.


    "Thad, about this whole thing..." Jareth started to say.


    Before he could finish, a loud bang made him jump.


    Thaddeus, his eyes zing with crimson fury, had mmed his fist into the car window, shattering the ss instantly.


    The rage he had suppressed all day finally erupted now that Evadne was gone and he was alone with his closest friend.


    "I won''t let him get away with this,” he said, his voice trembling with anger.


    "Who?"


    "Chad. And that bitch he keeps on a leash."