Fire Rose Hillson
I glanced at my phone, its incessant buzzing on the table as annoying as a fly that refuses to leave you alone. I tried to ignore it, focusing on the animated discussion in front of me, but the screen kept flashing, demanding my attention. Who is even calling me Nicholas?
But I just talked to him a moment ago. My assistant caught my eye and mouthed, "You can take it."
With a sigh, I raised a finger. "Give me one minute." I stepped out of the room, and looked at the screen.
Oh its Gerald.
"Hello?" I answered, bracing myself.
"Rose! We got a lead on Themis," Gerald's voice burst through the receiver, almost making me drop the phone.
I blinked, stunned. Did they already find out about Catrina pretending? My heart pounded in my chest. "Give me the details.'
"We've spotted Themis around an area in the city several times," Gerald said, excitement palpable in his voice.
I bit my lip, thank goodness, they still didn't know. "Can you tell me about it later, I'm still in the middle of a meeting."
"Oh sorry can you come to the museum later?."
"Yeah, I'll hang up now bye."
"See you there," he replied, and I hung up, returning to my meeting with my mind racing.
As the meeting wrapped up, I instructed my assistant to push back my schedule for the afternoon. I had something far more important to attend to. Leaving my office, I headed to the museum, my thoughts a whirlwind of anticipation and anxiety. I hoped I could talk to Cronus alone before everyone else arrived. It had been too long since we'd hung out, and I missed him terribly.
When I reached Cronus's office at the museum, I was surprised to find everyone already there.
"Rose!" Ressi squealed, pulling me into a tight hug.
"Hi, my lover" I managed to say, laughing as Seth joined the hug.
Alexandra greeted me with a warm smile, and Gerald couldn't resist a joke. "The main character shows up late as usual."
I stuck my tongue out at him, earning a round of giggles from everyone. Finally, Cronus approached, his hug warm but his weariness evident. "It's good to see you," he murmured.
"You too," I whispered back, feeling a pang of concern. When we broke apart, I saw Catrina standing there, smiling that fake smile I despised so much. For the sake of keeping up appearances, I greeted her and smiled back, though inside, I was cursing her existence.
We settled into our impromptu meeting, sharing the information we'd gathered. Gerald leaned forward, his expression serious as he spoke first.
"I've been tracking Themis for the past week," he began, his voice steady and precise. "There have been multiple sightings of him in Brooklyn Heights. A few sources reported seeing him near the waterfront, and one even mentioned he was spotted entering an old, abandoned warehouse on Furman Street."
I nodded, noting the details. "It sounds like he might be staying nearby. We're close," I thought, excitement and dread mixing within me. The apart Nicholas mentioned is also near the waterfront, I'm happy Gerald's investigation is heading the right way.
Then Catrina spoke, her voice smooth and confident, contrasting sharply with Gerald's. "I've received contact from him using an unknown number. He said he's staying in Midtown Manhattan."
