24. Traps and fools

'What is he trying to insinuate?' Elise wondered as she broke out of her trance. While she maintained her gaze on Reuel, he continued to hold the paper before her, waiting for her to take it.

Alarms bells went off in her mind when she noticed his smirk. They were saying something to her, warning her of the danger she was in. Elise knew it; she sensed it.

However, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to move away from Reuel. He was in her personal space and she could even smell his cologne. Yet, the proximity didn't repel her. Instead, she was excited. Oddly.

Elise was confused out of her mind. Her eyes drifted between Azael and Reuel while her mind tried to discern what was happening. Even though the second twin was a few feet away from her, she didn't miss the interest and fascination in his eyes.

A strange notion popped up in her mind. But before she could catch hold of it, it disappeared instantly, leaving her frustrated. Her brows narrowed into a frown as she tried to decipher everything happening to her. But before she could dwell more into it, the Sephyr twin before her spoke up.

"Officer Winslow, please." Reuel lifted his hand and gestured for her to take the paper, successfully breaking her out of the stupor she had fallen into unknowingly.

"Sorry about that." Elise apologized and took the paper. Since she averted her gaze, she completely missed the glint in Reuel's eyes.

'Lily of the valley. Wonderful!' Reuel was mesmerized and he savored the lovely scent around Elise. Everything about her made him desire her all the more and he realized that he was not just attracted to her sexually. Nope. 

There was something strangely captivating about Elise that made him want to know her genuinely, not just as a sexual partner but as a person. He was allured by her more than he had ever been with any woman and he understood right away that whatever would transpire between them would last for a long time.

'Is it because she is the first woman I have met who hasn't budged under our power and might?' He pondered as he made his way back to the couch.

Azael gave him a questioning look once he was sitting beside him. He had not missed the expression on Reuel's face as he returned to the couch. Although it was fleeting, he had caught onto it instantly.

Reuel didn't reply to him. Instead, he gestured to him, silently expressing that he would tell him everything later.

Oblivious to the thoughts in the twins' minds, Elise read the non-disclosure agreement. She already had an inkling as to what this was regarding. Since Black Opal was a BDSM club, the twins were right to get them to sign the agreement. After all, it concerned the privacy and security of the members.

Elise had no problems signing it and she did it in an instant. She was quicker than the three men who were still comprehending what was happening.

"Here." She then placed the agreement back on the table.

Her swift actions surprised the three men, but not the twins. They had long understood that although the policemen were leading the investigation, she was the leader of the group and everyone listened to her subconsciously when it came to significant matters.

Elise's words only served to make the men sign the agreement as well and they too placed the agreements once they were done.

"Thank you for cooperating." Azael smiled, his words directed more towards Elise than anyone else. He then pushed the laptop towards the group as he played the footage from the previous night.

"You may take a look yourself. We haven't made any modifications to the actual footage other than blurring irrelevant people's faces."

Elise's poker face cracked instantly. She gave him a profound look, not caring about the three men who were engrossed in watching the footage. She had caught onto the meaning when no one else did. The faint impression she had previously vanished in a whim and she was embraced by the feeling of resentment again, like the previous night.

They wouldn't be finding anything today. The twins had drafted a good plan and they had been fools to believe them.

Elise gave the twins an unimpressed look as she looked around the place again. Her gaze automatically fell on the multitude of computers and laptops behind Azael and she narrowed her eyes.

Azael had no doubt that Elise had caught onto the underlying meaning behind his words and once again, he was impressed by her intelligence. The woman had a sharp brain and if they wanted her to be with them, they had to use a lot of tricks and traps.

Elise bit her lower lip thoughtfully. Although they had got the warrant, they were only able to access the part of the footage the twins wanted to show them. If they wanted the complete footage, then.... 

She tapped her foot as she devised different ways to make the twins succumb and accept defeat. But she came short. The twins were too shrewd and she would have to use a lot of brain cells to emerge victorious against them.

Azael and Reuel had been watching Elise and her every move. They didn't give a damn about the three men who were engrossed in watching the footage. They didn't care that Elise had unraveled the truth behind the video and that they had edited it. 

All they cared about was Elise and the moment she bit her lips, their gazes darkened. Already they were bewitched by her and this action of hers only served to make them lose their minds, almost. 

How they wished to be the ones to bite her lips. Barely had the thought registered in their minds, they decided. Another rule was going into the contract when Elise agreed to be with them.

While Elise and the twins were lost in their thoughts, Kai, Daniel, and Derek watched the footage carefully, only to end up with nothing useful.

Craig Tyrell had entered the club and they noticed that most of the video was blurred, especially the faces of the people who were around him. But they had no problem with it. They were solely focused on Craig.

The man had entered the club and after some time had left the club after picking up a call. They matched the time of the call and the explosion and realized it was a few minutes after the blast. After leaving the club, he entered his car and drove away. There was no doubt about it.

Everything was clear. So, there was nothing else for them to see. Kai sighed heavily, forcing Elise to break out of her thoughts.

"Any luck?"

Kai shook his head in disappointment.

'As expected.' Elise wasn't disappointed like the three men. The result was as the twins wanted it to be.

Everything was playing out the way the twins had planned while nothing was working in their favor. Elise was in a fix and felt helpless. Yet, she didn't give up.

"We'd need a copy of the video to test the authenticity."

"Sure. We don't mind." Azael agreed immediately and even went forward to help them make a copy of the video.

Elise's heart dropped. Since he was willing, there was no way in hell they would find a fault with it. She was sure about it. The twins were wickedly smart and they were at a disadvantage.

Daniel's phone rang at that moment. "It's from the DNA testing clinic."

Elise pursed her lips while Daniel answered the call and spoke for a few seconds.

"So?" Kai enquired the moment the call ended.

"The blood belongs to Mr. Azael. There is no other person involved here."

----------------------------

The next chapter has been posted on discord. Readers can access it by joining the server.

https://discord.gg/dvt8pqmBUq