Where Did She Go?

Before he could respond, Thalia moved back, her expression becoming darker. "You have work to do, Ross. Don't ever forget that."

And then she was gone, leaving him alone once again. But even as the door shut behind her, the afterglow of her presence was still in the room. The mission was no longer the only thing on his mind.

The door thudded close, but the energy from Thalia still hung in the air, like a storm that had passed. Dean blew out a breath, shoving his dripping hair back from his face. His heart was still pounding from the way she had looked at him like she was in control of all of it, like she knew she was doing this to him.

And then. she just walked away.

Dean tied on a set of black sweatpants and shirt before he was leaving his bedroom. The hall was dark, the muffled voices of sound emanating somewhere deeper in the mansion. Something wasn't right, his gut told him so.

He strolled along the corridor, greeting some of the gang members who barely acknowledged his arrival. Thalia was always at the center of it all, always making sure that things went her way. Tonight? Nowhere to be seen.

Dean spotted Garrett leaning on the bar in the lounge, a half-pint to hand.

"Where's Thalia?" Dean inquired nonchalantly, attempting not to seem interested.

Garrett chuckled, waving his glass in his direction. "Miss her already?"

Dean snorted. "She ran out of my room like she had an appointment. Asking if I had anything I'd missed."

Garrett regarded him for a moment, then shrugged. "She does that sometimes. Disappears when she wants to. Nobody inquires."

That didn't sit well with Dean. He had been around long enough to know that Thalia never left anything to chance. She was in charge of everything and everyone that moved in her circle. So why was she now disappeared in the dead of night without a word?

Dean leaned against the bar, his voice barely above a whisper. "So you have no idea where she went?"

Garrett smiled again. "Nah. But if you're so curious, you can go ask her yourself when she returns."

Dean nodded, biting his tongue. Something wasn't right.

Thalia had just suddenly gotten up and left without saying anything, and if there was one thing he'd learned about Thalia, it was that she never did anything for nothing.

And now, for the first time, Dean wasn't certain that he was the one who was watching her. or if she'd simply managed to slip away from him completely.