Chapter 2 - Return to the Obsidian
The drive into Manhattan was a blur of flashing traffic lights and gray slush. Elara’s head throbbed in rhythm with the car’s engine. They didn’t take her to the front entrance of the Obsidian Lounge. Instead, the sedan slipped into a heavily guarded underground parking garage.
Gideon hauled her out of the backseat by her arm. "Walk," he commanded.
They marched her to a private elevator that required a retinal scan. The doors slid open to reveal the top floor—a sprawling, minimalist penthouse that hovered above the city like a fortress of glass and steel. The scent of dark roast coffee and polished mahogany filled the air.
Cassian Thorne stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the city. He wore a crisp white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing the faint edge of a dark tattoo. He didn't turn around when the elevator chimed.
"Sir. We found her," Gideon announced.
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Cassian slowly turned, his dark, bottomless eyes locking onto Elara. He took in her matted, blood-soaked hair, her missing boot, and the shivering, bruised frame wrapped in an old homeless man's coat. A dangerous, imperceptible shift occurred in his jaw.
"I told Silas to pay her off and put her on a train out of the city," Cassian said, his voice dangerously soft. "Why does she look like she was left in a ditch to die?"
