The room was thick with cigarette smoke.
Storm sat in the darkness, the ember of the cigarette between her fingers glowing faintly each time she drew from it. The hotel lamp had been off for a while now, yet the room was far from empty. The ashtray beside her was crowded with cigarette stubs, silent witnesses to the hours she had spent waiting.
The door opened quietly.
A shadow slipped in and closed it just as carefully behind him.
Storm didn't move.
Another shadow remained behind the intruder—silent, patient, watching.
The man walked further into the room and toward the window, peering outside as if checking whether he had been followed. After a moment he exhaled in frustration and pulled off his cap, running a hand through his hair.
Then the smell hit him.
Strong. Heavy. Cigarette smoke.
He stepped toward the center of the room, trying to locate its source.
The lamp beside the bed clicked on.
He spun around immediately, his hand dropping to the gun at his side.
Storm sat there watching him, one leg crossed over the other, the cigarette between her fingers.
Her voice was smooth, low, almost bored.
"I don't do girls."
The man blinked in confusion before irritation crossed his face.
"I don't do men."
Storm's eyebrow rose slightly.
She moved.
Elio barely saw it happen.
One moment she was sitting. The next she had crossed the space between them like a flash of shadow.
His body spun and suddenly he was bent forward against the table, his hands forced behind his back. The movement was so fast his brain hadn't caught up with it yet.
Before he could even protest—
A gunshot exploded through the room.
The bullet tore past the exact spot he had been standing moments earlier.
Elio froze.
Another two shots rang out from Storm's revolver in quick succession.
A heavy thud followed outside the window.
Silence returned.
Storm still held him there.
For several seconds neither of them moved.
Elio suddenly became very aware of their position. Bent forward over the table, pinned there firmly behind him. The situation was… uncomfortable. Suggestive in a way he didn't appreciate.
But he stayed quiet.
The cold metal of a gun pressed against his temple kept him sensible.
Then Storm turned him around in one swift motion.
"Who are you?" she asked calmly.
Elio lifted his head, offended.
He should be the one asking that.
Before he could respond though, he felt something press against his chest.
He froze.
His eyes flickered downward for a second.
Boobs.
His brain stalled.
Storm's face remained unreadable, her onyx eyes studying him closely. She was tall—taller than he had expected—and close enough that he could feel her breath. The gun never left his temple.
Elio swallowed.
Relief flickered through him before embarrassment followed immediately after.
At least it wasn't a man that had bent him over.
But he still didn't like the fact that he had been bent over at all.
The door behind them opened again.
Storm didn't even glance back.
The lights switched on.
Tora stood there, her expression calm at first as she scanned the room for threats. Once satisfied, her gaze shifted forward—
—and froze.
Her boss stood pressed close to a stranger, gun against his temple.
That alone was shocking.
Usually intruders never stood a chance with Storm.
Yet here this one was. Still alive.
Storm's eyes briefly shifted to Tora.
For a moment she had assumed Tora had sent the person in.
A gift for the night.
The stranger's soft features had made the assumption easy.
His eyes were unusually gentle, framed by soft lashes. His lips had a delicate shape and his short hair looked almost too soft for someone sneaking through windows.
Then Storm remembered the moment earlier.
Her knee brushing between his legs.
Her eyebrow lifted slightly in silent realization.
Not a woman.
Interesting.
Elio meanwhile could see his own reflection in Storm's dark eyes. Up close they were deeper than black, almost swallowing light.
He had never seen eyes like that before.
They were frightening.
But fascinating.
Storm studied him carefully now.
He reminded her of bubble gum.
Bright. Sweet looking. Harmless.
But something didn't fit that image.
Most people in this situation would be begging by now. Talking too much. Trying to explain themselves.
This one wasn't.
He stayed still.
Watching.
Thinking.
That was… unusual.
Storm's curiosity rose a little.
Then Tora's phone vibrated.
The sound cut through the room.
She answered quickly, listening in silence before speaking.
"Understood."
She hung up and turned to Storm.
"We need to leave."
Storm didn't argue.
But before stepping away she took one last moment to look at Elio properly.
She noticed the faint outline beneath his jacket.
A badge.
A cop.
That lifted her curiosity just a little higher.
He didn't look like one.
Storm finally stepped back, lowering the gun.
Without another word she turned and walked toward the door. Tora followed close behind her.
Within seconds the room was empty.
The door clicked shut.
Silence returned.
Elio remained standing for a moment, staring at the closed door.
Then his legs finally gave out.
He dropped to his knees, letting out a long breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
Relief washed over him.
But even as his heart slowed, one thought lingered stubbornly in his mind.
Those eyes.
Storm had left an impression on him far deeper than he had left on her.
And somehow he knew this would not be the last time their paths crossed.