The girls went directly to their hotels from the airport, we had booked them into two separate hotels, for safety reasons. Makes it harder for the enemy to strike back if the girls are spread out more. Acadia, from the Wildcats, is our drone expert, and she has taught Sabina, from the Bad Girls, and Nakedra from my team, so that all three are now experts in drone operation using many different types of drones.

This is something we have needed for some time now and I will be getting Acadia to teach one of the men as well. After settling in to their hotels, the girls went out to check around the city. They wanted to see the building where Medina worked, and owned, plus to check her house as well. Medina’s house is really where the girls want to work first, or perhaps I should say, the ghosts want to work first.

The house was huge and located in a wealthy area of the city. There was a nice, winding road leading up to the house which sat on top of a small hill. She did not have an electronic security system in the house since there were always people inside, including her security detail. There were 12 men/women during the day and 20 at night. Rochelle told us all of this information, as well as the layout of the house and office building.

She had only been in the house once, but she memorized as much detail as possible while she was there, thinking that it might be helpful some day. Rochelle went along on this trip as one of the Bad Girls. I just hope she is not deliberately leading the girls into a trap. I did not sense any problems with Rochelle and neither did Jennifer or Sky. The cats also trusted her, so that is always a good sign.

The girls parked far from the house and sent up a drone to look around. This drone can fly high enough that it shouldn’t likely be heard or noticed, and it has a great camera with a telephoto lens so they can get some good photos of the house and yard. The yard and garden areas are also large, like the house, the whole property is quite large, but all the properties in that area are large.

After looking around they went back to the office building for phase one of this little project. Kat said that Rochelle seemed to be genuinely nervous about meeting with Danielle again. But Kat and Sky will be with her, as well as Colette. However, Danielle will not see Kat and Sky unless necessary. At the office building Rochelle and Colette went inside and over to the reception desk, asking to meet with Danielle.

The woman called up to Danielle who was in her penthouse office suite for lunch. A camera focused on the two girls downstairs and Danielle looked at a large screen to see who it was. “Well, well, Rochelle has returned and has brought a friend,” said Danielle. The camera focused more on Colette. “Ah, Colette, formerly worked for Sebastien, run away from him and joined The Investigators and is on the team called The Bad Girls,” said Danielle as she read the information that showed on her screen.

“Allow them to come up to my suite,” said Danielle. Inside the elevator lights began flashing all around them. “She is scanning us for weapons,” said Rochelle. When they reached the top and the door opened they were met by two rather large, burly men. One of the men told them to step out and they would be checked for weapons.

“But we have already been checked Andre,” said Rochelle, “and with these tight clothes, how would we hide weapons?” “Andre, Blaise, let them come in,” said Danielle. “Hello Rochelle, it is quite a surprise to see you here again,” said Danielle, “and who is your friend?” “My name is Colette,” answered Colette, “but I’m sure you already know that Medina.” “Medina?” she asked, “Why ever would you call me by that name?”

“I always like to use a person’s true name,” replied Colette, “I do not like to play games.” “Something that you learned while working for Sebastien, perhaps?” asked Danielle, “Or was it after, while working for The Investigators?” “Actually, it is something that I learned while in prison, Medina,” she said, “have you ever been in prison?” “No, I never have seen the inside of such a place,” she said, “but I hear it is quite dreadful.”

“Well, you might get to see for yourself very soon,” said Rochelle, “with all the murders that you have done, even by using others, would still get you a very long prison sentence.” “I can understand Colette being so brave,” said Danielle, “but bravery is an odd thing to see in you Rochelle. You are usually just a whimpering coward.”

“People can change when they see the savagery of others,” said Rochelle. “And what is it you would like me to do that you would come into my territory and talk to me in such a way?” asked Danielle, “Surely you don’t expect me to let you go.” “Actually Medina, you are in our territory,” said Colette, “we just came to warn you that we are here.”

Danielle then picked up her glass of wine which shattered in her hand. “Just as that glass shattered in your hand Medina,” said Colette, “so will your whole little empire shatter in your hands. Now we must go.” The girls turned to go but Andre and Blaise blocked the hallway to the elevator. Colette hit Andre sending him flying about 10 feet away, then she did the same to Blaise. The girls went to the elevator and suddenly everything went dark.

The electricity had been turned off. However, the elevator opened for them and took them down to the main floor and the girls walked out. Medina was trying hard to get that elevator to work for her too, but without electricity it was pointless. Finally, in frustration, she beat on the elevator doors, then she went back to her chair and called to see what was causing the problem, but her maintenance team didn’t know yet.

But they did have it working again in about an hour. Frustrated, angered and annoyed, Medina decided to go back home and relax. She tried to figure out how Colette could knock those two big men around so easily, how did they turn off the electricity and how did they use the elevator! None of it made sense to her, but she didn’t know that Kat and Sky were with the two Bad Girls and they were the ones doing these things.

Nothing happened to her that afternoon, but after dinner as she picked up her glass of wine, it shattered in her hands, just like it had happened earlier. But this time she heard a voice which said, “your empire will shatter like that glass of wine.” She quickly asked the others at the table if they heard that voice, but no one did, they just kind of looked at each other.

“I’m tired, we’ll talk tomorrow,” said Medina, and she went upstairs to her bedroom. Her maid came up to check on her later and Medina told her to turn off the lights when she left, but when she did, they came right back on. This happened several times so that Medina got up to do it herself, but the same thing happened. She then called Louis who came and turned off the lights and it worked just fine.

The maid told him what had been happening and Louis tried it several times and it kept working perfectly, so Medina told them both to leave. She soon fell asleep, but, about an hour later she woke up and the lights were on again. She looked around, and at the foot of the bed stood a headless woman.

“Your empire has begun to crumble Medina,” said the headless woman, “and you will crumble along with it. You must pay for all those murders you committed.” Then the headless woman disappeared and the lights turned off again. Medina figured she had been dreaming so she went back to sleep, until…

To Be Continued.

©2025 Steve McLeod.