The early evening breeze drifted in through the slightly cracked window of Kayla’s apartment, bringing a not so subtle reminder that autumn was well underway. Inside Kayla's room, she and her two best friends Andrea and Madelyn were busy getting ready for a fun night out at one of Hazeldale’s biggest halloween events. It was a private event, invite only, but with Kayla’s connections she was always sure to secure an invite.

Kayla, with her long black hair styled in loose waves, leaned over her vanity, securing her lipstick with an expert flick of her wrist. This year she had decided to dress up as Mavis from Hotel Transylvania, adding a few touches of her own style to the look. She wore a fitted black dress with short sleeves and a high neckline, the hem ending just above mid-thigh to show off her legs. Beneath the dress, a pair of sheer pantyhose added a subtle shine, giving her legs a polished look. She finished the outfit by pulling on thigh-high red-and-black striped socks. When putting the outfit together she wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but as she looked at her reflection in the mirror she was quite pleased.

Madelyn was lounging on the edge of Kayla's bed, looking every bit the fashion icon she was. Tonight, she’d gone all out as Daphne from Scooby-Doo, complete with a short purple dress, a green scarf tied around her neck, and sheer lilac-colored pantyhose. As she finished touching up her makeup, she reached over and grabbed a pair of patterned crew socks. She slipped them over her nylon-clad feet before pulling on her tall white boots.

“I don’t know how you can do Halloween without nylons,” Madelyn said with a grin, smoothing her own pantyhose as she swung her legs playfully. “They just make every costume look so much better. Plus, your legs don’t get cold. I mean it’s literally a no-brainer.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Kayla replied, adjusting her tall socks to make sure they were pulled up perfectly over her legs. “Are you two almost ready to go?”

“Just about,” replied Andrea, putting the finishing touches on her own costume.

She stood on the other side of the room in front of a full-length mirror, making small adjustments to her Tifa-inspired outfit. She wore a black miniskirt and white tank top, along with fingerless gloves, suspenders, and thigh-high black socks with bright red combat boots.

“For someone who’s never played a Final Fantasy game, you really nailed that look,” Kayla said, admiring Andrea’s flawless Tifa costume.

Andrea did a proud twirl, basking in Kayla’s compliment.

“Thank you,” she said with a wink, “I’ve been putting it together like all month. I know I could have gone out and purchased everything, but knowing that I was able to thrift it all just really makes me so happy.”

“That’s amazing actually,” Madleyn remarked, “way to go, girlie!”

Andrea struck a playful pose, tugging at the edge of her miniskirt with a grin. "I mean, if I'm going to a Halloween party, I want it to be legit, you know? Nothing like making an entrance in something you pulled together yourself," she said, beaming.

Kayla nodded, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. "Speaking of which, this party sounds like it’s going to be pretty cool,” she said. “They’ve rented out that old mansion just on the edge of town. Can you believe that?”

Madelyn’s eyes widened. “Oh, that place? The one that's, like, actually haunted?”

“The one and only," Kayla laughed, “but haunted or not, it’s perfect for Halloween. The organizers went all out, too. There’s supposed to be a costume contest, prizes, everything. Plus, it’s a fundraiser for a children’s hospital. So like, we love that.”

Madelyn scoffed playfully. “Well, you better enjoy yourself, Kayla Grace. You’re always working. Tonight, the Hazeldale Tribune is not allowed to steal you away.”

Kayla held up her hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine! Just for tonight, I’ll stay off duty. It’ll be all fun, games, and spiked punch—promise.”

"Cheers to that!” Andrea said, lifting an imaginary glass and giving Kayla a supportive smile.

“Alright, ladies,” Kayla said, grabbing her purse and stuffing her phone inside, “ready to make some heads turn?”

Madelyn clapped her hands excitedly. “Hell, yeah!”

With that, the three friends gathered their things and made their way out of Kayla’s house, eager to see what the night had in store.

The party was held in a sprawling mansion just outside Hazeldale, with an old-fashioned gothic look that gave it a naturally eerie vibe even before it had been decked out in cobwebs, faux grave markers, and strings of orange and purple lights. As they walked up the pathway, they could hear the faint hum of bass-heavy music and the muffled sound of laughter and chatter inside.

“Wow,” Madelyn breathed, craning her neck to take in the mansion’s towering silhouette against the darkening sky. “This is fucking insane. Super creepy too, but like, in the best way.”

Inside, the mansion was just as elaborately decorated, with large chandeliers draped in fake spider webs, red and black banners hanging from the walls, and pumpkin-themed lanterns casting an amber glow over the crowded room. Everywhere they looked, people were dressed in costumes—witches, zombies, superheroes, and villains filled the room, each group laughing and mingling over punch bowls and trays of appetizers.

“Now this is a party,” Andrea said approvingly, glancing around with a grin. She caught sight of a buffet table and nudged Madelyn. “Come on, let’s grab something to eat before all the good stuff is gone.”

As they made their way toward the food, Kayla’s attention snagged on a familiar figure by the staircase. Dressed in a sleek Shego costume, Jennifer Lee looked striking. She wore a green and black leotard that hugged her figure perfectly, layered over shimmering sheer pantyhose that accentuated her long legs. Her tall boots—one green and the other black—were the finishing touch, reaching just above her knees. Her dark hair usually kept in a perfect ponytail hung down around her shoulders, the ends curled slightly. To match the fit, Jennifer exuded her usual air of confidence, her sharp, calculating gaze sweeping the room like she owned it.

Kayla raised an eyebrow, catching Jennifer’s eye as she approached. “Hey, Jennifer. Nice costume.”

Jennifer smirked, crossing her arms. “Yeah I know. But uh…thanks. I suppose your costume looks…fine.”

Kayla smiled, knowing how hard that must have been for Jennifer to muster up even the slightest complement.

“Thank you,” she said, “so did you come with anyone tonight? I mean you’re welcome to hang with us if you want.”

“Thanks but no thanks,” Jennifer immediately fired back, “I’m not actually here just to party. I’m kinda on the clock.”

“Wait really?” Kayla said, intrigued. “What’s the scoop?”

Jennifer caught Kayla’s curious look and raised an eyebrow, letting a sly smile tug at her lips. “Well, wouldn’t you like to know,” she teased, crossing her arms in that signature way of hers that made it clear she was holding onto something juicy.

Kayla narrowed her eyes, planting her hands on her hips to match her rival’s energy. “Jennifer, spill it. Don’t be coy.”

Jennifer smirked, tilting her head with a mock-innocent expression. “Fine, but only because I know you’ll be dying to hear it.” She paused, clearly relishing the moment before lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Let’s just say I got a little tip-off earlier today. Seems that all the donations rolling in tonight aren’t actually heading where everyone thinks.”

Kayla’s eyes lit up with intrigue. “You mean...the children’s hospitals aren’t getting anything?”

Jennifer shrugged, savoring her role as the one holding the information. “That’s the word. Rumor has it most of the money’s being diverted somewhere else. I don’t know where yet, but it’s safe to say there’s something fishy going on.”

Kayla let out a long sigh. “And here I thought I’d get a break from all the intrigue tonight.”

Madelyn and Andrea, who had been watching from nearby, wandered over with raised eyebrows.

“Okay, I know that look, Kayla,” Madelyn said, looking from Jennifer to Kayla. “Are we diving into something investigative already? I thought you promised you were taking a break from that tonight.”

Kayla gave a sheepish shrug, glancing at Jennifer. “Believe me, I thought so too. But Jennifer here has a way of sniffing out trouble no matter the occasion.”

Jennifer scoffed, crossing her arms again. “Please, Kayla. I’d say you’re the expert at attracting trouble.” She shot a smug look at Madelyn and Andrea. “I just happen to be smart enough to find it first.”

Andrea chuckled, “You guys kill me, I can’t.”

Madelyn nudged Kayla with a curious grin. “Well, don’t keep us waiting. Fill us in too. What’s going on?”

Kayla gave a quick nod toward Jennifer. “Jennifer says someone’s misusing the funds being raised tonight," she explained. "Apparently, they’re pocketing the donations meant for the children’s hospitals.”

Madelyn groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. “Of course they are! Can’t we just have one night where someone isn’t scheming?”

Jennifer smirked. “Welcome to our world, ladies. The more sparkle and glam you see, the bigger the shadows behind it.”

Kayla shot her a skeptical look. “So what’s the play then? Do you actually have a lead to chase tonight, or are you just gloating?”

“Oh, there’s a lead to chase alright,” she shot back, “but why should I tell you any more than I already have? It’s not like you’re joining me on the hunt…are you?”

Kayla glanced back at Madelyn and Andrea, who were eyeing her with expressions somewhere between amused and resigned.

“Go on,” Andrea said, waving her off with a grin. “We’ll be fine.”

Madelyn nodded with a teasing grin. “Yeah, seriously, don’t even worry about us. I would hate to stand in the way of the great Kayla Grace and some investigative journalism. Go do your thing.”

Kayla laughed, squeezing both their hands. “Thanks, girls. Keep your phones on you. I’ll keep you posted about how things are going!”

After waving goodbye to Madelyn and Andrea who headed off toward the drink bar, she turned back to Jennifer, eyebrows raised. “Alright, Shego. Lead the way.”

Jennifer flashed a triumphant smile, the heels from her tall boots clicking as she moved through the crowd with Kayla close behind. As they maneuvered past groups of people laughing and chatting, Kayla leaned over to her, trying to keep her voice low. “So, where are we headed?”

Jennifer’s gaze sharpened, scanning the room. “The upstairs offices. I saw some organizers head up there earlier, and they didn’t look like they were just counting candy bags. From their body language to the way that they talked…it was so obvious something was up.”

Kayla’s pulse quickened as she followed Jennifer through the back corridor, feeling the familiar thrill of diving into a story. “And once we get up there, what’s the plan? Just barge into the room?”

Jennifer stopped for a moment, turning to face Kayla with an ice cold stare. “That might be your way of doing things which, now that I think about it, explains how you always end up bound and gagged so often, but I actually have a different plan in mind.”

Kayla rolled her eyes, “and that would be?”

She caught Jennifer’s eyeline, noticing her sheepish demeanor as her cheeks started to turn a bit red.

“Don’t you dare laugh, because this is a serious idea and I think if we really commit we can pull it off.”

“Okay, yeah, I’m listening, just spit it out.” Kayla truly was eager to hear what Jennifer had cooked up and why it was making her so nervous.

“Alright so here’s my idea. You know how it’s halloween and people are drinking and partying and having fun and stuff…”

“Jesus Christ, Jennifer,” Kayla interrupted, “we don’t have all night.”

“Fine, fine. Okay so we head upstairs to the room where I saw those men enter. We actually are going to barge in, but we’re going to be uh…well…pretending like we’re…you know…”

Kayla suddenly realized just what Jennifer was insinuating, and rather than try and let her stumble her way through it, Kayla just came out and finished her thought for her.

“You’re saying we pretend like we’re looking for a closet to hook up in, is that right?”

Jennifer’s cheeks were beet red now. Yep, that was it alright.

Kayla laughed, “I mean it’s not a bad plan. Even if we happen upon a bunch of rope-happy goons, that may just be the cover we need to slip away unscathed. Not bad. Once we crash our way into the room, then what?”

Reaching into her purse, Jennifer pulled out a small recording device.

“I find a place to stash this, then we make our exit, find a safe spot to listen in, and then hopefully get our confession.”

“I like it,” Kayla replied with a smile, “that sounds pretty good to me.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jennifer clapped back, “you are literally the last person in this whole god forsaken city I would ever ever want to hook up with. This is literally just so we…actually scratch that…so I can get the scoop. Deal?”

“Please, you would be so lucky,” Kayla snapped back, “but yeah, I got it. Now let’s please just get a move on so we can get this over with. As much as I love snooping around for a story I really would like to at least enjoy some of my night with my friends.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes but led the way upstairs. The mansion was a maze of hallways, each one twisting and turning into darkness. The music grew quieter as they ascended, the only sounds being the occasional shrieks from the partygoers downstairs and the thump of their own hearts in their ears.

Creeping along the upstairs corridor, they found their way to the room Jennifer had been talking about. Light spilled out from under the doorframe, the sound of people speaking in hushed tones coming from inside.

“This is it,” Jennifer whispered.

“Great, let’s get this over with,” Kayla said, grabbing Jennifer’s waist.

Jennifer recoiled, slapping Kayla’s hand away as she stared her down with icy cold daggers.

“What the fuck?” She seethed as quietly as she could.

Kayla shook her head and sighed, “if we’re really going to pull this off, we have to actually sell it. You didn’t actually think we could just stroll on in and pretend like we were looking for a closet to hook up in. They would see through that right away.”

Jennifer’s face was beet red at this point, her eyes aflame with a mixture of anger and humiliation.

“If you’re suggesting what I think you are,” she began.

“Jesus Christ, Jennifer,” Kayla cut in, “this was your plan. What the hell did you think we were going to do?!”

“I don’t know like…walk in and like…just say oops didn’t know there were people in here, sorry we’ll find another room. Something like that I guess.”

Kayla rolled her eyes, “we’d be bound and gagged in seconds, that was one of the most unconvincing performances I’ve ever seen.”

Jennifer glared at her. “So what do we do then?”

With a big sigh, Kayla took a step forward toward Jennifer, grabbing her waist again. This time, Jennifer didn’t recoil as badly, although her body did tense up a bit.

“Kayla I swear to god if you don’t let go of me right now I’m going to–”

“You’re going to what?,” Kayla said, her face inches from Jennifer’s now, “scream and blow the whole operation? I doubt that.”

“Kayla Grace, don’t you fucking dare,” Jennifer seethed.

Tightening her grip on Jennifer’s waist, Kayla reached for the door handle with her other hand. The adrenaline surged through her as she took one final deep breath, steadied herself, and then pushed the door open. As soon as they entered, she leaned forward, capturing Jennifer’s lips with her own.

"Wrrrmph!?" Jennifer’s startled yelp was muffled as Kayla’s lips pressed against hers, and she went completely rigid, eyes widening in shock as Kayla propelled them both into the dimly lit room. The air felt thick, a quiet tension crackling between them in that charged, unplanned instant. Kayla’s hand rested firmly on Jennifer's waist, pulling her close, while her other hand slipped to the back of Jennifer’s head, fingers threading through her shiny, sleek hair.

Never in a million years had Kayla Grace thought she would be kissing Jennifer Lee, and she imagined Jennfier felt the same. Well, she didn’t just have to imagine it, Jennifer had outright said it just a moment ago! Yet here they were, sharing a rather intimate moment together. Was it intimate? Kayla’s mind raced as her lips lingered upon Jennifers. This kiss meant nothing, it was all for the story. And yet…

Kayla pulled away from Jennifer, still utterly stunned and frozen on the spot. Snapping back to reality, Kayla’s eyes darted around the room, taking in the group of men by the fireplace, their stunned expressions illuminated by the flickering light. Their dark suits and watchful, steely eyes marked them as serious players—not the kind to tolerate intrusions lightly.

“Oh my god, we are so sorry!” Kayla stammered, breaking the silence with a convincingly embarrassed tone, gripping Jennifer’s waist to ground them both in character. Jennifer, still flustered, hesitated, her cheeks flushed from the encounter, until a nudge from Kayla brought her to her senses.

Jennifer was still standing frozen in place, her mind still reeling from the moment she and Kayla had just shared. Kayla had to nudge her to get her to snap out of it.

“Yeah, we—uh—we were just looking for a room to…you know…uhm…” Jennifer’s usual icy composure had vanished, replaced by a rare, disarmed look that only made her cheeks turn pinker. She cleared her throat, still regaining her bearings. “But clearly this one’s, you know, occupied, so…”

Without another word, the men’s dark, assessing eyes followed them as they hastily backed out of the room. The moment the door closed, they broke into a sprint down the hallway. They rounded a corner and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath as they tried to compose themselves.

Kayla brushed a stray hair out of her face, glancing sideways at Jennifer, whose gaze was trained firmly down the hall, her expression cool and collected once more—or so she hoped.

"Well, that was… something,” Jennifer said, her eyes flicking quickly over to Kayla and then back down the hallway again. "It seems like they didn’t suspect a thing. We should be in the clear.”

"Yeah, seems so," Kayla replied, feigning nonchalance, though her pulse hadn’t quite settled. She could still feel a faint tingling on her lips, the aftertaste of that moment lingering more than she wanted to admit. “Guess it’s a good thing we ‘committed’ to the plan,” she added, a subtle smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

Jennifer's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms, a familiar look of irritation settling over her face as she glared at Kayla. "For the record," she began, her tone icy, "you didn’t have to go that far. We could’ve pulled it off without…that." Her words were sharp, and she seemed genuinely irritated.

“I believe the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you’” Kayla sniped back.

“Please, don’t embarrass yourself. I could have done this entire thing without your help.”

“Oh yeah?” Kayla couldn’t help herself. She knew she should just let Jennifer’s arrogance slide, but it was so hard for her to do so in the moment. “Well then why did you even bother asking me in the first place, hmm? Afraid you might lose the scoop without me by your side?”

“As if,” Jennifer quickly shot back, turning her body as she stared down Kayla directly, “the only reason I invited you along was because you happened to be here and you happened to walk over and talk to me. I could have borrowed literally anyone else at this party to pull off that stunt. That was my original plan anyway.”

Kayla’s eyes flashed as she crossed her arms, meeting Jennifer’s icy gaze without flinching. “Anyone? Really? You think you have that much game that you could have pulled anyone? Then why were you standing off to the side by yourself when I found you? Is that the key to your charm, you just sit off to the side and hope some poor, unlucky soul happens to wander over.”

Jennifer’s cheeks were bright red now, either from anger or embarrassment but it was hard to tell.

“Well pardon me for having standards. Not everyone wants to be a lousy flirt like you.”

“I’m not…wait what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Kayla stammered.

“Oh please, don’t pretend like you’re not totally leading Toby on all the time with your short skirts, and the way you bat your eyelashes at him.”

Kayla’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she tried to process Jennifer’s accusation. “Excuse me? Leading Toby on? Are you serious right now?” She let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “Toby’s the one who keeps showing up at my desk with coffee and asking me out every other week! And for your information, I don’t even like him that way!”

Jennifer rolled her eyes, crossing her arms even tighter. “Oh, right. Because the way you’re always twirling your hair and leaning in to talk to him isn’t sending mixed signals at all.”

Kayla gaped at her, almost too stunned to speak. “Mixed signals?” she repeated, her voice rising in disbelief. “Jennifer, I’m literally just being polite. Just because I don’t blow him off doesn’t mean I’m ‘leading him on.’”

“Sure,” Jennifer shot back, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Because that’s exactly how it looks from where I’m standing. You know exactly how he feels about you, and yet you let him linger around like some love-struck puppy, practically wagging his tail every time you give him so much as a smile.”

Kayla groaned, rubbing her temples as if to ward off a headache. “You know what, Jennifer? Maybe, just maybe, it’s possible to be nice to someone without it being some grand, calculated scheme. Ever think of that?”

Jennifer scoffed,. “Well that doesn’t change the fact that you’re playing with him whether you mean to or not. And I’m honestly surprised you don’t see it.”

“Unbelievable,” Kayla muttered, throwing her hands up. “You think you know everything about me, don’t you? Well newsflash, Jennifer—you don’t. I’m not some seductress or some flirt or whatever else you want to call me. And, unlike you, I’m not the one acting like a heartless ice queen to everyone who gets close!”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Jennifer hissed.

Kayla took a shaky breath, steadying herself before speaking, her voice dropping as she looked Jennifer in the eye. “It means that I have tried, really tried, to be nice to you, Jennifer. To be your friend. I don’t know why I even bother half the time, but I do, and you are making it so goddamn difficult. And for what? I’m literally the only person at the Tribune who isn’t afraid to talk to you. Did you know that? Everyone else is so intimidated by you they can barely stand to hold even half of a conversation with you.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of something—surprise, maybe even hurt—crossing her face before her expression hardened again. “Well, excuse me if I don’t play the office sweetheart,” she replied, her voice icy. “I’m not here to make friends, Kayla. I’m here to do my job. And if people can’t handle that, then that’s their problem, not mine. Besides, why do you even care so much, hm?”

“I…” but Kayla’s voice caught in her throat. Why did she care so much? Why was she investing so much effort into this argument from Jennifer that was clearly going nowhere? And why the hell was her heart still beating so fucking fast!?

“Look, just forget it,” Jennifer finally said, pulling out her phone and tuning into the recording device’s frequency with her usual efficiency, her voice regaining its familiar, clipped tone. “Let’s listen in and get this over with.”

The muffled voices crackled softly through Jennifer’s phone, and both women leaned in, listening intently as the men in the room began discussing their plans. The conversation was guarded, with the speakers clearly wary of eavesdroppers, but even the fragments they caught painted a troubling picture.

“…need to finalize this before the night’s over,” one voice said, his tone hushed but urgent.

“The donations are high, but we can’t just dump it all at once. It’ll raise questions,” another replied, his voice slightly gruffer. “Besides, the amount needs to go somewhere that isn’t traceable. Somewhere…offshore.”

“We’ll need to launder it through a few channels first,” the first voice continued. “Keep the public funds clean and filter the rest into…well, you know the drill.”

Kayla and Jennifer exchanged a look, both of them understanding the gravity of what they were hearing. It was clear that the funds from tonight’s event, which were supposed to go to the children’s hospital, were being redirected for something far more sinister. But what exactly? And at whose behest?

Kayla and Jennifer were so intent on the conversation crackling through the speaker that neither noticed the soft footsteps approaching from behind. Focused entirely on the words from the room, they missed the faint shuffle of shoes against the carpet until it was too late.

Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around Kayla’s waist, lifting her clean off the ground, while another set of hands clamped tightly around Jennifer’s arms, pinning them to her sides. Both women gasped in surprise, but their cries were quickly stifled as thick hands slapped over their mouths.

“Mrmmmmph!” Kayla yelped as she kicked her legs up wildly in protest.

Beside her, Jennifer fared no better. She thrashed in her captor’s grip, her icy glare quickly replaced by wide-eyed shock over the hand plastered across her mouth. She tried to twist her body away, but the men were far stronger than her.

“Ggrrnnmmph!” She hollered behind the hand, her muffled cries for help going completely unheard in the otherwise abandoned hallway.

Pulling out rolls of tape, the thugs swiftly wrapped loops of it around their wrists, binding their arms tightly behind their backs, the sticky yet sturdy material digging into their skin. Kayla could feel the tape winding around her wrists and arms, securing her elbows just enough to keep her movements limited.

Jennifer’s captor bound her arms with similar expertise, looping tape around her arms and torso, pinning her shoulders so she could barely move. Her struggles slowed as she realized resistance was futile, though her eyes still blazed with defiance as she glared at the men who’d taken them captive.

Once their upper bodies were secured, the thugs moved to their legs, efficiently winding layers of thick tape around their ankles, pressing the sticky material tightly together to hold them fast. More tape followed around their knees, restricting any movement and ensuring the two were thoroughly immobilized. Kayla felt the tape clinging to her pantyhose and her thigh high socks, each shift causing it to tug uncomfortably against her legs. Jennifer tried to squirm, but the tape only tightened further with every slight movement, sealing them both in place.

Without missing a beat, the thugs then produced two large rags. The hand over Kayla’s mouth was removed just for a second followed by another hand that plunged the rag right into Kayla’s mouth.

“Fffrmmrmph mmmmmph!” Kayla’s shouting was immediately reduced to muffled incoherency as the rag was jammed crudely into her mouth, pressing her tongue down and filling out her cheeks.

“Hhhhrrmmph nnnnrmph!” Jennifer roared as her own mouth was stuffed full of cloth followed by strips of tape plastered over her mouth.

With the two girls now fully bound and gagged they were thrown over the shoulders of two of the thugs and carted off down the hallway. They were brought to the same room they had shared their unintentionally intimate moment in, the group of men around the fireplace eying them with angered looks.

“For fucks sake,” one of them snarled, “I should have known something was up!”

“We found these two snooping in on your conversation from down the hall,” the one holding Kayla grunted right before dumping her onto the couch.

“Mmmmmrph!” She squeaked, landing face first into the couch. She shifted around a bit trying to get into a more comfortable position, her short black dress creeping up her thighs as she did so.

Jennifer was dumped onto the couch across from Kayla, her body thrashing about wildly as she tried to adjust herself into a seated position. All the while the thugs discussed their plans as to what to do with the two snoops they had just nabbed.

“The boss is going to be so fucking mad. The entire plan is ruined! We were supposed to handle this discreetly.”

“And we still can,” one of the other thugs chimed in, “we just need to find a more secure place to stash these two, but once they’re out of the way we proceed like normal. All we need to do is just make sure they can’t interfere with anything from here on out and we’re fine.”

“Good point,” the first thug said, scratching his chin in thought. “We could haul them down to the basement and keep them tied up until we’re ready to deal with them.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened, a look of anger flickering across her face as she desperately shook her head, trying to communicate her protest.

“Mmmrrph nnnrmmph!” she yelled, twisting her body, trying to inch away from the edge of the couch.

But before Kayla or Jennifer could react or protest any further, two of the thugs lunged forward, seizing them by the arms and hoisting them up.

“Gggnrmmph mmmrmph!” Kayla protested as she was lifted off the couch, her legs flailing helplessly. She caught a glimpse of Jennifer, who was hoisted up all the same. Their eyes met one another, both wide with concern as their minds raced with how in the world they were going to get out of this mess.