I glanced in the rear view as I changed lanes, roaring down the dual carriage way at a tad more than the speed limit. I knew it was stupid, that speeding was just going to get me where I didn’t want to go faster, but sensation of moving fast seemed to ease something, like I was outrunning the guilt caused by the look in David’s eyes. It wasn’t his fault, I’d kept telling him that, none of this was his fault, he’d just got caught up in the crossfire between me and the Kraken Club. I’d brought him onto the battlefield, it was my responsibility to get him safely out, and there was no need for him to share my worries. This was my fight, not his. The last thing I wanted was my glorious boy quaking in fear knowing what waters I’d dragged him into.

I zipped off my exit, and before long had navigated the suburbs and pulled up to the barrier leading to my carpark. As I pulled over to tap my staff badge against the barrier sensor, I felt my phone give three distinct buzzes. A voice that sounded like King Theoden’s resounded in my head; ‘so it begins’.

Reverse parking into a clear spot, I pulled on the handbrake, killed the engine and glanced down at my phone. A push notification was showing from my House Security App.

UNKNOWN VEHICLES NEAR PERIMETER.

I tapped on the message and it opened a split-screen, showing 2 of my camera feeds. 2, perfectly nondescript, vans were picked up, one on each screen. One was white and covered in paw prints and pretended to be a dog groomer’s business – I had no doubt that the business was real, but that the van was not. That van was idling at the back of my property, not far from the barn. The other side of the screen showed a green van, rusted around the wheel arches with the hazards flashing, parked up in my neighbours’ drive. As I watched, the hazards flicked off and the van pulled smoothly away. I tapped the screen to make that piece of footage the entire screen, and then peered at the driver. That blonde quiff looked familiar.

And that movement could only mean one thing. They knew I’d arrived. Best not keep them waiting. I got out of the car and swiped my pass to get into the reception. I glanced at Anna, an auburn haired sweetheart, who was painstakingly flicking through Outlook diaries on her dual screens.

“Hi Anna,” I gave her my best smile. “How are you doing today? Did you get a haircut?”

“Oh, hi Eliza,” Anna said brightly, automatically boofing her hair, then tilting her head so I could get the best angle. “What do you think?”

I paused to honestly admire her. She was beautiful, so gorgeous I’d had the odd fantasy about luring her up to an empty office on occasion, but she was nauseatingly happily married, and definitely not interested in me, asides from a repository for relationship guidance, which amused me no end.

“It suits you,” I said honestly.

“Oh, thanks,” Anna blushed. “My husband was a bit grumpy, he told me he prefers long hair, but I took your advice, being as I’m the one that has to live with it.”

“Damn right,” I assured her. “It your hair, you get final say. By the way, are any of the meeting rooms with the new AV gear available?”

She clicked through the calendars with practised speed.

“Meeting Room 3 is free,” She paused. “But isn’t your meeting in Jeff’s office?”

“Yeah, that’s what they said, but I have a presentation I want to show them, and Jeff’s office is a bit cramped,” I explained. “Could you ring up to them and say I’m in Meeting Room 3?”

“Sure thing,” Anna reached for the phone.

“You’re an angel,” I told her, heading down the corridor.

“You need to be out by 1 o’clock,” Anna called after me.

“If it takes that long, I will be amazed,” I assured her. “Thank you darling!”

It took a matter of moments to get the projector set up and screen share my mobile to it, and by the time, about 5 minutes later, that Vanessa stalked into the meeting room I was sat, converse-clad feet on the meeting room table, the most insolent expression I could muster on my face. Jeff, my boss, bumbled along in her wake, ears bright red, as they sometimes did when he was under pressure, but my eyes were for Vanessa only.

Vanessa was incredibly attractive, I had to admit that, and pin-neat in an emerald trouser suit with a black camisole top with a fringe of lace along the top underneath. On one of the lapels of the suit was a golden brooch, shaped in what most people would write off as an octopus, but what I knew very well was the sign and seal of the Kraken club. Her honey-blonde hair was twirled up into an a French-pleat, which drew the eye to high cheekbones sharp enough to cut yourself on, her long nose and narrow lipped mouth. Brilliant sapphire blue eyes stared down from under razor like eyebrows, unsoftened by the emerald green framed cats-eye glasses. I half expected her nails to be long and dagger-like too, but they were carefully clipped short and unpainted, although I thought they were itching to be wrapped around the handle of a riding crop.

I appreciated the show. Hell, I was a domme, I knew the need to dress the part like no-one else, which is why I hadn’t. There I was, with my mousey-brown hair in a low ponytail, wearing my faded black jeans, battered converse, worn band t-shirt and my oldest hoodie with the fraying cuffs. I looked scruffy, and I knew it. I’d never outdress one of the Kraken Club Hosts, especially not an experienced Hostess like Vanessa, and it would probably have added to her sensation of superiority anyway if I’d tried, so I refused to play the game, going for comfort over presence.

Jeff spoke first. He was a big, slightly overweight, ginger man with a broad, bluff face and usually affable grey-blue eyes, but his usual good humour had evapourated. He looked uncomfortable, his cheap pink polyester shirt showing pit stains already, and his blustering face shiny with sweat.

“Eliza – what are you wearing?” he squawked.

“Clothes,” I said mildly.

“You’ve been called for an important business meeting…”

“Called in on the annual leave I’ve had booked for over a year,” I observed crisply. “You’re lucky I’m here at all.”

“But our dress code…”

“Go ahead and fire me,” I commanded. “Please. Make my day.”

At a sharp glare from Vanessa, he shut up.

“We were expecting you in your bosses’ office,” Vanessa said precisely.

“I know, but I thought this would be much nicer, plus,” I nodded to the screen. “I thought that this might interest you.”

Vanessa glanced at it, then almost imperceptibly stiffened as she saw the image of my house from a nearby tree, and the green van pulling up to the gates. There was a moment of stillness as the van idled, then the gate opened. My phone buzzed loudly and a red message loomed at the top of the screen; ‘PERIMETER BREACHED’. I looked at Vanessa.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t guess you were up to something?” I asked mildly. “Considering that Raven warned me about you, that your bully boy practically threatened to take my boy at Bondcon, and now your bunch of goons have just arrived at my house, did you really expect me to just let you have it all your own way?”

“And yet,” Vanessa smoothly pulled out a chair and sat opposite. “Here you are.”

“Here I am,” I agreed.

We gazed at each other for a long moment, me watching her with a mild interest, her clearly surveying me, trying to gauge me, her forearms wresting on the table, fingers loosely interlaced. An engaged posture, trying to get me to participate too, but I stayed rocking back on my chair, feet on the table.

“So, being as we’re both here,” I continued after a few minutes silence. “I can save us both some time; I have no intention of moving onto your payroll, and I do not intend to become part of your big happy tentacle family. No, you can’t change my mind.” I tilted my head, watching her expression. “Sorry, did I ruin a speech of yours?”

Vanessa sighed and sat back in her chair, a faint smile hovering over her perfectly painted loveheart lips.

“You did, actually,” Vanessa observed. “I had a very good speech planned, mildly complimentary about how you’d caught the attention of the Chairperson themselves and that they wanted to bring you into the fold, talking about all the benefits of being a Kraken Club employee, but I see you want to skip ahead to the good bit. The Kraken Club is convinced it will shortly have all the required inducements to make our offer favourable,” She observed. “I’m authorised to give you time to… consider the offer.”

She tapped the Kraken on her lapel.

“Acquisition Squad, you may take up position.”

I glanced at the screen, then clicked my phone and swapped view to the camera in the garage as the van pulled up and parked by the front door. As I returned my attention to her, Vanessa gave me a tart smile.

“Ah, so you are going for my boy,” I nodded. “I thought as much.”

I looked up at Jeff.

“Did Vanessa here explain the nature of the Kraken Club to you?”

The name obviously struck a bell.

“Kraken Club?” Jeff spluttered. “I thought you were from Nautilus Conglomerates.”

“It’s the same thing,” Vanessa and I said simultaneously, before Vanessa added; “It’s just the name we use for more our more reputable acquisitions.”

“And she owns you now,” I added sweetly. “That should be entertaining.”

Jeff visibly paled. I wondered how he, a software engineer by background, could know about the Kraken Club, but that was a question for another day. I returned my attention to Vanessa, who had continued to gaze at me through those big green-rimmed glasses.

“We can still come to terms,” Vanessa said persuasively. “You can stop this right now.”

“Any chance you’ll accept ‘no’ as an answer?” I asked.

“No,” She shook her head. “Unfortunately not.”

“Then no,” I responded. “I don’t respond well to ultimatums. Ironically enough for a person of… our tastes, I’m a fan of free choice.”

“And your… boy?” Vanessa asked quietly. “Does his distress mean nothing to you?”

I pulled my feet off the table, letting the legs of the chair slam into the floor and leant onto the table top, my grey eyes locking with her blue ones.

“I’m not going to pretend I don’t care about my boy, I totally do,” I said quietly. “And if you really believe that I’d have left him believing you stood a chance of causing him any distress, you are sorely mistaken. That should have been your tip-off that I don’t think you’ll win.”

If my self-assurance shook her, she didn’t show it, but I pushed on anyway.

“Word of advice, Vanessa?” I asked her quietly. “Call them off.”

Vanessa leant forwards too, a purring note coming into her voice with a crooked smile tilting her mouth.

“Is that concern in your voice?”

“Of a kind. I’m thinking about you, and how much it’s going to hurt when the Chairperson hears how badly you failed,” I returned levelly.

“Oh, so you’re concerned about me?” Vanessa said brightly. “That’s sweet, but misplaced.”

“We’ll see, won’t we Vanessa,” I paused. “By the way, may I call you Vanessa?”

“Certainly,” Vanessa assured me. “And I assume I can call you Eliza.”

I nodded, sitting back in my chair, then glanced at my boss.

“Sit down Jeff,” I commanded. “You’ll want to be comfortable for this.”

Jeff glanced at Vanessa, who was staring implacably at me. I gazed right back, unflinching. I’d never been much of a one for poker, but I betted that Vanessa was a master.

“We can watch if you insist,” Vanessa said lightly. “But it won’t change the outcome. You really think that any of your silly little toys will stop my trained acquisition team?”

“They’re very effective,” I assured her. “I’ve held plenty of people with them. Highly trained Kraken operatives or not, if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that most humans are predictable, and colossally stupid.”

“You have kept plenty of people in,” Vanessa corrected. “How good are you at keeping people out?”

I shrugged and Vanessa gave a victorious little toss of her head.

“I guess we need to let the scene play,” She said calmly, then spoke to her lapel. “Acquisition Squad, you are clear to engage.”

She smiled pleasantly at me, the self-assured smile of a habitual winner, and I smiled right back.

“Jeff, darling, go and get us some drinks,” She said smoothly.

Jeff bridled.

“Yes, Jeffy darling,” I agreed in an obnoxious voice. “Drinkies please.”

He scowled and vanished out of the room. Vanessa leant forwards, gazing at me over her emerald green catseye glasses.

“I would never say this to any-one else,” She said sincerely. “But it is a pleasure.”

“Likewise,” I said. “The Queen Kraken herself, I’m honoured.”

“One day, you’ll have to tell me how you know me,” Vanessa observed. “Because I don’t think we’ve ever met.”

“We haven’t, I just make a point of knowing all the players in my field,” I stated. “Especially ones like the Kraken Club. Although, it makes me wonder, is this our Reichenbach Falls, Vanessa? Two great minds with different methods duking it out?”

“With you as the plucky Sherlock Holmes and me as the scheming Professor Moriarty with the entire weight of my criminal empire behind me?” Vanessa asked with a light laugh. “I won’t pretend to be anything but the villain, but one artist to another, you flatter me that you count me as an equal.”

“Oh, but you are,” I stated. “You’re not just a Hostess, Vanessa, you’re the Hostess. You’re the silken glove, and those idiots there,” I nodded towards the projector. “Are your iron fist. The Kraken Club is known for its Acquisition Squads, and I am known for my security work, let’s see whose handiwork triumphs.”

Vanessa seemed genuinely flattered.

“Just for reference,” I continued. “Whatever happens, it wasn’t this moment that decided the outcome, it was that moment at Bondcon. You should have come to talk to me, not Prescott. You might have stood a chance - you certainly wouldn’t have bungled it so dramatically,” I paused. “By the way, who’s leading your team today?”

I caught her look and my eyes widened, a slow smile spreading across my face.

“It’s not Prescott?” I gave a low whistle. “It’s Christmas come early. Goddamnit I wish I had popcorn.”

And for the first time, a shadow of concern crossed Vanessa’s face.

Meanwhile – At Eliza’s House

Prescott pressed his fingers to his ear as Vanessa’s voice came through.

“Acquisition squad, you are clear to engage.”

Prescott looked back at the team. They all looked very much like modern SWAT members, only instead of black body-armour, it was dark green. There were no Kraken emblems, to allow for plausible deniability if anything went wrong, but they were the Kraken Acquisition team, they did not allow for things to go wrong.

“We have the ok,” Prescott stated.

His second, Sebastian nodded. Sebastian was a tall black man, with a mild French accent and a swift, agile way of moving. He turned to look into the back of the van.

“Remember that the acquisition is in his current owner’s house, that current owner being a security specialist used to keeping slaves and avoiding unwanted attention,” Sebastian stated. “It’s unlikely to be a clean take, so watch your sixes.”

Prescott yawned. Sebastian glanced at him.

“You don’t agree?” Sebastian asked.

“I’ve met the woman,” Prescott drawled. “She’s not all that. Move out.”

The 4 man squad all snapped their plastic visors down and jumped out the back of the van. Prescott demurely slid out of the driver’s side door, watching as they did a sweep of the outside of the house. He glanced back to see Sebastian stood at his elbow.

“What?” he demanded.

“I think that was very unwise,” Sebastian stated. “Vanessa was clear…”

“Then go running back to Vanessa, this is my team and my call,” He stated. “We have the key for her house, we have the code for her alarm. We have the floorplan and the records of the modifications made. What on earth are you scared of?”

“What we don’t have,” Sebastian nodded towards the garage. “Smile, you’re on camera.”

Prescott ironically saluted the camera as the 4 men returned.

“No easy ways of ingress found,” One reported.

“Then, I guess we go in through the front door,” Prescott stated.

He looked at Sebastian.

“Feel free to stay behind if you’re scared,” He jeered.

Prescott stepped forwards and readied the key in the lock. The other team set up behind him.

“3, 2, 1… go.”

Prescott turned the key and opened the door. One of the men hurried past, heading straight for the house alarm on the wall. A few swift button presses, and the beeping countdown stopped. As one, the team seemed to exhale. Prescott looked at Sebastian, who had been the last one in through the door.

“Oh yes, she’s such a criminal mastermind,” Prescott stated dryly.

The Office

Jeff returned with mugs of coffee and dropped into the seat at the top of the table, usually the seat of honour, but we all knew where the power really lay. Vanessa glanced at the screen, at the cluster of green men stood in my hall, then back at me with a superior smile, then frowned at my wink and unruffled posture.

“Don’t get prematurely confident,” I advised her.

I glanced at my phone, glancing at the records of alarm code entry.

“Did you really think I was stupid enough to leave my home alarm with the factory codes settings?” I said with a snort. “I work in IT for Heaven’s sake. You know, if this wasn’t so funny. I’d be insulted.”

I tapped my phone and the sound blared through the speakers mounted on the wall, Prescott’s clipped tones giving orders.

“God, how do you put up with that voice?” I asked. “Doesn’t it just make you long for duct tape?”

Vanessa opened her mouth to respond, then turned her glance sharply back to the screen at the next command from Prescott.

“Jenkins, Mulgrew, go upstairs and search the subject’s office. There’s a possibility there’s an ingress to the basement that way, but either way, make sure you grab the target’s hard drive. We might be able to get leverage on the target that way, or, even better, her proprietary technology might be on there, and we might be able to dispense with her entirely.” Prescott stated. “Evans, Carter, continue to sweep the ground floor,” Prescott commanded. “I’ll lay odds the slave is in the basement, but no reason not to be sure.”

There was a moment’s hesitation, then the black guy with the French accent spoke up.

“You really think it’s wise to split the team?” he asked.

“I like this one,” I commented. “He’s clearly played a TTRPG in his time.”

Before Vanessa could respond, Prescott was in the black guy’s face.

“Do you really think it’s wise to continue questioning me?” Prescott shot back. “There’s one slave in the house, a college kid, no less, you really think they can’t handle him?”

He glanced around and raised an eyebrow. Evans and Carter saluted, heading towards the kitchen and the rest of the house, Jenkins and Mulgrew following suit.

Jenkins went up the stairs first, leading onto a landing with a guest bedroom in front of them, the office, the door shut, to the right and the sweeping L shape of the hallway leading to the master bedroom over the kitchen and the other two guest rooms. Momentarily ignoring the office, they started to sweep each room and I slid my phone towards me.

“You’re right, Vanessa,” I said mildly. “I don’t have much experience at keeping people out.”

I opened a setting on my phone, then hovered over the big red activate button.

“But my God am I good at keeping them in,” I finished, and pushed the button.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE MODE ACTIVATED. CAPTURE SYSTEMS ACTIVATED.

The Kraken team all looked up at the automated voice coming from the speakers in the wall, then one yelled as he was swept off his feet, then yanked up towards the ceiling. The other man darted forwards, pulling a combat knife to hack at the cords that pulled an ultra-fine net, almost invisible over the speckled hall carpet, up onto the ceiling, mashing him helplessly against it. Sparks flew as the blade notched against the metal cords holding the net in place.

I sat back in my chair again, casually reaching for my coffee.

“Welcome to the jungle?” Vanessa queried, with a mildly exasperated tone.

“Oh yeah,” I winked again. “We’ve got fun and games.”

Eliza’s House

Prescott proceeded into the kitchen, followed by Sebastian. He looked around, sneering at the outdated work surfaces and the battered wooden kitchen table, then stopped to staring at the centre wall, opposite the window, covered in book shelves filled with cook books. He reached out to touch the books, but just he did, there was a scream and a thump from above their heads. Sebastian raced out into the hall in time to see one of his men coming back down the stairs.

“Jenkins is caught in a net that came out of the floor. We need to get…” Mulgrew barely began, before the floor went out from underneath him.

Mulgrew momentarily managed to cling to the bannister, feet skittering on the smooth wooden surface beneath him. The stairs had abruptly turned in place to form a smooth slide, and as Mulgrew lost his grip, he crashed down it and vanished into a hole that had opened at the bottom of the stairs. As he vanished out of sight, the carpeted trapdoor sealed with a smug ‘click’, and the treads of the stairs gave a gentle ‘whirr’ as they smoothly returned to their normal position, leaving no trace of the Kraken club employee. Sebastian stepped forwards towards the innocent looking patch of carpet, and the kitchen door abruptly slammed shut behind him.

Sebastian turned sharply, heading back towards it, trying to wrench it open, but it didn’t budge. From nearby came the soft hissing sound of escaping gas. Sebastian tried the kitchen door again, hearing Prescott pounding on it from the other side, but it didn’t even shudder under the onslaught. He hesitated for a second, then turned for the only available exit.

“Damnit Prescott,” He swore in fluent French. “‘No, we don’t need breathing equipment, what kind of supervillains do you think she is’? You useless, arrogant, idiotic, ill prepared connard.”

He grabbed for the front door… only to find that the front step had vanished and his foot was hanging over a yawning void. There was a scraping noise as his tactical armour hit the sides, then he vanished with a yelp down another chute.

The Office

There was dead silence in the meeting room as Sebastian vanished out of sight, and I took a casual sip of coffee.

“French is always so expressive,” I commented. “I must remember that for when I’m cussing David out, although personally I’d refer to Prescott as enculé de ta mere, but I’m probably more vulgar than your colleague.”

Vanessa didn’t bother to glance in my direction.

“You released gas in your house?” Jeff demanded, awestruck.

“Yeah, because of course I have the time and money to hermetically seal my house,” I rolled my eyes. “It was just a CO2 canister releasing above him to make him hurry up out the front door. Something about the sound of hissing gas really puts people on edge.”

Eliza’s house

“Sebastian! Sebastian, open up!” Prescott yelled.

He hammered at the kitchen door, then tried the handle again. To his great surprise, it opened to reveal an innocently empty hall, the front door just swinging shut with a loud snap, followed by the obvious sounds of locks clicking into place. Prescott swore quietly, then looked up at another scream, this time a pair of shouts in unison, seemingly coming from the conservatory. Straightening his flak vest he carefully entered the harmless-looking living room and moved from there into the conservatory, where he found the source of the screaming. Both Evans and Carter were crushed under a heavy chain net which appeared to have fallen from the ceiling ontop of them. Thanks to their helmets, neither appeared to have taken any damage from the heavy falling metal, but it was clearly heavy enough that both of them laid pinned underneath it, breathing awkwardly. Prescott cautiously moved forwards, checking for more traps, then pulled at the chain. Barely able to lift a strand of it, he dropped it and backed away, considering.

He reached up to his radio, considering calling for backup, then hesitated and slowly lowered his hand. He turned away from his struggling colleagues and moved back into the kitchen. Surveying the bookshelf wall again, his eyes narrowed as he noticed the square shape of a chimney breast in the wall above it. Heading into the hall, he swiftly moved up the stairs, keeping a tight grip on the bannister, just in case, then paused, spotting the writhing shape of Jenkins pinned against the ceiling by a thin, but clearly strong, mesh. The bolt cutters from the van, no doubt what Mulgrew had been going for, would probably have liberated him, but Prescott had no intention of risking that stairs trap himself.

Shaking his head in disgust at the man’s muffled pleas, Prescott continued past him and into the master bedroom.

“Of course, with girls it’s always the bedroom,” He said quietly.

Mentally lining up the chimney breast downstairs with the walls, he headed towards the large built-in wardrobe and pulled it open. There were a series of racks of bondage gear, but, reaching down, there was an iron ring built into the floor. When lifted, it revealed a sooty tunnel leading down, the old chimney, and as Prescott clicked his torch on, he saw ladder rungs built into the walls. With a sly grin, he swung himself into the narrow channel and started to climb down. By the time he felt the rungs slide underneath him, it was too late. The rungs all swung clockwise, sending Prescott plummeting down 2 stories. He slammed into a net, which tightened painfully, trapping him securely in place in a dark, empty void.

Then, the lights clicked on. He was swinging 2 foot above the floor in a heavy duty net. He stared around to see a well-stocked dungeon basement, with Sebastian currently trapped on the inside of a painfully tight cage and a writhing mass of latex that was probably Mulgrew to one side. In the centre of the room was a small cage, with a young man in a catsuit and cuffs sat inside, looking more bemused than anything. The slave paused, blinking at Prescott.

“Hang on, I know you from Bondcon - Prescott, isn’t it?” He asked, then a huge grin crossed his face. “Nice of you to… uh… drop in?”

From the other side of the room, Sebastian hit his head gently on the bars, and the pile of latex gave a protesting groan. There was a click from the ceiling as the speakers cut in.

“Davey, make any more puns as bad as that and you get a day in chastity,” Eliza’s voice observed. “But, while we’re being punny, hang in there, won’t you Prescott, while I negotiate with your boss?”

Prescott froze as the speakers cut out again. He reached for the combat knife in his boot, but the knife made no impact on the cords of the net, clearly some kind of tough metal wire.

“Oh yeah,” Sebastian said dryly from a corner of the room. “‘I’ve met the woman and she’s not all that’, my arse. If we both end up being fired for this, I hope some-one like Miranda gets hold of you and makes you regret the day you were born.”

“Don’t be stupid, neither of us are getting fired,” Prescott responded pompously. “We just have to get out of here.”

“Good luck,” piped up David with a double thumbs up of encouragement.

Prescott scowled and recommenced his struggle against the net as David watched on, intrigued.

Back at Eliza’s workplace

“You know, if Prescott had been using his brains, rather than his dick, it might have occurred to him that the chimney would be an incredibly inconvenient way to lug a slave in and out of a basement, but pride was in the driving seat,” I observed mildly. “But I don’t believe that man is capable of thinking without his ego.”

I calmly muted the feed as Prescott continued to struggle like a landed fish and turned serenely to Vanessa, resting my head on the palm of my hand. I resisted the urge to gloat, or smile too largely. Vanessa wasn’t some-one you crowed over, even when backed into a corner, and it wasn’t just Vanessa that I was dealing with. It was the whole Kraken club.

“Do you want to send in the back up team idling by my barn,” I asked calmly. “Or shall we call it quits while I only have 1 of your teams captive in my house?”

Vanessa’s hands had tightened around the mug of coffee that Jeff has presented her with, but her cool, calm face hadn’t changed, despite her blue eyes staring daggers at the screen. She took a breath and swapped her gaze back to me. We locked gazes for a moment, then her gaze slid to my old boss.

“Jeff, out,” She commanded.

The man opened his mouth to protest, but Vanessa just gave him one long look of her frozen blue eyes, and he quietly got up and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

“That… was something else,” Vanessa observed.

“Child’s play,” I said. “Just smoke, wires, chains and trap doors. Any stage magician could rig it.”

“But you did,” Vanessa said quietly. “While I admit my fault in sending Prescott, I don’t think many Acquisition teams would have handled that.”

“He should have called for back-up when his team was incapacitated,” I observed. “They might have been able to brute force it with a second squad. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Vanessa asked.

“I have quite a few tricks left,” I observed. “There’s a rope trap in the attic that I was really hoping Prescott would go for.”

Vanessa sat back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest. She could try to assault it again, she knew that, but my easy dispatch of her team had undeniably rattled her. Losing one team was one thing, losing two…

“What are your terms?” Vanessa asked quietly.

A thrill ran through my chest, but I again resisted the urge to smirk, or gloat. I met her business-like tone easily enough.

“You stop coming after me and my boy and I let your squad go,” I said calmly. “I want that ironclad though – no repercussions from the Kraken Club at all, and the right for me to do business with anyone I damn well please for prices I set.”

“Including the Kraken Club?” Vanessa asked.

I blinked in surprise.

“You still want to do business with me?” I asked, astonished.

Vanessa gave a tight smile.

“Being candid, Eliza, I have a feeling my whole career might just depending on getting an agreement to do business with you,” Vanessa said dryly. “I don’t much fancy getting fired either, and if the Chairperson heard that I nearly lost an entire Acquisition Squad and still didn’t get your co-operation I might as well tattoo the Kraken on myself.”

I looked at Vanessa, at the beautiful, business-like woman before me and considered. I disliked Prescott with a passion, for his bullying, demanding ways, but Vanessa? Vanessa I quietly admired, and up until this point, it had been a sporting challenge between the two of us. No need to twist the knife. Besides, if she fell from grace, I might be dealing with some-one nowhere near as reasonable. Better the Kraken you know…

“Fine,” I said. “I am prepared to agree to being… a contractor for the Kraken Club, giving you the same set rate I’d give anyone else, on the condition that you guys leave me and my boy the hell alone in future. And that whenever I’m asked, I have the right to decline, again, without ramifications.”

Vanessa paused, tapping her fingers on the table top. She seemed to be doing some swift mental calculations.

“What would it take to get preferential rates?” Vanessa asked calmly. “Say… 5% off.”

You had to admire the woman, she was bargaining from a weaker hand, and she was still trying. I met her gaze, and saw an edge of something. I didn’t know exactly what, but I knew I’d seen it before and it made me hesitate. I paused, rubbing my jaw, sitting back in the chair.

“Preferential rates…” I paused, then gave a slow smile. “For preferential rates, Vanessa, I want a fortnight with Prescott. A fortnight where I can do whatever the living hell I want to him. And all the previous conditions met, of course.” I paused, and finally let that wicked grin flash across my face. “Also, that all requests to me include the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.”

Vanessa considered this, then rose, pulling a phone from her blazer pocket.

“I will need to consult with Top Brass,” She stated quietly. “But I’m prepared to agree to your terms.”

“Then call your beta team and tell them to pull into my barn,” I tapped some buttons on my phone and the doors nearest the white van opened automatically. “One of my neighbours is an ex-Royal Engineer, and I don’t want him getting concerned, because a shotgun to the face often offends, and I don’t think either of us want the police in on this.”

Vanessa nodded, tapping her lapel.

“Beta team, please pull into the barn. The… Contractor and I have initiated negotiations.”

That said, she left the room, and I watched as the paw-print studded van pulled forwards into the van. I obligingly shut the doors after them and I switched to the camera footage of my dungeon and turned the noise back on, hearing the bickering in full flow. I picked up my cup of coffee again and finally indulged in that broad, Cheshire-cat-like smug beam of satisfaction.

I’d just about managed to let it fade before she came back. She was pale, very pale, and her hand was shaking slightly, but she still met my gaze with supreme saviour faire.

“I’ve spoken to the Chairperson’s office and they’re content to agree to most of your terms,” She stated. “However, the loaning out of an ex-Kraken Employee has never been done to a non-Kraken employee. His Assistant is not prepared to set a precedent without concurring with him first.”

“In which case, we revert to the previous deal,” I stated. “No preferential treatment until I get, temporary, ownership of Prescott’s arse.”

“Noted,” Vanessa ran a hand over her hair.

“Looks like that was rough,” I observed gently.

“It was,” Vanessa looked at me. “Don’t be nice.”

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s come over me,” I observed. “I’m never usually ‘nice’.”

I got up, looking at her, momentarily uncertain.

“So this is it,” I said. “It’s over?”

Vanessa nodded.

“It’s over,” She admitted. “Oh, I could double-cross you, but you’re well connected. Winning fair and square was one thing. Winning through double-dealing is going to make all our other business colleagues think we’re shady and eager to renege on a deal. The Kraken club is most definitely not nice, but it is, through necessity, usually honourable.” She shrugged. “You’ve won.”

I don’t know why that reassured me. If she was going to betray me, she’d be good enough to pretend she wasn’t going to first, but all the same… I held out a hand to her. She took it after a moment and we shook hands. If I was gullible, then so be it.

“As much as I didn’t want to work for you, Vanessa, I’m totally down for working with you,” I stated. “And you can tell the Chairperson’s office that I’m only prepared to work with you initially, if that will help your cause at all.”

“I don’t know if it will, but thanks,” Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “You’re being nice again.”

“I really must stop that, or it’ll become a habit,” I remarked.

I fished my car keys out of my pocket and twirled it around my finger.

“So, am I giving you a lift back to mine?” I asked her mildly. “You do have a team to liberate, after all.”

Vanessa paused.

“Yeah, why not.”

I pulled out my phone as well and put the house back into normal mode. I paused, then opened the doors of the barn again and unlocked the conservatory door.

“Tell your beta squad they can go and collect their buddies,” I stated. “They might as well start the tidy-up before we get there.”

Vanessa touched her lapel and started talking to the golden Kraken pin. We headed out the lobby, passing a gobsmacked looking Jeff on the way out.

“I’ll be in touch about collecting my stuff,” I observed. “And to negotiate the lease on my proprietary pieces of code.”

Jeff winced. I blew Anna a kiss on the way out, then opened the passenger door for Vanessa. She slid demurely in as I carefully shut it after her, then climbed in the passenger side. I resisted the urge to put my normal music playlist on, although, for all I knew, Vanessa might have been into Metal. Anyway, we drove back in mostly silence, until my phone rang. I glanced at the screen on the dash, then answered the phone.

“Good afternoon Caitlin, to what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, answering the call through the car’s Bluetooth handsfree.

“I just heard that the Krakens are planning a bust on your house today – do you need any assistance?” Caitlin’s voice was clipped and professional as ever, but I nearly thought I caught an undertone of concern.

“How do you know that?” I demanded, bemused.

I could hear the eye-roll in Caitlin’s tone as she responded.

“Darling, I know everything. You should know that by now.”

“Ah, yes, I forgot you’re omniscient,” I rolled my own eyes.

“Considering the amount of people I have in chastity at any one moment in time, you should really wonder what I don’t know,” Caitlin continued. “People become so very pliant when edged sufficiently.”

I grinned, glancing at Vanessa. I wondered if she’d be able to work out who Caitlin’s informant was.

“I’ve got it under control,” I assured her. “But thank you, I appreciate the heads up.”

“I knew you would,” Caitlin said. “But us private parties have to support each other against the evil corporations, don’t we? I may have to jack up my rates to the Krakens.”

“I actually have Vanessa in the car with me right now,” I remarked with a grin.

“Excellent,” Caitlin said brightly. “Kindly inform her that I expect profuse grovelling if she doesn’t want a 10% price hike in future.”

“I heard, Caitlin,” Vanessa spoke up. “How do you like your grovelling?”

“Hmmm, I’m feeling a pretty blonde boy,” Caitlin mused.

“Well, Prescott’s going to be quite the busy boy,” I remarked with a grin.

I could hear the smile in Caitlin’s voice as she almost purred in response.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be quite biddable,” She remarked.

“By the time you’ve both had dealings with him, I’m sure,” Vanessa pulled out her phone and made a note. “Note to self, promote Prescott to the ‘Apologies and Grovelling Department’.”

I grinned and Caitlin laughed.

“I’ve got to go Caitlin,” I stated. “But if you don’t hear from me in the next few days, make that hike 20%.”

“Certainly.”

I hung up as I approached my front gates. They opened smoothly and I pulled up next to the front door. Vanessa slid out as a woman in a full green SWAT outfit approached and stood to attention.

“Rox,” Vanessa nodded to her. “Any issues with acquisition?”

“None at all,” Rox assured her. “Carter and Evans are already back in custody, we’re just waiting on the…” She paused, looking at me.

“The Contractor,” Vanessa supplied.

“The Contractor to release the net for Mulgrew and the we’re clear to proceed to the basement,” She looked at me. “With your permission, Ma’am?”

I smiled despite myself. If this had gone the other way, I was sure I would not be ‘ma’am’.

“Certainly,” I opened my phone, then casually opened the front door. “If you’d like to proceed upstairs, I’ll release the net.

Rox gestured and 2 SWAT members came tearing out of the living room and hustled up the stairs. I released the net. Vanessa watched them with a small shake of her head.

“I should have know better than to let Prescott lead the raid,” She stated ruefully. “When tackling a woman, it’s always better to send a woman. Men always underestimate the matter.”

“Amen to that,” I progressed into the kitchen and with a deft kick to the skirting board to trigger the unlocking mechanism, pulled the bookcase out of the way of the dungeon door. “What on earth did you see in Prescott?”

Vanessa shrugged helplessly.

“His parents are influential Kraken club members,” She said helplessly. “And there’s a rumour he knows the Chairperson personally. He was always just slightly too oleaginous to handle.”

“Nice word.”

I spun the door in the centre of the steel door to the dungeon and pulled it open.

“Allow me,” I lead the way in. “Honey, I’m home!”

I thought I might have heard a slight groan from the darkness before the lights snapped on, but I’m sure that couldn’t possibly have been my slave talking, right?