Dangerous Games Alternate Scene #2

This is an alternate scene depicting  Sera and Ethan's first encounter at the party. The reason I didn't end up using this was because I felt I made Sera too angry and hot headed. I ended up not liking the direction of her character here at all. I also ended up not liking the location of there first meeting. Also, I felt the name Thorn was too big of a red herring for Rose, and that readers would see right through it. Warning, this is unedited so there will be grammar and syntax errors.

Bit of set up: This takes place while Ethan is still at the party in the main room.

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Ethan looked at the locator app and saw the signal getting stronger.

‘Finally!’ He thought.

But just as he thought that the signal started to weaken again.

‘What the-?’ Then Ethan realized, ‘Shit, the signal is moving, that why I haven’t been able to get a bearing on it, someone is carrying it on them.’

Now knowing that he needed to look for a person and not a place, Ethan began narrowing the list of probable people who could be carrying it.

‘Its not any of the Eckhart’s, they’re all here at the party, and they wouldn’t leave it with some low-level grunt, so it has to be someone Eckhart trusts most likely his number two, Adkins.’

As Ethan prepares to sneak away from the party, he feels a chill run down his spine and the sensation of eyes watching him. Reflexively he turns towards and looks at whatever was watching him, and his eyes lock with a pair of dark eyes on one of the second-floor railings. It was a woman, no not a woman that word wasn’t enough to describe the creature he was looking at. She had long wavy layered red hair that dropped past her shoulders, with clear white skin that only made the contrast of her lush red hair stand out even more. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he could tell right she was dangerous.

Without hesitation or worry the woman swiftly climbs over the railing and jumps down from the second story with the ease and grace of a cat. Much to the alarm and surprise of Ethan and the people around her when she landed. The party grew quieter as people looked at the woman, but a single glance from her had them all looking away. As the party continued the woman stalked toward Ethan and fear spread over him, a part of him wanted to run, but another part knew it wouldn’t have mattered. Ethan could sense the woman’s overwhelming strength and his mind raced to come up with a plan, but nothing came.

As overwhelmed as he was, Ethan couldn’t help but admire the woman’s incredible hourglass figure, as she stalked toward him. The woman wore all black, her boots were Italian and even from a distance Ethan could tell that both her skintight long-sleeved blouse and form fitting jeans were tailor made. She stopped just inches away from Ethan, making him aware of the fact that she was taller than, forcing him to look up slightly to keep her gaze.

“Who are you?”

The woman’s voice sent a chill down Ethan’s spine, her voice was calm and smooth, but Ethan could sense the danger behind the question.

“I’m a server with the catering company, if you’re in need of something, I’ll gladly go and get it for you.” Ethan said putting on his best customer service smile.

Faster than he could react the woman grabs Ethan by the throat with her hand.

“Smile at me like that again and I’ll rip your throat out.”

To show she wasn’t joking she slightly digs her thumb into Ethan’s throat.

Ethan quickly drops the fake smile as he looks at the woman face, she was stunning, unbelievably so, all her features seemed perfect, but it was her eyes that captivated Ethan. From afar he thought she had dark brown eyes but now close up he sees that she has dark violet eyes. He figured they had to be contacts, but the way her eyes seemed to pierce into him, made him quickly realize they were real. He also came to the realization of what she was, good looks, expensive close, and an overwhelming presence of danger, she was an assassin.

Ethan didn’t struggle and fought the urge to break her hold on him, the fact they he felt he could break it meant she wasn’t taking him seriously, and that meant he could still walk away from this.

“I’m sorry if I offended you.” Ethan spoke in a calm but hard voice.

He knew he was no match for her, but he refused to be intimidated.

The woman’s eyes narrow.

“Is there a problem Miss Thorn?”

The voice that called out belonged to none other than Robert Eckhart.

“No.” Replied Thorn.

“If so, then can I ask you to please let that man go, I promised a dear friend of my wife and I that no harm would come to her staff.”

This surprised Ethan, he never thought Diane’s old acquaintance would be Robert Eckhart’s wife. But Thorn still didn’t let go, she just stared down Eckhart, there was clearly no love loss between them, and as calm as Eckhart seemed to be Ethan could sense that he was afraid of Thorn.