#Chapter 124: The False Trail

The slip of paper was thin enough that I almost missed it, folded and slid under my office door like a trick note in school. It was late, close to three in the morning, and the words scrawled across it made my blood thrum: The Hollow Council is convened. I stood there barefoot on the cold floor, staring at it as if the ink itself might move. My first thought wasn’t fear but the strange rush of recognition. Someone sent me this. Someone wanted me to see this. Someone wanted me involved. For a heartbeat I almost convinced myself it was meant for someone else and had been pushed under my door by mistake. But the curve of the letters felt deliberate, as if whoever wrote it had imagined my hand holding it. Richard’s knock came seconds later, heavy and impatient. When I opened the door he took one look at my face, then at the note clutched in my hand. His expression darkened. “This goes straight to security.” He paused, eyes narrowing at the words. “What does this mean, Amelia?” I swal