Unknown Location. Asher.
He woke up with a headache and the disorienting blankness of someone coming back from nothing.
Ceiling. White. Not the penthouse ceiling. Not any ceiling he recognized.
He lay still for a moment, cataloguing.
Room. Clean. Well furnished. The bed he was on was expensive, the sheets soft. Bookshelves along one wall. A wardrobe. A writing desk by the window.
The window.
Frosted glass.
That detail surfaced through the headache like something he'd known once and forgotten.
He sat up carefully. Head swam. Steadied.
His phone was gone. His work bag was gone. His watch was gone.
He was still in his work clothes. Same clothes he'd put on this morning in the penthouse kitchen while Lily demanded Kael fix his tie.
This morning felt like a very long time ago.
He stood. Crossed to the door.
Locked. Not a standard lock. Something electronic. Keypad on the outside, smooth panel on the inside. No handle to force.
