“Thank you,” Bennett said, looking down at her clothes. “But I need to get out of these things and take a shower.”

“Okay,” Lisa said, keeping her eye on Bennett as she warily got to her feet. “Are you all right?”

Bennett raised her chin. “I’m fine, Lisa,” she said, striding to the bedroom. “Just call the cleaners and get this sorted, and do me a favor. Feed Xi. He was skittish last night, so he’s been hiding.”

***

It was a unique business not for the faint of heart and one that wasn’t needed unless tragedy struck. With offices around the globe, Aftermath was well known by almost every branch of law enforcement. Once all the evidence was collected, they were called to remove every speck of blood and bodily fluid that remained, leaving what was once a crime scene spotless down to the last fiber of carpet. They were fastidious, professional, and had a rule that was never broken. If one of their special clients called, there was no priority greater.

It had taken Bennett nearly thirty minutes just to remove her clothing, having to reopen more than a few wounds to extract threads that had become embedded. While the lacerations and punctures had healed over, the pain had yet to subside, and Bennett spent over an hour in the shower, gently washing away the blood. As she had done throughout the night, she replayed what had happened in her mind, and when she finally stepped from the shower, Bennett knew what she needed to do.

Lisa was coming up the hall when the door to the bedroom opened. Bennett stepped out, looking far better than she had a few hours earlier. Dressed in dark blue stretch leggings and a baggy V-neck sweater, her hair was shining with dampness, the color had returned to her cheeks, and the scar on her face had faded almost to nothingness. Lisa smiled. “So, does he always poop right after you clean the litter box?” she said, going into the kitchen to wash her hands.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Bennett said as she looked around. The apartment smelled like a field of flowers after a thunderstorm, the empty blood bags were gone, and the sofa and rug had been returned to their previous state. “I see the cleaners were here.”

“Yeah. They took care of the hallway in the building, too. It seems you left a trail.”

“Undoubtedly,” Bennett said, looking around. “Where are your brothers?”

“They were feeling better, so they headed over to the docks to pick up the Voclain sculptures.” Lisa grabbed the carafe and began filling a mug. “Would you like some coffee? I just made it.”

“Um…yes, thank you. Half a cup, please.” Bennett went to the sideboard near her desk, and picking up a bottle of Hennessy XO, she returned to the kitchen and filled the rest of her mug with the French cognac.