Marcus hadn't been back in England that long, and apparently, he'd forgotten a few things: such as, who knew Diagon Alley had a rush hour? 8 am. It was wall to wall witches and wizards, shoved together like sardines, all trying to make their way to shops and businesses or to the portal into muggle London for various reasons.
Today, that particular crowd of people was a problem for Marcus. The one question that kept racing through his mind was, "Where the hell is she?" He had had one assignment. Just one--to keep track of Khaat Lupin and keep her safe. He had wondered why her household staff had laughed and wished him luck. Now he knew. When he'd gotten up at 6, she was already gone.
He had searched the massive estate, but he somehow knew already. Then one of the staff had remembered she had mentioned needing to go to Sparks. They hadn't taken her seriously because she had been, basically, in hiding for the past 2 weeks. She hadn't wanted people to know her secret. She hadn't wanted to start a widespread panic in her world.
Now he understood. She had planned an "easy in, easy out" to Sparks in the predawn hours, most likely. To go in to Sparks unseen, through back alleys probably, and then out just as quickly and home before the morning rush. The problem was that here was the rush, and here she wasn't. Nor was she back home. So Marcus was trying to be polite but was starting to nudge people out of his way, hoping he wouldn't have to start shoving them.
He needed to find her--before someone not-so-friendly did.
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