"Elijah," Rebekah called out, waving at him as he passed her office. "We have a high priority client that just called, so I bumped Mr. Fell to Wednesday and set you up to meet with her at three o'clock."

Elijah quirked his lips at his sister as he leaned against the edge of her office door. "Mr. Paranoid won't like that."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, I think we can pretty much guarantee that no hooligans or hauntings will trash his estate before Wednesday."

"I'm sure we could arrange to change that," Elijah said dryly, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. "We have enough of them in the family."

"Are you pretending you're exempt from that sort of behavior?" his sister asked with mock sweetness, then ignored his severe look in response. "My favorite author is in need of assistance with security issues, and she was referred to us by her bodyguard."

"Wait, that Gilbert woman? With those dramatic paranormal novels you devour like a starving woman?" Elijah asked, arching an eyebrow.

Rebekah leaned back in her chair and smirked at him. "You mean the novels I caught you stealing from my bookshelf last Yule? Yes, those."

He refused to take the bait and offered her a calm shrug. "I can enjoy a talented author regardless of the genre."

She fluttered her fingers at him and laughed. "Yes, yes, we all know you actually like reading overly political Russian literature, you weirdo. Anyways, you'll be meeting Ms. Gilbert and her bodyguard at her agent's office downtown. I already texted you the address and other pertinent information."

"Do you want me to get you an autograph?" he asked tauntingly as he straightened.

Rebekah shook her head and grinned at him. "I was already promised an advanced copy of her next book, an autographed copy, if we can solve her problem. So get cracking and maybe I'll let you read it."

Ever the picture of maturity, Elijah ignored his sister's taunt. As he left her office, he pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the messages until he found her text. It was time to meet Ms. Gilbert, solve whatever her problem was, and discover if she was as intriguing in person as the mind behind her novels suggested.

Elijah straightened his suit jacket, momentarily amused at the difference between his attire and what people expected of a security professional. Niklaus fit the bill more readily than he did, with his fondness for leather jackets. But security work, good security work, wasn't about swagger and toughness. It required patience, determination, and a balance of careful observation and decisive action. Only the latter fell into his brother's strong suits, which was why Elijah met with the clients and made the initial steps in their cases.

Approaching the building, briefcase in hand, he pressed the buzzer for admittance and waited. He felt almost impatient for once, which surely had nothing to do with the warm brown eyes of the woman whose picture was in the back of each of her books. The door swung open, interrupting his descent into irrationality, and he stepped forward, nodding at the door guard.

A woman in a blue suit was waiting for him and held out her hand with a professional smile. "Hello, you must be Mr. Mikaelson. I'm Ms. Sommers, Ms. Gilbert's agent, and aunt. She and Ms. Branson are in my office."

"Ms. Branson?" Elijah asked in surprise after shaking her hand.

Ms. Sommers nodded and turned to walk down the hall, gesturing for Elijah to follow. "Yes, Alexandra Branson; she said that she knew you, but didn't specify how?"

"It's a long story," Elijah said with a crooked smile, agreeing with Lexi that the details of their first meeting, involving his brother and her best friend sharing a jail cell, were best left unexplained. "I had no idea she'd moved to the west coast."

"She's proven invaluable to Elena, as a guard and a friend," stated. "If you prove to be as helpful, we will be most grateful."

"So what exactly is the problem?" Elijah asked as they came to a halt, more than curious about the lack of details provided so far. It was in his nature, and his occupation, to dig for information, and there had been a decided lack of it in his sister's text.

"I think I'll let Elena tell you that," Ms. Sommers answered with a grim smile. "She's right through this door. If you'll excuse me, I have to take a call from one of my other clients."

"Of course," Elijah said with a polite nod, then turned and faced the wooden door, genuinely pleased to see Lexi again. The vibrant blonde had become one of his rare true friends, once they'd bonded over the frustrations of dealing with family, chosen or blood. Turning the knob, he pushed open the door to reveal Elena Gilbert sitting behind a stately redwood desk, Alexandra standing next to it, arms folded over her chest and a familiar smirk tilting her mouth. "Hey, Mikaelson."

"Hello, Alexandra," Elijah responded, one corner of his mouth curving upward as he turned to face their mutual employer. "Hello, Ms. Gilbert."

"Hello, Mr. Mikaelson," she responded with a tired smile. "Have a seat, and feel free to chat with Lexi; I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on."

"Don't worry about it, Elena, I'll just make him take me for drinks later when Caroline takes over. We owe each other more than a five-minute chat," Alexandra said with a warm glance at Elena and a grin at him.

Elijah chuckled as he settled into the plush armchair positioned in front of the desk, wishing it was slightly less comfortable. "Most definitely. I believe I owe you some top-shelf whiskey."

"And I owe you some bottom-shelf tequila shooters," Alexandra said with a wink, startling a full smile out of Elijah, and a silent note of approval at how clearly comfortable a relationship she shared with Elena Gilbert. Turning his attention back to the woman in question, he let his smile fade into a more professional mien.

"So, Ms. Gilbert, why do you need a security specialist?"

She sighed, her own smile fading into a look of pure exhaustion. "I have long been aware of the need to take precautions, Mr. Mikaelson. There were a few incidents with a religious group that has taken offense to my books after the first two were published, and since then I have installed a very thorough security system as well as using Lexi's services for events on the recommendation of my agent," she said with a nod at the blonde.

Folding her hands together on the desk, he could see the tension in her shoulders. "I thought that would be enough, but last year the group got a little too enthusiastic in their denouncements and one of the faithful decided to take matters into his own hands. And a gun. After that, I hired Lexi full time and have hired a security patrol for my entire neighborhood in addition to paying for the gate system to be updated."

She paused, tapping a file folder on top of the desk before sliding it toward him. "Then, six months ago, I started getting these. The one on top was the first. I get very strange and occasionally very unpleasant mail, but this one seemed different, as was the fact that it was delivered to my doorstep and not by the postman."

Elijah opened the file and looked down at the first letter. The paper was heavy parchment, but the words were apparently cut out from a regular paperback book and pasted on. The content wasn't too surprising, just the usual cryptic rhetoric heavy with supernatural leanings, but the signature stood out. It was mostly faded and dark brown, but he had seen blood often enough to recognize the real thing. "Did you go to the police?"

She nodded. "I've faithfully reported everyone one I've received, including the one left on the steering wheel of my car in my garage, and the one that fell out of a menu one night when I went to dinner."

Elijah's eyes widened and then narrowed and he leaned forward in the chair. That sort of escalation definitely indicated a dangerous level of obsession. And the level of access the stalker was able to achieve, well. It was a good thing she'd come to the Mikaelson firm. "What have the police found?"

"Not much. Anonymous notes and payments to otherwise innocent accomplices, never anything on camera and not a trace of a fingerprint or DNA other than the blood, which isn't human."

Elena shook her head, her hair shifting to obscure part of her face. "I don't have very much respect for the police, even though I am lucky enough to have the pull to warrant their attention. So I hired a second bodyguard, one that to the world at large is my new publicist. I guard my privacy. I take every precaution I can without locking myself in a steel room, but those are all defensive measures, Mr. Mikaelson."

Leaning her elbows onto the desk, she tucked her hair out of her face, her eyes boring intently into his. "I'm tired of playing defense, I'm tired of being the victim. I want to go on the offense, take this game to the sick freak trying to ruin my life and see how they handle it. I was told you might be able to help with that."

Elijah smiled slowly and nodded. He liked Elena Gilbert, he liked her a lot more than he should honestly, and she definitely deserved some peace of mind. "Yes, I can help with that."

x

x

x

x

x

x


Title is from Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore