Ella nodded, but she didn't offer anything else as they walked outside. It wasn't that she thought people weren't trustworthy; rather, she thought everyone had parts of themselves that they hid away in safe places.
Once they'd reached the bitter cold outside, she turned toward Bellum Letale. She was about to continue her conversation about the man on the anonymous post when two men walked toward them. She was slightly worried, but not very much. New York was filled with people on dark sidewalks, and she'd been here long enough not to fear them irrationally anymore.
However, when hands covered her mouth and shoved her into the alley, the panic that overtook her was enough to steal her voice. She could hear James beside her, knew hands had grabbed her as well. And she could vaguely hear the man speaking to the other woman. "We saw you at the club," he said, accent New York Italian and thick.