LUTHER’S POV

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lavigne… but your sample is gone.”

Her voice cracked down the line, all timid and careful, like she was talking to a man who wouldn’t rip her spine out through her throat if she slipped up.

“Gone?” My words snapped out of me. “What the fuck do you mean… gone?”

On the other end, I heard papers shuffle, a nervous cough, a chair squeaking. “It... it appears there was a storage mishap, sir. A clerical error. Your… material was ...