"I see."
Vey's voice remained calm as he stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, one hand resting loosely in his pocket while the other held the receiver of the landline. Beyond the glass, Star City's skyline glittered beneath the night sky, reflected in the still water of the private terrace pool. "Keep an eye on the situation. I don't want him leaving his room for the remainder of the night. I'll be enacting Protocol Four."
The night manager didn't hesitate.
"Very well, sir. I'll alert the staff immediately."
"Good."
Vey's eyes drifted toward the city below. "And keep me updated."
"Of course, sir. Have a good evening."
The line clicked dead.
Vey replaced the receiver carefully before adjusting the cufflinks on his sleeves. For a moment he simply stood there, silent and motionless, listening to the faint sounds of the hotel several floors below. Music from the lounge drifted upward through the ventilation system while distant laughter echoed somewhere beneath him. To anyone watching, he looked like a wealthy hotel owner preparing to end a successful evening.
Then he opened the desk drawer.
His fingers disappeared inside for only a second before withdrawing and slipping something small into his pocket. The motion was smooth enough to be almost invisible.
Vey glanced toward the expansive private terrace attached to the penthouse. Calling it a balcony hardly felt accurate. The outdoor space was nearly the size of a small apartment, complete with a heated pool, lounge chairs, and a stone deck overlooking the city. A low wall separated it from the dizzying drop beyond while soft lighting illuminated the water with a pale blue glow.
"Better this than having an arrow through the window," he murmured to himself.
He stepped outside.
The cool night air washed over him immediately. Vey walked to one of the reclining chairs beside the pool and sat down with deliberate ease, leaning back as though he intended to spend the rest of the evening enjoying the view.
"I heard you," he called into the darkness.
Nothing moved.
Then, in the span of a blink, a figure seemed to materialize from the shadows near the far edge of the terrace. A hooded man stood with a bow already drawn, an arrow pointed directly at Vey's chest.
Green Arrow.
Vey didn't flinch.
"What do I owe the pleasure?"
"Constantine Drakon."
The hero's voice was low and cold, stripped of the charm Oliver Queen wore in public. There was nothing playful in it now.
Vey raised an eyebrow and slowly stood from the chair. The arrow tracked the movement instantly, forcing him to keep a careful distance.
"Never heard of him."
"He's a member of the League of Shadows."
Green Arrow took a measured step forward, the bow never wavering. "He assassinated Francis Bell tonight. I chased him across half the city. He entered this hotel less than ten minutes ago."
His eyes narrowed beneath the hood.
"What room is he staying in?"
For the briefest moment, Vey's eyes widened.
"An assassin?" He sounded genuinely alarmed. "I assure you, we do not house assassins."
His hand began moving toward his pocket.
The bowstring tightened.
"Don't."
Vey immediately froze, palms opening slightly.
"I'm getting my phone to check the guest list." His expression turned mildly offended. "Calm down. If a professional killer is staying in my hotel, I'd very much like to know about it."
Green Arrow didn't lower the bow, but he didn't fire either.
Slowly, Vey withdrew his phone and unlocked it with a thumbprint. His fingers moved across the screen with practiced familiarity as he pulled up the hotel's reservation system.
"Let's see…" he muttered. "D, R, A…"
He frowned.
"No."
Vey turned the screen slightly so Green Arrow could see it from a distance.
"I don't have anyone checked in under the name Constantine Drakon."
Green Arrow's eyes flicked to the phone, then back to Vey.
"Aliases are possible," Vey continued, tapping the screen again. "We had several last-minute reservations tonight. If you give me a description, I can narrow it down."
The hero studied him for a long moment.
Vey met the stare calmly.
"Tall," Green Arrow finally said. "Dark hair. Athletic build. Moves like a trained killer."
Vey snorted softly.
"That describes half the wealthy men who stay here."
No reaction from the hooded figure.
"Fair point."
Vey scrolled through another list before his expression shifted.
"I do have a guest who checked in under the name Adrian Kosta about an hour ago." He looked up. "Paid cash for a suite. No luggage. Requested privacy."
Green Arrow's posture tightened almost imperceptibly.
"What room?"
Vey hesitated.
"You understand I can't normally give out guest information."
The arrowhead rose a fraction higher.
"This isn't a normal situation."
Vey sighed dramatically.
"Room 2714."
Green Arrow held his gaze for another second before reaching into his belt and pulling out a small communicator.
"Red arrow," he said quietly, never taking his eyes off Vey. "I may have our man. Twenty-seventh floor."
A faint voice crackled back through the device.
Vey couldn't make out the words, but he recognized the tone immediately.
Backup.
Interesting.
"For what it's worth," Vey said, slipping his phone back into his pocket, "I'd appreciate it if you tried not to damage the hotel."
Green Arrow didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped backward toward the shadows, bow still trained on Vey until the very last moment. Then he vanished over the edge of the terrace with a grappling line snapping taut somewhere below.
The terrace fell silent again.
Vey stood motionless beside the pool, watching the spot where the hero had disappeared.
After several seconds, a slow smile spread across his face.
"Well," he murmured into the night, "that was exciting."
***
The terrace fell quiet after Green Arrow disappeared over the edge.
Vey remained beside the pool with his hands resting comfortably in his pockets, his gaze drifting back toward the glittering skyline of Star City. To anyone watching from another building, he looked like a businessman enjoying the cool night air after a successful grand opening. In reality, he was counting.
Ten seconds.
Thirty.
A minute.
Protocol Four was built around one simple principle: speed. Everyone involved knew their responsibilities before the order was ever given. The guest would already be moving. The room would already be changing hands. Records would be adjusted, luggage relocated, and every employee with clearance would perform their task without asking a single unnecessary question. By the time Green Arrow reached the twenty-seventh floor, the room would no longer belong to the man he was chasing.
The hotel itself was a machine.
Protocol Four merely told it which gears to turn.
Nearly fifteen minutes later the faint sound of a grappling line carried through the night air.
Vey smiled to himself.
Right on time.
Green Arrow vaulted back onto the terrace, landing with considerably more force than before. His boots scraped against the stone as he came to a stop, his bow already in his hand. The controlled patience he'd displayed earlier had vanished. His shoulders were tighter, his breathing heavier, and there was an unmistakable edge beneath the silence.
Vey looked over his shoulder with mild curiosity.
"No luck?"
Green Arrow ignored the question and continued walking until only a few feet separated them.
"The room was empty."
"I see."
"It wasn't abandoned." His voice remained cold and measured. "The bed was still warm. There were signs someone had been staying there."
Vey nodded thoughtfully as if genuinely considering the information.
"Well, that certainly is unfortunate."
"You moved him."
The accusation came without hesitation.
Vey blinked once before letting out a quiet laugh.
"I did no such thing."
"You tipped him off."
"I wouldn't know who to tip off."
"I watched him enter this hotel."
"And I never questioned that." Vey spread his hands in an innocent gesture. "You came to me claiming an assassin had entered my establishment. I searched my guest records. I gave you the only reservation that remotely matched your description. You searched the room."
He paused, meeting Green Arrow's stare without the slightest hint of discomfort.
"You didn't find your man."
Green Arrow's jaw flexed.
"You expect me to believe that's a coincidence?"
"I expect you to believe exactly what happened."
"What happened," Green Arrow replied, "is that you stalled me."
"I cooperated."
"You delayed me."
"I checked my records."
"You lied."
"I gave you access to information I wasn't obligated to provide."
The two men stood motionless, neither willing to surrender even an inch of ground. Both knew exactly what had happened upstairs.
The difference was that only one of them could prove it.
Green Arrow finally broke the silence.
"I want your security footage."
The smile faded from Vey's face, though only slightly.
"No."
The answer was immediate. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty.
"You don't get to refuse."
"I believe I just did."
"I chased a murderer into your hotel."
"And I assisted you."
"You obstructed my investigation."
"I protected my guests."
"You protected him."
"I protected everyone's privacy."
Vey folded his arms across his chest, his expression settling somewhere between apologetic and firm.
"The moment I begin handing over surveillance footage because someone asks, this hotel loses the trust it was built upon. Actors stay here. Politicians stay here. Business executives conduct meetings here. If word spread that I simply surrendered recordings whenever a masked man demanded them, I'd deserve to lose every customer I have."
"I'm not asking."
"No," Vey agreed softly. "You're demanding."
Green Arrow stepped closer, "I'm trying to stop a killer."
"And I'm trying to run a hotel."
"You know exactly where he went."
"If I did, I'd tell the proper authorities."
Green Arrow let out a slow breath.
"You really think this act is going to fool me?"
"What act?" Vey smiled again.
Silence settled between them once more.
The city hummed below while the water in the terrace pool reflected the lights of neighboring skyscrapers. For a brief moment neither man moved. It almost looked as though time itself had stopped.
Then Green Arrow slowly raised his bow.
The arrow came up first.
The bowstring followed.
It drew back farther… and farther… until the limbs of the weapon groaned beneath the strain.
The broadhead settled directly over Vey's heart.
Vey didn't retreat.
He didn't even glance at the weapon.
Instead, he looked directly into the darkness beneath the hood.
"What are you going to do?" he asked quietly. "Kill me?"
The bowstring tightened another fraction.
"If that's your plan, I should warn you it'll make tomorrow's newspapers rather interesting."
Green Arrow remained perfectly still.
"'Star City's Hooded Vigilante Executes Hotel Owner,'" Vey mused. "Not exactly the sort of publicity either of us wants."
The silence stretched.
Vey's smile returned.
"You won't."
Before either man could speak again, the distant wail of sirens drifted across the city.
One.
Then another.
Within seconds the sound multiplied until several police cruisers were racing through the streets below, their flashing lights painting blue and red reflections across the glass towers surrounding the Continental.
Vey glanced over the edge of the terrace before returning his attention to Green Arrow.
"Oh…"
He sounded almost embarrassed.
"I forgot to mention something."
The sirens continued growing louder.
"I called the police."
Green Arrow's expression hardened.
"It seemed appropriate," Vey continued evenly. "A masked man forced his way into my penthouse, demanded confidential guest information, attempted to compel my cooperation under threat, and is currently aiming a weapon at my chest."
He gave the drawn bow a meaningful glance before meeting Green Arrow's eyes once more.
"I thought they might like to hear about that."
Neither man moved.
Green Arrow kept the arrow trained on him.
Vey stood with his hands relaxed at his sides.
For several long seconds they simply held each other's gaze while the approaching sirens echoed through the night, each waiting to see which of them would make the first move.
—-
A/N: If anyone is confused on why vey was taking wheel when Kieran would have been the more appropriate for talking. Because vey needed to act the second something could have turned into a fight.