Dante stood in front of a practically abandoned warehouse. It wasn't completely abandoned, but it was for sale and had been for almost a year. Looking up information on it, Dante found that it was on the market for so long because there was a lot of repair work to be done with it, but it probably didn't help that there was a murder there five months ago as well.
Upon entering Dante found the entire place empty except for a room in the back. After a well-placed knock to see if anyone was inside, and when no one answered, he walked in. Inside was a single computer screen with a webcam, the screen on but showcasing a text document that had nothing on it.
The door closed behind him after he hit the centre of the room, and he glanced down to see a tripwire that let loose a paint bucket, which shut the door with a simple string. He frowned, then looked back at the screen, where words began to appear as if typed in by the non-existent keyboard.
You came alone.
Dante glanced at the camera. "I didn't think I right to bring a crowd to meet a ghost."
There was a moment of silence before more words appeared. Are you sure that was smart?
He offered a shrug, glancing around. "I'm not known for being smart."
You followed the intel. The words said. Gotta be a little smart.
He smirked, looking back at the camera. "Can you see me?"
Yes. The words wrote next.
"I can't see you." Dante mumbled, then spoke louder. "What's your name?"
There was a moment of the blinking word cursor before they displayed, People call me Blaze.
"Is that your name?" He asked.
Who knows? The words answered vaguely.
"Why are you helping me?" Dante questioned, crossing his arms.
You seem like the right person. The words answered, once again vague. How do you know my mother?
"Your mother?" He repeated quietly, confused.
Yes. The words said. Maria. The woman in the photograph you left.
Dante blinked, mouth hanging open. "She's your mother?" He said, shocked.
You didn't know? The words guessed.
"Not really." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a sideways smile. "I just spoke to her sister and her friend. Neither of them said she had a kid, much less that it was you."
They were protecting me, The words replied. She has a sister?
"Yeah," Dante lowered his hand. "What, you didn't know?"
There was silence. Dante bit his lower lip before he looked away, glancing around the room for any sign of this so-called Blaze. He didn't see anything, and that made him more uncomfortable – moreso with the fact he wasn't being given any trust yet. Dante looked back at the camera and stepped forward.
"Blaze…" He said softly. "If that's your name… I can offer you protection."
No you can't. The screen answered quickly.
"Yes," Dante argued. "I can."
I'm the Don's son, The words argued.
"I know," He said.
Then you know that it's impossible. He felt like the man was scowling behind the screen. The only way any of this ends is by all of us going to prison, whether they be an informant or not.
Dante thought for a moment before he said, "How old are you?"
Almost 20.
"And you've been raised all your life to do wrong instead of right," He answered. "You can pin that on your father and at least get a shorter sentence. Then you can have an actual life."
There was a moment of silence before the bitter words on the screen read, Don't get my hopes up now, cop.
Dante sighed, glancing around. "Look, can we just talk in person? Talking to random words on a paper or a screen is just getting old."
There was a long pause before Dante decided to continue. "I don't want you to just be this." He waved at the computer, pointedly not looking at it. "I want to know who you are."
The screen stood empty for a long time, and Dante sighed to himself. He thought maybe now he was done for, with no informant on screen or in person, either. He ran a hand across his head and turned to leave, right before the door opened.
A figure stood in the frame, glancing up past curly brown hair with bright amber eyes. The reflected almost pure gold in the screen light from his phone, rimmed with a dark brown that was almost rusty red. Like embers in a flame. Except, his expression was a little worried, or maybe scared… and Dante knew why. He recognised him immediately.
His breath hitched. "You're the guy that was brought in three weeks ago for the murder," He said.
Angelo wrote quickly into his phone, and Dante turned to see the computer screen. Didn't do it.
"Then who did?" He asked, still backing up away from him.
My girlfriend. He seemed to have difficulty writing girlfriend, but he didn't know why. We were loan sharks that night. He hadn't paid in a year. Wanted to spare him, but I couldn't- There was a pause, and he backspaced couldn't to replace it with, -didn't stop her.
At least he took responsibility, Dante thought.
He stopped backing up. "The girl you saw," He said slowly. "She ditched you?"
Angelo just nodded, and Dante bit his lower lip. "Have you ever killed anyone else, then?"
Shaking his head, Angelo watched him, but Dante didn't know what else to say. Finally, Angelo just sighed out his nose very quietly, then typed something into the monitor. Dante turned again to see it.
I understand if you don't want to help anymore.
Angelo's foot scuffed as he turned away, and Dante turned to see him start walking off. Before he could take another step, Dante rushed forward, putting a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Wait-" He said.
Then Angelo flinched. He pulled away, sharply, clearly shaken by the physical contact. Dante put his hands up in a sort of mock surrender, trying to show he wasn't going to hurt him. Why had he flinched so violently? Had he been that badly hurt in the past that a stranger's hand was enough to scare him?
"I still want your help," Dante said slowly. "And I want to help you, Angelo."
He stared at him for a long time, as if deciphering something in his head. The truth was, Angelo hadn't heard his name since Jose said it in the recuperation room in that stranger's house, and he sure as hell didn't expect Dante to remember it. Especially since he introduced himself as Blaze. Slowly, he nodded, then typed in his phone again for words to show up on the screen behind them.
Then I'll meet you at the next mission. He wrote. Deal?
"Deal." Dante smiled. "Can I have your number?"
However, when Angelo just raised an eyebrow, Dante quickly corrected himself. "I-I mean- it would just be easier to keep in contact, right? Unless that's too familiar. Or suspicious? Should we not? How do we-?"
As Dante was blubbering to himself, Angelo smirked, looking at his phone. He typed something, and Dante turned to look at the screen, but then his phone buzzed. He quickly pulled it out in a hurry to see what was on the screen, then remembered that Angelo was still in the room. He looked back to see him, but he was gone. Disappointed, he looked at his phone again to see a new message from an unfamiliar number – no doubt it was from Angelo.
213-867-5309:
See ya around, cop