The laboratory was cold. The air smelled of antiseptic and ozone. White tiles lined the walls. Screens hummed in the darkness. Data scrolled across the monitors in green and blue lines. Moro Shirogane sat at the central desk. He did not look up when Dante entered. The door hissed shut behind the assassin.
Dante walked to the desk. He placed a drive on the metal surface. It slid across with a sharp click. Moro stopped typing. He looked at the drive. Then he looked at Dante. His eyes were behind thin glasses. They reflected the screen light.
Moro said, "You do not come here without a reason."
Dante said, "I need a file."
Moro said, "Define the parameters."
Dante said, "Death certificate. Forensic photographs. Coroner report. Everything needed to deceive a professional client."
Moro picked up the drive. He plugged it into the console. The screens flickered. New windows opened. Code cascaded down the displays. Moro began to type. His fingers moved faster than most people could see. He did not ask for a name. He did not ask for a location.
Dante said, "Two hours."
Moro said, "You know my rates."
Dante said, "Money is not the issue."
Moro said, "It is never just money with you."
The room fell silent. The only sound was the cooling fans of the servers. Dante stood still. He watched the progress bars on the screen. They filled slowly. Red turned to green. One percent. Ten percent. Fifty percent.
Moro said, "This person. Whoever they are. The price will be high."
Dante said, "I know."
Moro said, "Not money. I mean the cost."
Dante said, "Complete the file."
Moro stopped typing. He turned his chair. He faced Dante fully. The expression on his face was unreadable. It was calm. It was dangerous.
Moro said, "I am not judging you. I am calculating outcomes. Protecting a target from a client breaks the contract. It breaks the ecosystem. People will come looking."
Dante said, "Let them come."
Moro said, "They will find you."
Dante said, "They will find nothing."
Moro turned back to the screen. He resumed typing. The silence returned. It was heavy. It pressed against the walls. Dante checked his watch. One hour had passed. The progress bar hit ninety percent.
Moro said, "Done."
He ejected the drive. He slid it back across the metal. Dante caught it. He did not thank him. Thanks were unnecessary. They were partners. They understood the weight of favors.
Dante said, "Burn the logs."
Moro said, "Already done."
Dante turned. He walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the handle.
Moro said, "Dante."
Dante said, "What."
Moro said, "Do not let the price exceed the value."
Dante did not answer. He opened the door. He stepped out into the hallway. The air was warmer here. He walked to his car. He sat in the driver's seat. He plugged the drive into his laptop. He opened the encrypted email client.
He attached the file. He typed a short message. He hit send. The status changed to delivered. He waited. The screen glowed in the dark car. One minute passed. Then two.
A notification chimed. [Payment Received.] The amount was substantial. It was the standard rate for a high-profile elimination. Dante closed the banking window. He leaned back in the seat. He exhaled slowly.
Ten minutes later. Another notification chimed. It was a new message from the client. The subject line was blank. The body contained only one sentence.
Client said, "I will verify the authenticity of the file."
Dante stared at the text. The letters seemed to burn into his retina. Verification meant contact with authorities. It meant morgues. It meant investigations. It meant exposure.
Kairo said, "If he verifies, he discovers."
Dante said, "He will not verify."
Kairo said, "He is cautious. He is professional. He will check."
Dante said, "Give me forty-eight hours."
Kairo said, "For what."
Dante said, "By then I will find who he is."
Mūn said, "Forty-eight hours is a long time in this city."
Dante said, "It is enough."
He started the engine. He drove away from the lab district. The streets were quiet. It was early morning. The sun had not risen. He drove to the residential sector. He parked three blocks away from a specific apartment building.
He killed the lights. He sat in the darkness. He looked up at the third floor. A single window was lit. The curtains were drawn. He knew who was behind them. He knew she was safe for now.
He watched the window. He did not blink. He tracked the movement of the shadow behind the curtain. She was walking. She was alive. The lie held for now.
Kairo said, "You are compromising the mission."
Dante said, "The mission has changed."
Mūn said, "To what."
Dante said, "Survival."
Mūn said, "Yours or hers."
Dante said, "Both."
A car passed on the street. The headlights swept across his face. He did not move. He waited until the taillights faded. He checked his phone. No new messages. The client was silent. The silence was worse than the threat.
He thought about Moro's warning. The price. He had already paid part of it. He had lied to a client. In their world, lies were debts. Debts were collected with interest. The interest was usually blood.
He looked at the building again. The light in the window turned off. She was sleeping. He should leave. He should move to a safe house. He should prepare for the hunt.
He did not move. He stayed in the car. He watched the dark window. He was the guardian in the shadows. He was the weapon that refused to fire.
Kairo said, "You are weakening."
Dante said, "I am choosing."
Kairo said, "Choice is a luxury."
Dante said, "I am taking it."
The wind picked up. It rattled the car windows. The cold seeped through the glass. Dante turned on the heater. The air warmed slowly. He closed his eyes for a second. He opened them. The window remained dark.
He set a timer on his phone. Forty-eight hours. The countdown began. The numbers ticked down. Forty-seven hours. Fifty-nine minutes.
Dante said, "Clock starts now."
Mūn said, "What happens when it reaches zero."
Dante said, "We will be ready."
He put the car in gear. He pulled away from the curb. He merged into the traffic. He disappeared into the night. The building stood behind him. Silent. Unaware. The lie was in place. The hunt was beginning.
A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of Shadow Contract. The clock is ticking for Dante. Will he find the client before the verification happens? Please add this to your library and leave a review if you are enjoying the story. Your support means everything!