The phone screen glowed in the dark car. The timer sat in the corner of the display. It counted down in red numbers. Forty-six hours remained. The digits changed. Forty-five hours. Fifty-nine minutes. The sound of the ticking was silent. Dante heard it anyway. It echoed in his skull. It matched the beat of his heart.
He parked the car under a streetlamp. The light flickered above him. It buzzed with electricity. Rain began to fall. Drops hit the windshield. They slid down the glass like tears. The wipers were off. He wanted to see the distortion clearly. He wanted to feel the weather. It grounded him. It reminded him he was real.
Across the street stood the apartment building. It was brick. It was old. It looked tired. The paint was peeling near the entrance. The windows were dark mostly. Only one floor had light. The third floor. The second window from the left. He knew the layout. He had memorized it years ago.
He watched the window. He did not blink. The curtains were thin. They were white. A shadow moved behind them. It was a human shape. It walked from left to right. It stopped. It walked back. The rhythm was familiar. She paced when she thought. She paced when she worried.
Dante said, "She is alive."
Kairo said, "For now."
Dante said, "Do not start."
Kairo said, "I am stating facts. The verification window is open. The client has resources. He will contact the morgue. He will contact the police. He will check the forensic data."
Dante said, "Moro forged it perfectly."
Kairo said, "Perfection is a myth. Systems have backups. Logs have traces. Someone will look deeper."
Mūn said, "He is right, Dante."
Dante said, "I do not need commentary. I need solutions."
Mūn said, "The solution is distance. You should leave this city. You should take her and go."
Dante said, "She will not go."
Mūn said, "Because she does not know."
Dante said, "Because she is stubborn."
The shadow behind the curtain stopped. It stood still. It looked toward the window. Dante froze. He lowered himself in the seat. He became part of the shadows. He knew she could not see him. The glass was reflective. The street was dark. But instinct told him to hide.
The shadow moved again. It turned away. It disappeared from view. The light remained on. Dante exhaled. He had not realized he was holding his breath. His lungs burned. He rubbed his face with his hand. The stubble on his chin was rough. He had not shaved in days.
Kairo said, "You are compromising your position."
Dante said, "I am monitoring the asset."
Kairo said, "She is not an asset. She is a liability."
Dante said, "She is the mission."
Kairo said, "The mission was elimination."
Dante said, "The mission changed."
Kairo said, "Clients do not accept changes. They enforce contracts."
Dante said, "I will find the client."
Kairo said, "Before the verification?"
Dante said, "Yes."
Kairo said, "That is statistically improbable."
Dante said, "I do not deal in statistics."
Mūn said, "You deal in blood."
Dante said, "Sometimes."
The rain intensified. It hammered against the roof. The sound was loud. It drowned out the city noise. Dante liked the noise. It covered his presence. It made him invisible. He checked the timer again. Forty-five hours. Thirty minutes. The red numbers pulsed.
He thought about the file in his pocket. The drive was encrypted. The data was fake. But it was built on real structures. It used real codes. It mimicked real authority. If someone looked casually, it would pass. If someone looked closely, it would crack. The client was not casual. The client was professional.
Dante said, "How many people know I was here."
Kairo said, "No one."
Dante said, "Are you sure."
Kairo said, "I scanned the perimeter. No cameras. No witnesses. No drones."
Dante said, "Good."
Mūn said, "You are protecting her from yourself."
Dante said, "What does that mean."
Mūn said, "You are the danger. You are the threat. Your presence draws fire. If you stay close, the fire will hit her."
Dante said, "I can handle the fire."
Mūn said, "You are not fireproof."
Dante looked at his hands. They were steady. They were gloved. The leather was black. He flexed his fingers. The joints cracked. He was a weapon. He knew that. He had accepted that. But weapons could be aimed. Weapons could be sheathed.
He looked back at the window. The light turned off. The room went dark. She was sleeping. Or she was hiding. He did not know. He hoped it was sleep. She needed rest. She would need strength for what was coming.
He started the car engine. It hummed quietly. He did not drive away. He just let it run. The heat began to fill the cabin. The fog on the windows cleared. The view of the building became sharp again.
Kairo said, "You are wasting time."
Dante said, "I am buying it."
Kairo said, "Time is not currency."
Dante said, "It is the only currency that matters."
Kairo said, "The client is waiting."
Dante said, "Let him wait."
Kairo said, "He will not wait forever."
Dante said, "He will wait until I find him."
Mūn said, "And if you do not."
Dante said, "I will."
Mūn said, "Confidence is not a plan."
Dante said, "It is when I am the one speaking."
He put the car in drive. He pulled away from the curb. The tires splashed through the puddles. He did not look back. He knew the building was there. He knew she was there. He carried that knowledge with him. It was a weight. It was an anchor.
He drove into the main road. The traffic was light. The city slept. The skyscrapers loomed overhead. They were like tombstones. They marked the graves of secrets. He was digging one up. He was digging up his own past.
Kairo said, "Forty-five hours."
Dante said, "I heard you."
Kairo said, "Do not fail."
Dante said, "I do not fail."
Kairo said, "You failed once tonight."
Dante tightened his grip on the wheel. The leather creaked. The memory of the trigger finger hovered in his mind. He had not pulled it. That was the failure. That was the success. He did not know which anymore.
Dante said, "That was a choice."
Kairo said, "Choices have consequences."
Dante said, "I will pay them."
Kairo said, "The price may be her."
Dante said, "No."
Kairo said, "Yes."
Dante said, "Stop."
Kairo went silent. The voice receded into the back of his mind. It was still there. It was always there. But it was quiet for now. Mūn remained. The softer voice. The dream voice.
Mūn said, "He is afraid for you."
Dante said, "He is a demon."
Mūn said, "He is part of you."
Dante said, "He is a tool."
Mūn said, "Tools do not feel."
Dante said, "He does not feel."
Mūn said, "Then why does he warn you."
Dante did not answer. He merged onto the highway. The speed increased. The city lights blurred. He needed to get to the safe house. He needed to plan. He needed to hunt. The clock was ticking. The verification was coming.
He checked the mirror. The road behind was empty. No cars followed him. He was alone. He was always alone. Except for the voices. Except for the memory of a song. He hummed the tune softly. It was barely audible. It mixed with the engine noise.
Dante said, "Forty-five hours."
Mūn said, "We will be ready."
Dante said, "We better be."
He pressed the accelerator. The car surged forward. The night swallowed him. The hunt began now. The clock was the enemy. The client was the target. Sophie was the prize. He would not lose. He could not lose.
A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 3 of Shadow Contract. The tension is rising as the verification clock ticks down. Will Dante find the client in time? Please add this to your library and leave a review if you are enjoying the story. Your support keeps the story going!