Chapter 20
The door clicked shut behind her.
I stood in the middle of her living room for a moment, listening to her footsteps fade down the hallway.
She had kissed me. She had kissed me on her own, not drunk, not me chasing her, not me asking for it.
A quick peck, barely anything, and then she had run out the door like she had stolen something.
My fingers touched my lips without permission. They were still warm.
I dropped my hand.
The apartment was small. Too small for a man of my usual accommodations. But it smelled like her. The faint sweetness of her lotion. The vanilla from the candle on the coffee table. The particular warmth of a space that had been made into a home by someone who didn't know how to do anything halfway.
I pulled out my phone.
Not Romano. Romano was meticulous. Romano would document, analyze, report back with observations I hadn't asked for. He would ask questions, press on matters, list the pending schedule.
Alex was easier. Alex did what he was told. Though he talked more.
The phone rang twice.
"Boss!" His voice was too loud for this early. "You have a long life! I was just thinking about you. I told Romano that you made food for me, he didn't believe me. Said you never cooked for hi-"
"Alex."
"Right, sorry."
"Oliver Wright and Anne Parker. You have their files."
"Yeah." No questions. Good.
"Visit them. Today."
A beat. "What kind of visit?"
I moved to the window, looked down at the street. She was already gone, absorbed into the morning crowd. A small woman in a cream blouse, her hair pinned up, the way she did everyday for work.
"They messed with someone they shouldn't have." My voice was flat. "Make sure they understand that."
"What's the limit?"
"Don't kill them."
She'd notice if they disappeared. Wonder if something happened to them. I didn't want her thinking about him, them.
I ended the call.
The apartment was quiet again. I stood at the window for a moment longer, then turned to the kitchen. The refrigerator was sparse. Instant noodles. Some eggs. A sad-looking carton of milk.
Did she survive on this?
I sighed, grabbed my jacket, and left to buy something to make real food.
____________________________________
Alex waited outside Oliver's apartment building, leaning against the wall lazily. His black suit did nothing to hide the bulk of his muscles. People crossed the street to avoid him. That was the point.
Oliver appeared on schedule. He shot a glance at Alex, then quickly averted his gaze, not wanting trouble. He unlocked his door as soon as he could and stepped inside. He was about to close it when Alex stepped forward, blocking the whole frame with his large figure.
"W-what do you want?" Oliver fumbled, searching for something to defend himself with and finding nothing. "Who are you?"
Alex stepped inside. The door closed behind him.
"Some things are better left untold." He rolled up his sleeve slowly, veins and muscle on display.
"This is my property! You can't enter without permission—"
"I'm here to deliver a message."
Alex let the silence stretch. He had learned this from watching Caspian. The pause. The space between words where fear had room to grow.
"You've been careless," Alex said finally. "With someone you shouldn't have touched."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Oliver's voice cracked on the last word. He looked wild now, his eyes darting to the door, to the window, calculating exits that didn't exist.
Alex tilted his head. "You don't have to know. You just have to understand."
He stepped closer. Oliver stepped back, his spine hitting the wall behind him.
"There are people in this city," Alex said quietly, "who don't appreciate when someone hurts what's theirs. Long memories. Long reach. Very little patience for people who think the rules don't apply to them."
"I really don't—"
"I didn't tell you to speak."
The words landed like a slap. Oliver's mouth snapped shut.
"Next time," Alex said, "it won't be a warning. And your head won't be attached to your body for decoration."
He turned and walked out, leaving Oliver with trembling legs.
Good. One target down. The other one was a female. Using the same methods would be too much. Caspian had just told him to scare them, warn them. No need for anything too brutal for a woman, the gentlest method would do.
Anne Parker's building was older. The kind of place where neighbors didn't look at each other, where screams were ignored, where a package left at a door would be noticed by no one.
Alex climbed the stairs slowly, the box in his hand. Black. Wrapped. A name written across the top in careful script.
He placed it at her doorstep. Rang the bell.
Then he walked away.
He was halfway down the stairs when the scream came. High and sharp, tearing through the thin walls, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor.
Alex smiled.
The box contained a dead sparrow. Some fingers-leftover from the last interrogation. And a note, written in the same careful script.
'Know your place.'
He climbed into the car and sat for a moment, letting the satisfaction settle in his chest. Clean. Quick. Quiet.
Boss would be pleased. He was definitely the favorite now.
____________________________________
The day had been normal, Oliver had tried to approach me but I changed my way to the opposite direction whenever I saw him. Leaving him stunned.
Good.
Sienna had approved the project revisions. She hadn't scolded me. She had looked at the final draft, nodded once, and said "Finally" in a tone that was almost, almost, not harsh.
I considered that a victory.
My mind kept drifting. Back to this morning. The kiss. The way he had looked at me when I pulled away, like I had surprised him.
I had kissed him.
I had kissed him on my own, not drunk, not him chasing me, not him asking for it. Just me, leaning up, pressing my lips to his, and then running away like a coward. Maybe it was a lucky cha-
No, Elera. Come back.
Yet I couldn't help but get reminded of the kiss.
I buried my face in my hands on the subway and let out a small squeak.
The woman across from me stared. I immediately straightened up, cleared my throat, and pulled out my phone like I had been doing something important.
The reply came after a minute.