Finding out that Sophia Hayes is Reina's sister changed everything in a very deep manner.
I am not shaken so easily. I had built my empire in blood, fought my way out of the syndicate's grasp, and ensured that nobody could blackmail me with my past. I have seen men beg for their lives, had seen empires fall in the dead of night.
But then, in that instant when Reina had held on to that fragile necklace as if it were the only thing holding her together, an irrevocable shift took place with me.
It was the manner in which her fingers quivered so minutely as they grasped the delicate chain, the tension whitening her knuckles with the tightness of her grip. The manner in which her breath caught in her throat, albeit for a fleeting moment, before she forcefully commanded herself to remain calm.
Reina Hayes was in control. Ruthless in her quest for justice. Impossible to shake.
And yet, she was only a woman at that moment, her mind totally engrossed in a piece of her own past that she never considered seeing again.
I have known that she was looking for someone, and her special situation, and her one obsessive interest in the syndicate, all those indicators had hinted at something extremely personal being at stake. But I have to say that I had not actually assumed that this was so…...The individual she was looking for was her own flesh and blood.
Sophia, she was so much more than another individual who had been unjustly wronged by fate; she was the very motivating force behind Reina 's relentless determination to survive.
And that changed everything.
Reina never opened up to anyone. But for a split second, she forgot to push me aside.
She then stumbled.
It occurred at a terrifyingly quick rate. The ground floor of the long-dilapidated building, covered in garbage and debris from a bygone age, had already posed a serious threat, but the actual issue had been the twisted metal bar half-buried under the grime and muck. had hardly taken a single step when her foot struck an unexpected snag on the bar, sending her body into a sudden, precarious state of imbalance.
I did something before I could think.
She came down with a loud clang, the jagged and rough edge of the rusty metal scraping her knee the moment she hit the hard surface. Blood began to seep out almost immediately, collecting quickly and creating a dark stain on the fabric of her pants, and some of it dripped down and puddled on the surface below her.
Reina winced in agony but attempted to struggle to her feet.
I was already down beside her, my hand automatically reaching up to take her arm, attempting to hold her steady before she was able to make a bad thing even worse. She was famous for not wanting to be helped—I well knew it—but at that moment, I simply didn't care about what she wanted.
She was bleeding due to her injuries.
While her injury was not a life-threatening designation, the startling sight of her blood standing starkly against the whiteness of her skin evoked a feeling of constriction way down in me.
I applied a clean handkerchief firmly to the wound, pressing only as hard as was needed to completely stop the oozing blood. She tensed slightly at my touch, but flinched in pain and didn't try to move away from me or pull away from contact; instead, her breathing was steady and even, tracing an even rhythm.
She wouldn't show pain. Wouldn't show weakness.
And yet, under all of her external rebellion and stubbornness, she was still irretrievably human in nature. She was still vulnerable in so many ways that she could not accept or acknowledge to herself.
With a momentary hesitation, her hand crept gradually along the earth at her side, against something of compact shape. It was cold against her skin.
A necklace.
I wasn't sure initially whether she did or not.
But by this time, her whole body had come to a complete halt.
The world around us blurred—the distant sound of our guards outside, the hum of the city beyond this abandoned place. None of it mattered.
Everything that existed was the necklace in her hand.
Reina turned it over slowly, her fingers tracing over its surface as if she were memorizing every last flaw, every weathered and subtle detail.
There was no need for me to ask her what it meant to her on a deeper level.
I already knew.
She had been pursuing Specters. And now, she had finally apprehended one.
Her expression still was an utter enigma, all but unreadable, but I could easily see the overwhelming burden gradually settling onto her shoulders. This was more than a piece of evidence; it was something far deeper.
It was personal.
I did not say a word.Wounds that were not intended to be exposed. Moments that were not intended to be interrupted.
So, I let her have this one.
But when I paused to glance at my environment, that sense of unease entered my thoughts—the certain air of awareness that we were not by ourselves at this location.
I straightened my stance, my hand involuntarily moving toward my holster in a soft motion. Our guards stood by the door, patiently waiting and prepared to strike in case something went wrong. Reina, also, had weapons to herself, as did I in expectation.
Despite all, I had a creepy sensation, and the hair on the back of my neck was standing up in response to the unease that I was experiencing.
Whoever was watching wasn't here to assault.
Their purpose for being present was to observe.
In order to observe.
And I certainly didn't enjoy that scenario even a tiny bit.
The sensation lingered with me for a long period, even continuing long after we had departed from that place.
Even when I came to Zane's house later in the night, with my friend Adrian, I could not help but feel that something was bothering me.
Nevertheless, I decided to bury it, shoving it as far into the earth as possible so that it was not even remotely visible.
Zane's house was just the same way it had always been over the years—warmly welcoming, tastefully subdued, and truly a house in a way my own never quite managed.
Adrian had already made himself at home, casually grabbing one of Zane's beers from the fridge without permission and collapsing onto the couch as if he owned the whole apartment.
Zane, his face twisted with puzzlement, shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe that you still tolerate him, Lorenzo.".
I smiled, unfastening my tie. "Trust me, I ask myself the same question every day."
Adrian grumbled something about ungrateful employers but continued drinking.
Dinner was simple. Familiar.
It brought back memories of the past.
Before the syndicate. Before the betrayals. Before I had left it all behind.
For a few hours, I let myself forget.
We ate; we laughed. Zane gave Adrian shit for his terrible taste in movies, and Adrian, as always, defended his choices with dramatic flair.
But eventually, reality bled back in.
Following our dinner, as we watched a mindless action film which did not require much thinking, we were just sitting together. Zane reclined in his seat and directed his gaze in my direction.
"Ah," he said, "can you tell me why you're so devoted and enthusiastic about this notion of eradicating them?"
The syndicate.
The past that I had left.
I did not react immediately.
I could have surely explained to him the situation—the fact that it was not necessarily about my personal experience or feelings. Instead, it was really about eradicating and what she had to endure. It was about her sister and their connection. Also, it was about all those innocent souls who had unwittingly become involved in the crossfire of forces that were outside their control.
But I did not do that.
Because I did not want to give her name here.
Rather, I replied, "I left it behind. The world didn't."
Zane frowned. "What are you talking about?
I exhaled. "Every time a new investigator gets close, something happens. They disappear. End up dead. The case is buried.".
Zane was silent for a very, very long time. Then he nodded.
"Are you saying that if you don't do it, then no one else is going to do it?"
I didn't answer.
The reason for that is exactly what I was attempting to say all along.
Zane let out a sigh. "You always were a stubborn bastard."
Adrian, drowsily half awake, growled, "Understatement."
Zane smiled but grew serious once more. "You really believe you can destroy them?"
I looked into his eyes. "They feel they are exempt from the law. I will show them differently."
Zane regarded me for a second before nodding. "Well, if you require me, I'm here."
I placed my hand firmly on his shoulder and felt grateful.
I had my friends with me.
I still had those whom I trusted.
I discovered that I still had time left. For now,