Scarlet was lying on the platform Hunter was standing on and a tall security guard was standing in the middle of the staircase above with a gun pointed at Scarlet. The security guard was big with arms the size of tree trunks and shoulders that could lift steel bars. He had brown hair cut so short Hunter could see his scalp, and dark brown eyes that looked almost black. His attention moved from Scarlet to Hunter when he heard the sound of the door opening.

  “Call for backup! We have—” His order slowly died as his eyes met Hunter’s, and then shifted to the gun she had pointed at him.

  “An intruder, I know.” She finished before pulling the trigger.

  The gunshot barely made any noise as the bullet lodged into the security guard’s head. He crumpled to the floor, half rolling down the stairs.

  “We said not to kill anyone.” Scarlet said without the Russian accent, breathing heavily.

  “Collateral.” Hunter said dismissively and grabbed onto Scarlet’s wrist. “We’ve got to go.”

  “One minute.” Raphael said. Hunter could hear him typing through the earpiece. “I’ve contacted one of my informants. He’s waiting for you outside.”

  “Sweet.” Scarlet said as Hunter dragged her down the stairs. It wasn’t the staircase Hunter had used to get in originally, but she knew they all had emergency exits on the ground floor. Though this exit led to a busy street, which was less than ideal.

  Before Hunter burst through the emergency exit door, she stopped Scarlet and opened her bag again. “Time?” She asked Raphael.

  “45 seconds.”

  She pulled out a long brown wig and a navy blue long-sleeved dress and threw them at Scarlet. “That’s the best I can do for now.” She said as she pulled off her mask and threw on a dark grey hoodie.

  “How much did you fit in there?” Scarlet asked incredulously, staring at Hunter’s nondescript black bag. “That’s at least four outfits.”

  “Everything I need.” Hunter shrugged. Scarlet put on the dress, tossed Hunter her blonde wig, and shimmied out of her nice dark blue jeans before giving them to Hunter.

  “I feel like I should be looking away…” Raphael trailed. Hunter could hear him smirking.

  “It’s not like you’re seeing much. It’s a pretty bad show.” Scarlet teased as she pulled the brown wig into a side ponytail and shook her bangs so they covered her fake blonde eyebrows. She quickly pulled out the blue-eyed contact lenses and put them in Hunter’s bag.

  “Regardless, you’ve now got 10 seconds.”

  Hunter pushed open the fire exit door as she pulled the grey hood over her head. Scarlet trailed behind, her hands linked innocently behind her back as she casually strolled across the street. Hunter killed the guard before he’d set off any alarms, so the building hadn’t gone into lockdown. But security probably realized something was wrong once the cameras in the elevator and the staircase went black. It wouldn’t take long for them to find the body she’d left behind.

  Kestrel was a smart man and he’d lived in Othloh long enough to recognize the work of Occisor. Hunter had no doubts he’d link the infiltration to their work. But rather than be worried, she was angry she hadn’t been able to complete her part.

  Once they’d gotten to the other side of the street, a black car turned the corner and stopped in front of them.

  “Your chariot has arrived.” Raphael said through the earpiece. The dark tinted windows rolled down and Hunter leaned forward to see the driver. She recognized the young man with curly red-brown hair and bright green eyes grinning and waving at her. Quinn Owens winked and leaned against the steering wheel.

  “I didn’t know you had your licence.” Hunter said as she opened the back seat and slid inside, Scarlet following close behind. As soon as the two girls were in the car, Quinn pulled away from the curb and headed toward Raphael.

  “I’ve had it for a while now.” Quinn said, looking over his shoulder just for a second. “I mean, I prefer dark alleys and high-collared jackets, but being behind the wheel isn’t terrible either.”

  He drove one street over before turning right and parking in front of an abandoned building. Only a few seconds went by before Raphael, wearing a sports t-shirt and a baseball cap, confidently strolled out of the building. He had a leather satchel over his shoulder and looked like a lost college student with his notebook in hand. He slid into the passenger seat and tossed his bag to Hunter, who caught it with a frown.

  “Don’t go throwing around your laptop!” Hunter scolded, barely catching it.

  “And thanks for letting me know our girl had a boyfriend who worked security.” Scarlet hissed, crossing her arms and pouting. “Again, this is why I hate impersonations.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Raphael said, turning in his seat to look at Scarlet. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find everything about an illegal immigrant in a city full of criminals. And it’s not like she had a social media page I could look through. She wasn’t exactly publishing her relationship status.”

  “You’re the information broker! You know everyone’s secrets.” Scarlet said, slapping his arm and frowning. “That’s what you do!”

  He rolled his eyes and turned back to face forward. “I appreciate you thinking I’m that skilled, but no one knows everything.”

  “We need to get back to the Crow’s Nest.” Hunter said, her hands still gripping the laptop bag. “Quinn, bring us there.”

  Without turning to face her, he gave her a thumbs-up.

  She slouched back in her seat and ignored Raphael’s concerned look. She tried to tell herself everything was fine, that everything would be fine, but she had always been prone to paranoia. It was a gift her brother had given her. And like her brother, she always assumed the worst was coming.

  Chapter 3

  The car was still rolling to a stop when Hunter jumped out, the laptop bag slung over her shoulder. The closer they got to the Crow’s Nest, the more she worried about everything. About Kestrel, about Lucian, about her brother who was part of the reason they were in this mess. But she kept her face expressionless and anyone who looked at her probably thought she was angry.

  “Hunter, wait.” Raphael grabbed her wrist before she could push open the door to the Crow’s Nest. The two of them stood on the threshold, blocking the entrance. Scarlet weaved her way past them and headed toward Lucian’s office. Hunter tried to follow, but Raphael wouldn’t let her leave.

  “What?” Hunter asked, staring at his hand. “We have to tell Lucian what happened.”

  “You’re worried about something.” He stated. “Who’s the cause?”

  Why do you assume it’s a person?” she mumbled. She didn’t look up to meet his eyes. She kept staring at his hand, noticing how his olive skin looked a shade lighter against her coffee-coloured skin. How, despite knowing she didn’t like physical contact, he didn’t let go.

  “Because things don’t worry you. You can control things, but not people.” He said softly.

  She avoided his gaze and tugged her arm free. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing. Lucian’s waiting.”

  Raphael looked at her, his dark green eyes boring into the side of her face. She clenched her hands into fists, forcing her body not to squirm. She hated being the sole focus of someone’s attention. It made it much harder to disappear.

  “Fine,” He said after what felt like an eternity. “But we’re not done with this conversation.” He brushed past her and went the same way Scarlet had. Hunter trailed behind, keeping her distance as she curled and uncurled her fingers. They still tingled.

  By the time they’d made their way to Lucian’s office, Hunter’s fingers had stopped tingling and she was beginning to dread going home. Raphael always had a way of pulling words out of her. She hated lying to him, and worse he could tell when she was. The problem was he knew her too well. He’d seen her at her worst and best. It terrified her that he knew so many of her secrets.

  When they entered Lucian’s office, Hunter noticed Scarlet looked like herself again. Her short red hair was down and her tattoos were visible. She hadn’t drawn in her eyebrows yet, making her real brown eyes look larger. Lucian was sitting at his desk, his cane leaning against it while Jocco loomed behind him.

  “You lovebirds took your time.” Scarlet snickered, smirking as Raphael and Hunter walked into Lucian’s office.

  Hunter glared at Scarlet so furiously that Scarlet flinched, stepping away from Hunter. Hunter hated it when people misunderstood her relationship with Raphael. Hated it. Especially when people who knew about it made fun of it.

  “Not right now, Scarlet.” Raphael said gently, looking over his shoulder at Hunter. She was leaning against the wall beside the door, arms crossed. “I wouldn’t push her buttons.”

  People sometimes had a hard time understanding Hunter when she says she’s aromantic—that she doesn’t feel romantic attraction toward anyone. She rarely told people, but it wasn’t out of shame. She was more than happy being aromantic, but it took so much effort to convince people she wasn’t lying or making up excuses. She and Raphael had been platonic life partners, or companionates, for many years. They were like friends, but with an extremely strong emotional bond. She cared deeply for Raphael, and he was the most important person in her life. She just wasn’t in love with him.

  And she knew, because he told everyone, that he cared deeply for her. But in the most platonic way possible, and Hunter appreciated that more than anything.

  “So, what happened?” Lucian said, cutting through the tension in the room.

  Hunter looked away from her boss and scanned the bookshelves. “Raphael screwed up.” Scarlet said automatically, picking at her perfectly painted blue nails.

  When Hunter broke into Lidiya’s house, she’d taken notice of Lidiya’s painted nails and passed on the information to Scarlet.

  “Now that’s not fair.” Raphael quickly said, pointing an accusing finger at Scarlet. “You’re the one who stopped when that security guard called you out.”

  “Well, if I’d known she had a boyfriend I would’ve been better prepared.”

  “In two days?” Raphael scoffed. “Sure.”

  “Who cares where it went wrong,” Hunter snapped. “The point is we failed a simple recon. How are we supposed to actually kill Kestrel if we can barely break into his building?”

  “Well,” Raphael shared a look with Scarlet and grinned. “It wasn’t a complete failure.”

  “Oh?” Lucian raised an eyebrow and laced his fingers together.

  “I got into their systems.” Raphael said. “I don’t have absolutely everything, but I got part-way through to the higher floors before someone got caught.”

  Scarlet huffed.

  “Point is, we’ve got a better idea of what’s going on in that building, and I’ve got blueprints for the fourth and fifth floors.” Raphael turned around and stood in front of Hunter. He forcibly uncrossed her arms and held her fists. “So, you’ll be fine.”

  “They’ll know we’re coming.” Hunter said, narrowing her eyes at Raphael’s grin. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up. He was always the optimist of the group.

  “That doesn’t really bother me.” Lucian said as he grabbed his cane and stood. “I’ll need you all to make contact with the other Crime Lords and let them know what’s happening.”

  Scarlet groaned. “Can’t you just call them? Modern technology is a wonderful thing.” Scarlet said, staring pointedly at the computer on Lucian’s desk.

  “I prefer traditional.” Lucian said as he walked by Hunter and Raphael, Jocco following close behind. “And it’s better for business.”

  He stood in front of the door with his hand on the doorknob and looked at the three of them. “Scarlet, I want you to talk to Charlie.”

  “You know he’ll try to convince me to work for him again.” Scarlet said, sighing as she pouted.

  “And you can tell him I still need you.” Lucian shifted his attention to Raphael. “I’ll need you to visit Dante.”

  “Sweet.” Raphael grinned, still holding onto Hunter’s fists.

  Hunter’s eyes widened as Lucian looked at her. “Can’t I switch with someone?” She pleaded, pulling her hands away from Raphael.

  “I’m pretty sure your brother hates me.” Raphael said, scratching the back of his head with an apologetic look on his face.

  “And he scares me.” Scarlet added. “You’re really the best bet.”

  Lucian leaned forward and patted Hunter’s shoulder. She imagined Lucian had probably been taller when he was younger, but he only reached her nose. The slight hunch in his back didn’t help. “I want these meetings done tomorrow. Scarlet, could you schedule those for me?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Lucian nodded and left the room. Scarlet drummed her fingers on Lucian’s desk and picked up the phone. “You guys sticking around?”

  “Nah,” Raphael shook his head. “There’s not much for us to do here.” He turned to look at Hunter and raised an eyebrow. “Ready to go?”

  A part of Hunter wanted to stay in the Crow’s Nest and avoid the conversation she knew was coming. But another piece of her wanted to start planning for their next heist. She wanted to see the plans they’d found and analyze the footage. She was good at puzzles, and planning a murder was her own personal brand of puzzle-solving.

  “Yeah.” She said reluctantly.

  There wasn’t really a “good part of town” in Othloh—every corner oozed of crime and corruption. Hunter was the type of person who didn’t worry about walking around the city. She was certain anyone who tried to attack her would get a knife to the eye.

  Raphael was far less cautious, especially with things he owned. He was always pleasantly surprised when he found his car still parked behind the Crow’s Nest. Or anywhere that wasn’t his garage. He drove a silver sports car, so Hunter figured he was just asking for someone to steal it.

  She liked to think someone tried once, and Raphael’s network hunted the thief down and scared him so bad no one bothered trying to steal from the infamous information broker ever again.

  “You know, this car is telling everyone that you’re a rich boy with too much money.” Hunter said as she slid into the passenger seat after Raphael unlocked his car. The doors opened upwards instead of outwards, which made her feel like a movie star.

  “But I am a rich boy with too much money.” He said, revving the engine and taking a few seconds to enjoy the purring of the motor. She didn’t understand the fascination, but making fun of it didn’t stop him from enjoying his moment.

  She sighed exasperatedly and looked out the window, leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. The majority of the car ride was silent as Raphael focused on driving and Hunter stared without seeing anything. He may have more patience than anyone she’d ever met, but he was very curious. And while she liked puzzles, his poison was definitely mysteries.

  “So, am I going to have to force it out of you, or are you going to tell me what you’re thinking about?” Raphael said when they were about half-way home, his fingers drumming along to the music drifting from the speakers. It was so low, she couldn’t make out any of the lyrics.

  Hunter’s eyes shifted toward his for a brief second before she sighed and pulled her long bangs away from her face. “I don’t know,” She admitted before letting go of her bangs. “I’m just worried about what Kestrel’s going to do.”

  He didn’t say anything and only glanced at her briefly before returning his gaze to the road.

  “I mean, he’s burned down brothels and killed people to send a message. We broke into his building and killed one of his guards. He’s going to be pissed.” She continued. She wrapped her arms around herself. Her long sleeve caught on the laptop bag strap, lifting it enough to expose the tip of the black feather tattoo on her forearm. “And then there’s Weston.” She trailed.

  “One problem at a time,” Raphael said. He took his right hand off the steering wheel and handed it to Hunter. She uncurled her fingers from around her waist and gripped his hand, pulling it close to her stomach. “What do you think Kestrel will do?”

  “Probably try to kill one of us.” She said as she tucked her legs under her chin and tugged on his hand

  “Well, he doesn’t know who you are, and I’m very hard to find when I want to be.” He said as his fingers curled around her hand.

  “I’m not worried about us. Lucian and Scarlet are the faces of Occisor. And though Lucian has Jocco, Scarlet doesn’t have a shadow.” Hunter pointed out, leaning her cheek on her knees as she looked at Raphael.

  “She’s got you.”

  “I can’t watch her all the time.” She said quietly.

  “You don’t have to.” He shook his head and squeezed her hand. “The idea of you is enough to keep Kestrel away.”

  She raised an eyebrow and scoffed, half-laughing out of disbelief. “What?”

  He rolled his eyes as he turned down his driveway. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t even bothered focusing on everything around her.

  Raphael’s home was on the outskirts of Othloh and, unlike his car, wasn’t very extravagant. He lived in a residential area which is safer compared to the rest of the city. And there were fewer people around. It used to belong to his parents before they passed away and left everything to him. It was two stories with an attached garage and a long driveway. There were barely any trees around his home. He’d see anyone trying to sneak in right away.

  As he pulled his phone out of his pocket to open the garage with his left hand, Hunter pulled on the hand she was still holding to get his attention. She wasn’t very patient. He smirked and ignored her.

  “Explain!” Hunter said as she glared at him. His grin grew wider as he pulled into the garage and parked his car. He tried to stand, but she pulled on his hand hard. “Now.”

  He laughed and sat back down. “Occisor’s core revolves around you. If Kestrel were to kill either Lucian or Scarlet, it wouldn’t stop the knife behind the operation.” He explained. “I think he’s smart enough to realize what would happen if he removed your limiter.”

 

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