~Unknown~
“Any updates on the man she’s seeing now?” I asked, exhaling a trail of smoke into the cold, heavy air. I crushed the cigarette under my heel, the ember dying with a faint hiss, before I turned back to face him.
The man standing before me shifted uncomfortably. His brown hair clung damply to his forehead, either from sweat or the misty drizzle outside. I could see the faint tremor in his hands before he clenched them into fists, forcing himself to stand straighter.
“He’s… uh, he’s kind of a big deal in the tech world,” he said, his voice betraying the fear he was trying to hide. “Runs a company. He’s loaded.”
I said nothing, letting the silence drag out. My gaze flickered back to the window, the dark cityscape stretching before me. It was late, but the lights of the distant skyscrapers still blinked, like dying stars.
“I don’t know if they’re officially dating,” he continued, as though my silence compelled him to fill the void. “But they spend a lot of time together. More than I’d call casual.”
My fingers drummed lightly against the glass. The sound was faint, rhythmic.
“A Thompson, I’m guessing?” I finally asked, my voice even. My eyes returned to him, dark and searching. He nodded quickly, fumbling with the folder he held in his hands. The edges were damp from the rain, but he clung to it like it was a lifeline.
“Yes, a Thompson,” he confirmed, stepping closer to hand me the file. His movement was jerky, like a man who wasn’t sure if he was approaching a boss or a predator.
I raised a brow as I took the file from him, the metal in my brow piercing catching the faint light of the room. He kept talking, his words spilling out too fast.
“Lost his parents three years ago. Has a younger sister, but she’s off the radar-she’s in a relationship with some Spanish guy. As for him and Joan…” He hesitated, swallowing hard. “I’m not sure what’s going on there. I mean, they seem close, but-”
“Find out more,” I said sharply, cutting him off. I flipped through the file absentmindedly, not bothering to look at the pages. The room was too dark to see anything anyway. But I didn’t need to. The file was just a formality. I already knew enough.
“The texts,” I said after a pause. “Who sends her those messages?” My tone was steady, but there was an edge beneath the surface.
He shrugged, his nervousness shifting into something more resigned. “I’m not sure. Could be anyone. She’s got a lot of people who might want her out there. People who want her to pay for what her father did.”
The moment the words left his mouth, I moved. My hand shot out, gripping him by the throat. His eyes went wide with panic as he stumbled back, clawing at my wrist.
“Your duty,” I hissed, my voice low and venomous, “is to follow her and make sure she’s safe. Not to sit around making stupid guesses.”
He choked, his breathing a strangled rasp, and hit my hand lightly in a feeble attempt to break my grip. “I… I have… something to say,” he managed to sputter.
I let go abruptly, and he crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. I didn’t look at him as I pulled another cigarette from my pocket and lit it. The flicker of the flame illuminated my face for a brief moment before I exhaled a long, steady stream of smoke.
“Spit it out,” I ordered, my voice hard.
He coughed again, still clutching his throat, but managed to force the words out. “While we were following her today, we noticed… someone else. Someone else was following her too.”
The cigarette paused halfway to my lips. I turned my head slowly, fixing him with a stare that made him shrink back.
“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice quiet. Too quiet.
“There was another guy,” he said quickly, the words tumbling out in a rush. “We didn’t get a good look at him-his face was covered. And before we could catch him, he vanished. Just… gone.”
I clenched my teeth, the heat rising in my chest. My fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into my palm.
“You’re telling me,” I said slowly, each word dripping with barely-contained fury, “that you let him get away. Without finding out who he was. Without knowing if he’s a threat to her.”
His mouth opened, but no words came out. I didn’t wait for an excuse.
“What if he’s dangerous?” I snapped, the anger spilling over. My voice echoed off the walls, filling the small room like a thunderclap. “What if he’s there to hurt her, and you just let him walk away?”
“She seemed suspicious,” he said quickly, his voice trembling. “Kept glancing over her shoulder, like she knew he was there.”
I turned away from him, pacing the room. The sound of my boots against the floor was steady. My mind raced, every thought colliding with the next.
“We’ll get him next time, Boss,” he added hastily, his voice small. “I promise.”
I waved my hand dismissively, not even bothering to look at him. He took the hint and scrambled to his feet, bolting for the door. Moments later, I heard the hum of his car engine as he sped away into the night.
The room was silent again. I stared out the window, my reflection barely visible in the glass. My own eyes stared back at me, hollow and dark.
I’d lost her once before. She’d been barely a month old when they locked me up, left me to rot in that godforsaken cell. I’d clawed my way out, piece by piece, but by then, she was gone. Out of reach.
But not anymore. Now, she was close enough to touch, and I wasn’t about to let her slip away again. Not now. Not ever.
As for this Thompson guy… he was just another obstacle. Another shadow in the long line of shadows that threatened to creep too close to her. I would deal with him, just like I’d dealt with the others. Because no one-no one-got near her without consequences.
Their so-called relationship wasn’t going anywhere. I’d see to that.
Killing another Thompson didn’t sound so bad.