Black Butler: Demons in our Hearts

Chapter 14: A Promise

“Kat I’m sure that you are aware of your precarious position in regards to what happened at the ball.” Ciel shuffled his papers on his desk thoughtfully as Kat fidgeted. “Everyone in London is talking about the mysterious woman who attended the ball and stole the hearts of all the men in attendance. The gossip hounds are gong absolutely mad. Do you know what this means?”

“I owe you a major favor for keeping this a secret?” Her hands twisted the front of her jacket nervously as the young Earl nodded, “Exactly so in return I want you to do something for me. There is a drug ring that may have information on the missing girl case. I would like you to go to this address,” he pushed a slip of paper in her direction, “And find out what they know. If you can I would also like you to make sure they aren’t up to anything. There have been rumors this group has been putting out a particularly powerful new drug.”

Kat picked up the paper, and slid it into her pocket after glancing at it, “Is there a level of force I should attend to?”

“Try to keep the property damage to a minimum, I’ve been thinking of purchasing the warehouse to expand my company, but use whatever force is necessary.”

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Breathe; just breathe…The slim black form, highlighted by the rising full moon behind her wavered for a moment before disappearing into the surrounding blackness.

The mask that concealed her face itched terribly; it’d been so long since she wore it. Living at the manor has made me soft, I should practice more…

The building that loomed ahead, stood like a cracked and ramshackle hull, empty of everything but the ‘cockroaches’ that infested it. The Earl wants to buy this? She grimaced as a piece of masonry came loose in her palm, I don’t believe this is safe at all, but I have a job to do. Carefully dropping the piece of stone behind a stack of crates where it wouldn’t be noticed she began to climb, the best vantage point would offer the best chance of taking them out before they knew she was here.

Windows bisected the upper part of the buildings giving a split moment where she could be discovered as she swarmed up the side of the building like a spider. In fact the faint light emitted from the grimy windows blinked as she passed over them.

Settling at the top she found a skylight that afforded her a choice view of the occupants. There were six men, standing, and another three sitting. Without a doubt there are more that I can’t see. A rule of being an assassin was to never assume anything even if everything pointed to the absolute obvious. Too put it simply just because it looked like a dog, and barked like a dog, didn’t make it a dog.

“Did the new shipment come in? I want it on the streets tonight if it is.” One of the men sitting spoke. He had a balding crown which he desperately tried to hide with a comb over and a set of chins that quivered with every word that he spoke. “I want my money for this as soon as possible. The pup is sniffing at our heels and its getting dangerous.”

Pup? Could they mean Ciel? Kat leaned in closer, careful not to touch the thin glass that offered her the words she was looking for with such clarity.

The standing men shifted nervously, “Well, sir, you know how this guy works; he has to test each batch.”

“Which means we have to keep giving him test subjects. I wonder why he has to have,” The hair on the back of Kat’s neck stood on end and she pulled back from the window, barely avoiding the notice of the man who glanced up her way to scratch his chin. Waiting for her instincts to tell her it was safe she sat back on her heels, her pistols pressing reassuringly into the small of her back.