COLOR NATHAN SHOCKED. Julius Cain actually seemed sincerely pleased for once, which was a rare sight even for someone who had been on the team longer than most others. He wore a satisfied smile on his lips as he leafed through the reports that each of the four members of their team had submitted, briefly reading them through with a nod of his head every few seconds.
"Well, I'll be honest. I expected the mission to go horribly due to the presence of not one but two new recruits. However, it seems like all my worries were for naught," Cain said.
The older man picked up the glass of scotch that was sitting on his table, bringing the golden liquid to his lips as he sipped on his drink. His actions were leisurely, completely at no rush for time. As he stood up, he fished yet another file from the stack on his desk. The dark blue file cover hadn't even been passed over yet but Nathan already knew what was going to be inside.
After all, these files weren't exactly good news.
Nathan's hands twitched slightly in irritation, barely even noticeable unless he was being observed under a bright surgery light. He stood the furthest away from Julius Cain's desk, right at the corner of the room with his posture slackened and lazy. Yet, no matter how relaxed Nathan looked, there was no way he could truly be at ease whenever he was in his boss's office. That was simply unheard of.
From where Nathan stood, he could clearly see Dallas leaning in towards Devora. He whispered something into her ear, words that Nathan couldn't pick up due to the distance between them. Whatever Dallas said must have been funny because Devora was stifling her laughter the next second, her shoulders slightly shaking up and down. When she turned her head, Nathan could even see a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Annoyance ripped through Nathan's veins like blood, causing his frown to deepen into a scowl before emitting an animal-like sound to express his displeasure. He turned his words somewhere else just to make sure he wouldn't scream profanities and other words he might regret.
"They've had months of training. Devora and Travis aren't some little kids that we picked up from the forest. Or at least not anymore. Time changes people," Nathan voiced out. His tone was filled with faux calmness but his eyes betrayed him. They darted over to examine Devora for a split second, just in time to realize she was staring right back at him as well.
"Indeed it does, Nathaniel," Cain humored. He downed the rest of his drink in one quick movement before placing the glass back on his desk. "And because of that, time is an enemy to all of humanity. Which is why I expect the four of you back in action at once. Of course, there's no need for such a big ragtag team now that you've experienced the thrill of being on the field so perhaps it's time to test how good you really are in your pairs. That will make things neater and more efficient."
With that said, Julius Cain handed over the blue folder he held in his hands over to Dallas before reaching for another file on his desk— dark green this time. He passed the latter one to Devora right before Nathan seized it from her hands. Both men immediately began to examine the papers within those covers, flipping through the documents haphazardly. A few cases were bound together in a file, meaning they were all successive missions each of their teams would have to accomplish.
Several names flashed across Nathan's eyes, some in bold, some italicized, and some in bright, neon red. However, he took no care. That was how he was trained, after all. He was taught to see those names just as such— names. The lessons relayed around their company building's walls were that the names on their case files had no dreams and aspirations of their own, no family, no lives beyond crime. They weren't seen as another human being.
That was what made the kill bearable. If not, the guilt would be crushing.
Nevertheless, he wasn't sure how well that theory would work on Devora. Ultimately, Liam Pine had still been someone from Devora's past. He was someone Devora knew for a fact that had a life beyond crime, a life where every day had been ordinary and average. Yet, that knowledge didn't stop her from pulling that trigger.
She was ruthless that day and Nathan had seen how she pulled the trigger that ended Pine's life. Her eyebrows were scrunched in annoyance, her posture stiff and purposeful. There was no resemblance to the playful and philosophical girl Nathan had met months ago at those outlaws' den. If anything, her look reminded Nathan of a child that craved their parent's attention, so much so that they would do anything to get it.
It was a dangerous look to have and it was as much Nathan's fault as it was Julius Cain's. The latter had ruined so many lives by thrusting them into a world of murder and sin. Yet, he didn't show any signs of stopping. He still saw himself fit to continue destroying the tranquility of more.
"You're all dismissed for now." Julius Cain sighed, calmly strolling back to his desk before relaxing into his large leather armchair. He propped one forearm on his desk, his finger drumming against the surface absentmindedly. "Except for you, Nathaniel. I have some matters to discuss with you."
The whole room turned silent once Cain spoke those words. Nathan caught Devora flashing him a look of questioning, eyebrows quirked and all. However, if she had any doubts or unsatiated curiosity, she didn't voice them out. Instead, she left with the other two, slamming the door shut after them as the sound resonated far beyond the silence.
Once the room was emptied out and there weren't any other extra or unnecessary people present, Nathan headed towards Julius Cain. It would be easier for them to converse with a smaller distance between them. He raised his eyes to meet the gaze of his superior, a powerful man that Nathan but loathed and respected at the same time.
"What is it?" Nathan asked.
Cain swirled the bottle of scotch before pouring the desired volume into his emptied glass. Taking another taste of his drink, he ignored the words of the agent that stood before him, simply enjoying the beverage in hand. The alcohol burned his throat when he swallowed and the bitter-sweetness lingered delightfully on his tongue, a sensation that made Julius Cain sigh in satisfaction. Placing the glass back down on the table, he rested both his elbows on his desk, intertwining his fingers as he leaned in.
His lips finally parted, eyes glinting with a dangerous light. Nathan had an immediate inkling that he wasn't going to like whatever comes out of Cain's mouth next.
"It's regarding your family."
♕♕♕
"Are you sure you're okay, Dev?" Dallas asked, placing a comforting hand on Devora's shoulder the second those large doors to Cain's office slammed close.
With the brightest smile she could muster, the brunette flipped her hair over her shoulder, shrugging.
"What could be wrong?" She countered with a dazzling and confident grin.
"You just killed someone that was from your past, Devora." The skin between Travis's eyebrows wrinkled as he frowned. "Even if it wasn't the first time you took a life, it's still a life taken. Furthermore, it was someone you once knew. Just because we didn't say anything doesn't mean that we were clueless about how you knew him before... before this."
"You say that like it's hard." Devora snorted. "Contrary to popular belief, I can do anything if I set my mind to it. Even if it's taking the life of someone from my past. And even if you two guessed that we knew each other beforehand, there's no way you would know how we knew each other and whether we even liked each other or not. For all you could know, Liam Pine could've been someone I once hated to my core."
"We didn't say you couldn't," Travis assuaged. His hand moved to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Devora's ear. His touch was soft, as though he was trying to prove that he held no ill will. "I just meant that you weren't the type of person that would kill without blinking. You didn't see yourself at that scene, Devora. The look in your eyes... it was haunting."
Travis's explanation only rubbed her the wrong way. It did nothing to alleviate her rising irritation. He was right, of course. The Devora from the past would never dream of taking another's life. However, she also didn't like it when people assumed what she could and couldn't do.
"You didn't know me well enough back then to know whether it was something I would've done or not," she quickly quipped back. Slapping his hands away, she took a step back away from the two. "Thank you for your concern but I'm afraid there's no need for it. If anything, I feel liberated by the end of Liam Pine's life. I'm happy to be the one that placed an end to it."
With her words still lingering in the air, Devora turned to walk away. She didn't have to explain herself to others.
Maybe it was because of the months stuck in hell but she had emerged cold in the heart. It wasn't the first time she had been in the face of death. She had seen in up close and personal months ago more than just once. At this point, death was merely like an old friend that followed her around wherever she went.
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