Chapter 3
Three days had passed since I met with Sterling. I hadn’t left my room.
I just sat there, waiting quietly.
On the fourth day, Duke knocked on my door. He walked in, carrying a bottle of whiskey and some food.
Duke was my first boss when I joined the syndicate, essentially a crew chief, as they called it.
Over the years, Duke had cleared countless obstacles for Sterling, earning his coveted position as a ‘manager’ within the organization.
“Duke.”
I stood up to greet him, but he waved me back down.
He said nothing, just poured the whiskey. The liquor nearly overflowed the glass, and I couldn’t help but murmur a warning.
Duke grinned.
Wham!
A glass landed in front of me.
I looked up, meeting Duke’s deep gaze.
“This drink is to congratulate you. You’ve got a shot at moving up.”
My heart was calm, but I feigned surprise.
During our casual chat, I gradually learned the situation.
The head of the syndicate’s trade division had run off with a massive shipment of goods, defecting to a rival faction. Sterling’s orders were clear: retrieve the merchandise and eliminate the defector.
To be honest, Sterling’s approach surprised me a little.
Duke seemed to read my thoughts. He’d always held me in high regard.
“It’s a good thing you let that woman go. I should have told you she was Sterling’s ‘sister’ – a plant, a test from Sterling himself. But I couldn’t. It was Sterling’s command.”
He seemed annoyed as he spoke.
If I hadn’t taken the initiative to spare Sterling’s ‘sister,’ I might be talking to a corpse right now.
“You should know what to do,” Duke said meaningfully. “Be swift, finish it quickly. If you can’t bring the goods back, destroy them. Save yourself unnecessary trouble.”
I nodded, already strategizing in my mind.
After a few more drinks and a final warning, Duke left the room.
I lay on the bed, my fingers tracing the cool metal of my gun.
I didn’t sleep a wink.
I was well-acquainted with this kind of mission, and I started preparations first thing in the morning.
Even though Caleb had defected to another organization, the shipment hadn’t been moved yet. And among those who followed him, we had our own informers.
I read the message, then closed my phone.
Caleb was still scheduled to visit the warehouse where the goods were stored this afternoon. It might be his last visit; he planned to move everything today.
I got into the van, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
Surprisingly, I felt a little nervous.
Fortunately, the operation went smoothly.
Caleb was taken out almost the moment we stormed the warehouse.
Even if we lost a few of our own in the crossfire, their lives meant nothing to me.
After clearing the scene, I took two men with me to find the shipment.
Duke had told me to destroy the goods if we couldn’t take them.
A low whimpering sound reached my ears from a secluded room in the warehouse.
I gestured for my subordinate to pull open the door. The sight inside made my pupils shrink.
This was the shipment!
More than twenty women, barely clothed, were huddled together, their eyes wide with terror, fixed on me. Their hair was matted and wild, and their faces and bodies were bruised to varying degrees.
The worst off lay motionless on the ground, silenced forever, fresh marks of brutal torture still marring her body.
Seeing this, I remembered what Duke had called “handling.”
A shiver of ice crawled down my spine, despite the summer air.
I remained impassive, deep in thought.
The subordinate next to me looked at the women, then at me.
Their eyes silently questioned me.
A daring plan quietly formed in my mind.
I smiled.
Then nodded to them both.
The two men with me, their eyes gleaming with greedy, depraved intent, seemed to understand my silent cue and moved toward the women.
Bang! Bang!
Without hesitation, I shot them both from behind.
They died never knowing why I’d turned on them.
Hearing the shots, the remaining few who could still move immediately ran toward me.
I gave them no chance, firing several more shots and taking them down.
One was lucky, not hit in a vital spot, his face twisted in pain and terror.
I squeezed the trigger a few more times; the magazine was empty.
I tossed the gun to the ground and pulled out my usual dagger.
I plunged the knife into his heart, my expression blank, my eyes as calm as if I were reading a book.
A book filled with sin and gore.