When Shadows Rise | I

Ch. 31 | I spy

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The brownstone Talia and Raph set their sights on was Italianate-styled, offering timeless architecture with large windows built for light-filled rooms and grand stoops. Nothing about it screamed 'drug laboratory' to Talia, but on the inside maybe. . .

Talia couldn't help but have second thoughts. She knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed with Raph's idea, but thinking about the drug laboratory and the fact the place was being run by a drug lord had her shivering. Maybe going in with just Raph wasn't a good idea after all. Maybe they should wait until they had more backup. . .

"Wait, Raph," Talia said when they were in the alleyway. Raph had just started using the fire escape to climb his way up. "I. . .I don't know about this. What if something happens? Your siblings aren't here to help us if anything goes sideways."

"You know why I couldn't drag them into this. They'd never allow it," Raph replied. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet already."

"No! It's just. . ." Talia rubbed her arm, her voice quavering. ". . . what if we're getting too ahead of ourselves? It's like you said— something bad is happening inside that brownstone. I don't know if we're fully prepared."

Raph frowned. He jumped down and landed in front of Talia. Talia noticed how his irises rivaled the roughness and pigmentation of a jade stone when the dim light from the streetlight hit his eyes at a certain angle.

"This is the only link Donnie managed to find that went back to your mother," he stated. "And anything that's traced back to her could lead us in the direction of what she did for The Foot. We can't risk missing out on this information."

Raph understood Talia's concerns, but this lead was too important to not follow up on. If they went through with it, not only could Talia trace back her mother's movements, but also he could hopefully learn more about the elusive Foot— a clan he didn't even know existed until several weeks ago— and gather more intel about them. It was like Talia said— both were seen as prey under the same predator, so they should do anything they could to make sure the other didn't get eaten; a win-win scenario.

Talia registered his words, knowing he was right. She nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

'Trust' was a big word, especially since Talia didn't know Raph for very long, but she trusted him long enough to know he wouldn't do anything to put her safety at risk. He was trained by a master— he could do it.

What Talia and Raph first did was use the fire escape to get up to the rooftops. For Talia, it felt good to be on a rooftop; it allowed her to enjoy the fresh air and fully take in the beautiful night view that was New York City.

"Hey, Raph," Talia spoke, not forgetting what words she exchanged with Raph at school, "before we break in, I need you to tell me what you were going to say earlier today. What else did Donnie discover other than the ketamine and the drug laboratory?"

Raph spun his sai by the handle in one hand. He studied it like he was deciding what to stab with it first. "He managed to see what was on your mother's flash drive— a list of people your mother worked with— known and unknown."

Talia's lips twitched. She locked her gaze onto Raph and held it there for a good minute— which was the amount of time it took for her to realize. . . "You lied to me?" It came out as a question rather than a statement, like she couldn't believe it.