Beware the Ides

I

The air smelled of stale coffee and petrichor. The earthy aroma wafted throughout the room as a hazy cloud settled around the heavy oak desk. Pushed into the far corner of the room, it offered some semblance of privacy for the rather tenacious man who occupied it. Thin tendrils of smoke snaked lazily around the paper, held mere inches from the embers that threatened to set it ablaze.

Taking a long drag from the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, Quintin's gaze moved languidly over the file before him. The messy cursive scrawled onto the pages told the story of a gruesome murder. A murder Quintin knew all too well about.

A single rap at the door ripped him from his musing. As the door opened, light flooded the room. Quintin raised an arm to shield his vision from the gleam, cursing quietly as his eyes snapped shut.

"Boss? Sorry for bothering you. Gage told me to bring you something to eat..." Anna said as she produced a granola bar from her pocket.

"And you brought me a granola bar? I guess it's better than nothing," Quintin replied, narrowly catching the granola bar as it streaked towards his face.

Had it not been for her own worries, Anna would have stressed the importance of this single granola bar. It was the last of her favorites after all. Despite that, the dark circles under Quintin's eyes accentuated her worry. She inhaled deeply as she chewed at her nails, dropping her gaze to stare at her faded red sneakers.

"Gage is worried about you, but you know that already don't you?"

A heavy sigh was all it took to solidify that Quintin did in fact, know. He hated worrying him, but he was tantalizingly close to a breakthrough. A breakthrough that would finally quell the intrusive thoughts engrained deeply in his mind. A breakthrough that would finally answer the one thing he had been searching for since he had learned the truth.

"Listen boss. I know you're trying to figure out what happened to your parents, but try not to work yourself to death. We all need you alive and well."

Quintin's eyebrow quirked as a ghost of a smile graced his rather disheveled features, "You sound like Gage. Did he send you in here with a script again?"

Anna wandered throughout the room as she eyed the odds and ends placed around. A strained laugh escaped her as she shook her head, her tightly wound curls falling just a touch out of place from the sudden movement. "No, not this time. I'll make sure he makes me one for your next escapade."

Quintin's smile dissipated as he slowly rose from his chair, leaving the remnants of the granola bar on his desk. Taking the file in hand he stowed it away prudently. He couldn't bear to look at it any longer, not after what he had just read.

"So, how is your search going anyways? I... can't say I'm not curious."

Quintin's hands rubbed diligently at his tired eyes. He'd been trying to avoid the topic for months; however, it was due time he finally told someone about his findings. He began to pace as he tried to sort through his convoluted thoughts, the same rinse and repeat routine he practiced daily. Seven steps to the door, and seven steps back to the wall.

Pushing a stray strand of white hair back into place, his icy gaze drifted towards Anna. "The Crimson Bulls killed them. Their leader, Edward Sallow, and his top men are the ones who did it. I've only been able to find false names for the other men, which has made it a bitch trying to track them down."

Anna sat perched on the edge of his desk, taking in its contents as he moved about the room. As he began to speak, she observed him with renewed interest, absorbing the information and mulling over his words. She had not realized that he had learned so much in the span of a few months. It was as impressive as it was frightening.