In the Shadow of His Sin

1. I Will Do Everything To Destroy Him.

Mira Delaney watched over her coffee, eyes fixed on the steam dissipating into the chilly air. Her jet-black hair flowed down her back like a dark wall covering a face laced with exhaustion.

The aroma of burnt coffee and pastries, which she loved and which should provide some comfort, was suffocating.

This tiny cafe, which was a refuge for the young and recluse today, felt like a cozy prison.

Mira looked at her watch again, 8:40. Alex was late again. He is always late. He had texted her that he would be there at 8. And there she was, forty minutes later and still no show.

Mira's phone lay on the table, the silence accusing and tormenting. She only wanted to get this over with and return to the comfort of her loneliness.

A shiver ran down her spine as the door swung open, admitting a gush of autumn air that carried the distant hum of cars and the faint smell of wet leaves.

Her eyes locked on the scar above her left wrist, a constant reminder of her failures. She didn't look up until the chair across from her scraped against the floor.

Mira's eyes snapped up, her expression as sharp as a razor.

"You are late."

"Sorry, Mira. Traffic."

"Oh, yeah, like the last hundred times you were late too. Traffic is your best victim when you unendingly run late. I am sure you were late for your wedding."

Alex dropped into the chair, his cheerful face drawn with fatigue. His messy brown hair stuck out in every direction, and his bright blue eyes seemed dull, weighed down by the bags underneath.

"I am sorry. But you know how I can be. But today, for real, it was traffic. Traffic was a nightmare."

Mira's gaze lingered on Alex's face before softening.

"Okay. Whatever. What did you have for me?"

Alex groped through his backpack, producing a small package wrapped in brown paper.

"This."

Her eyes narrowed as he looked at the package like it was going to blow any second. Her hands hovered for some seconds before she went for it. She took the package, her fingers tracing the rough texture of the paper.

Alex leaned in, voice lowering.

"You know I have been digging into certain operations, this, well this, this is the real deal. Took me weeks to get my hands on it."

Mira's fingers clasped around the package.

"What is in it?

"This is the double O 7 gift," Alex said, eyes darting around the café. "It contains sensitive information... enough to infiltrate empires. Even you know who's."

Mira's gaze snapped up, her voice barely above whisper.

"How did you get this?"

Alex's face twisted in a wry smile.

"Let's just say I have friends in high and low places. And I had to sweeten the deal with a few... you know, gentlemen favors. You owe me a big apartment in Long Beach."

Her eyes sparkled with gratitude.

"I always owe you."

Alex chucked, his exhaustion temporarily forgotten.

"Just be careful, okay? These are risky waters, and you need to be a shark to survive this." He said as leaned back, his tension easing. "I need coffee. And a lot of it, I mean a whole whale of it."