Killer Empire

Chapter 26

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.