The fluorescent lights of the convenience store hummed overhead, a sharp contrast to the quiet street outside. I stood by the refrigerated section, my height making it easy to see over the top of the aisles without even trying. I grabbed a couple of chilled coffees and a pack of snacks, sliding them onto the counter.
He didn't look back as I joined him. I dropped a chilled coffee next to his elbow, the plastic bottle thudding against the laminate.
"Anything?" I asked, my voice low. I cracked the seal on my own drink, the sound sharp in the quiet store.
"Still in there," Kyo muttered, his eyes locked on the shop across the street. "Taking their time."
I leaned against the glass, looking down at the store entrance where Arash and Big Ben had disappeared. "Wolfgang.. why does he come back?You don't leave this world unscathed... You're not hearing me."
Kyo blinked, finally tearing his gaze away from the window, though his expression remained dazed. "The cashier is a sweetie."
I glanced over my shoulder at the counter, then back at him, unimpressed.
"Well," Kyo said, clearing his throat and trying to regain some sort of tactical dignity. He looked back out at Arash and Big Ben. "There's a saying... where does the wolf go, if it's not to its den?"
I paused with my coffee halfway to my mouth, looking down at him from my vantage point. I let a beat of silence pass. "You made that up, didn't you?"
Kyo took a slow, deliberate bite of his sandwich, his face deadpan. "For real.But youre no wrong.In a world of "crowned prisoners," someone who returns by choice is the most dangerous person in the room.That's founder of La Dezram for you."
The shrill vibration of Kyo's phone rattled against the counter, skittering across the laminate like a trapped insect.
"Gonna pick that up?"
Kyo watched the screen glow with an unregistered string of digits. Without a word, he reached out and slid the ringer to silent, the light fading into a dark rectangle. "Just an unknown number," he said, though his grip on his sandwich tightened.
Across the street, the tension carried a different weight.
Big Ben leaned his massive frame against a shelf, the wood creaking softly beneath him. His shadow stretched long across the floorboards, swallowing the dim light. He stared at Arash, voice low and gravel-thick.
"So he blackmailed you," Ben muttered, eyes narrowing. "But what's the gain in Rafique's death?"
Arash didn't answer at first. The shop dissolved around him. In his mind, he was back in the rain — back to the moment the light drained from Rafique's eyes.
"For now, I need to secure back up," Arash said quietly. "We lay low for now. Wait for the next move."He glanced at him. "Big Ben..you willing?"
Ben took a slow sip of coffee, calm despite the storm brewing beneath the surface.
"Do I have a choice?" he replied. "I know what role I played that day. A witness." He set the cup down with a dull clink. "Whatever this turns into, it's only a matter of time before I'm dragged in. Better you come begging on day one."
Arash gave a small nod. "Thank you."
Ben exhaled through his nose.
"You know the nature of this city. Unity in La Dezram is cancer." His gaze hardened. "But don't worry. Trust the hand— Wolfgang. You know where to find me.."
He slid a folded note across.
"Some contacts. You'll need them..."
-END OF CHAPTER-