The van door slid open. Lisa stepped inside. The metal groaned under the weight. She pulled the hood off her head. Her hair was damp. The rain had started outside. It tapped against the roof. The sound was rhythmic. It was soothing. It did not match the mood inside. Lisa walked to the table. She placed a small drive on the steel surface. It clicked against the metal. The sound was sharp. It cut through the silence. Dante stood in the corner. He did not move. He watched her. His eyes were dark. They reflected the screen light. He waited for the report. He did not ask for it. He knew she would give it. The team waited with him. Isaac stopped typing. Kisuke stopped cleaning his weapon. Eikichi stood straighter. They were all listening. They were all ready.
Lisa said, "I got the data."
Dante said, "And the man."
Lisa said, "I saw him."
Dante said, "Describe him."
Lisa sat down. She leaned forward. Her hands were on the table. They were steady. But her eyes were tired. She had been close to death. She had walked away. She was shaken. She did not show it. She was professional. She was one of them.
Lisa said, "Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair."
Dante said, "That is everyone."
Lisa said, "He wore a mask."
Dante said, "What kind."
Lisa said, "White. Smooth. No features."
Dante said, "Like the broker."
Lisa said, "No. Different material. Leather maybe."
Dante said, "Voice."
Lisa said, "Distorted. Electronic."
Dante said, "Anything else."
Lisa said, "He mentioned a name."
The room went still. The air grew heavy. The rain sounded louder. The taps on the roof were like drums. They counted down the seconds. The tension was palpable. It pressed against the walls. It filled the lungs. Dante did not blink. He waited. He knew the name mattered. He knew it was the key.
Lisa said, "He called him Edward."
Kisuke dropped the pen. It rolled across the table. It hit the edge. It fell to the floor. The sound was loud. It echoed in the small space. Kisuke did not pick it up. He stared at the drive. His face went pale. The color drained away. He looked sick. He looked scared. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
Kisuke said, "Wait."
Isaac turned his chair. He looked at Kisuke. He looked at Dante. He understood the implication. He finished the thought. He spoke the words that hung in the air. He spoke the truth they all feared.
Isaac said, "Yashiro."
The name landed like a bullet. It hit the armor. It found the gap. The crew shifted uncomfortably. They avoided looking at Dante. They looked at the screens. They looked at the floor. They looked at their hands. They did not look at the leader. They knew the history. They knew the pain. They knew the connection. Dante did not move. He stood in the corner. He was still as stone. He was cold as ice. He did not show emotion. He did not show anger. He did not show pain. He was a void. He was a shadow. He was a weapon. But the weapon was trembling inside. The hand was steady. The heart was not.
Lisa said, "I have a photo."
Dante said, "Show me."
Lisa pushed the drive toward him. He picked it up. He walked to the main monitor. He plugged it into the port. The screen flickered. The image loaded. It was blurred. It was grainy. It was taken from a distance. It showed a man in a coat. He was walking away. The back of his head was visible. The hair was dark. The posture was familiar. Dante studied the image. He did not blink. He traced the lines on the screen. He looked at the shoulders. He looked at the stance. He looked at the way the man held his hands. He knew that stance. He had seen it before. He had seen it years ago. He had seen it in a different life. In a different city. In a different time.
Kairo said, "Do you recognize him."
Dante said, "Not yet."
Mūn said, "You are lying."
Dante said, "I am assessing."
Kairo said, "You know the walk."
Dante said, "Walks are similar."
Mūn said, "Not that one."
Dante said, "Quiet."
The crew watched him. They waited for the explosion. They waited for the order. They waited for the blood. But Dante did not move. He kept looking at the screen. The image was weak. It was not enough. It was not proof. But it was a start. It was a thread. He would pull it. He would unravel the whole thing.
Eikichi said, "What are the orders."
Dante said, "Trace the name."
Isaac said, "Edward Yashiro."
Dante said, "Yes."
Isaac said, "It is a common name."
Dante said, "Not this one."
Isaac said, "Understood."
Isaac turned back to the screens. He began to type. The keys clicked rapidly. The data streams merged. The search began. It would take time. It would take resources. It would take effort. But they had all three. They had the team. They had the skill. They had the will. Kisuke picked up the pen. He spun it again. The motion was nervous. It was not smooth. It was jerky. He was unsettled. He was worried. He looked at Dante. He looked away. He did not know what to say. He did not know what to do. He waited for the command.
Kisuke said, "Boss."
Dante said, "What."
Kisuke said, "If it is him."
Dante said, "It is him."
Kisuke said, "Then we have a problem."
Dante said, "We have a target."
Kisuke said, "He knows you."
Dante said, "I know him."
Kisuke said, "That makes it personal."
Dante said, "All jobs are personal."
Kisuke said, "Not like this."
Dante said, "Get back to work."
Kisuke stopped spinning the pen. He placed it on the table. He nodded. He went back to his station. He checked his weapon. He loaded the magazine. He prepared for the fight. He knew what was coming. He knew the stakes. He knew the cost.
Lisa said, "The broker is dead."
Dante said, "Good."
Lisa said, "The chain is broken."
Dante said, "No. It is linked."
Lisa said, "To whom."
Dante said, "To him."
Lisa said, "Edward."
Dante said, "Yes."
Lisa said, "Why her."
Dante said, "Because of me."
Lisa said, "That is not a reason."
Dante said, "It is the only one."
Lisa did not argue. She knew better. She knew the history. She knew the pain. She knew the love. It was not spoken. It was felt. It was in the air. It was in the silence. It was in the way Dante looked at the screen. He was not looking at a target. He was looking at a memory. He was looking at a ghost. He was looking at a friend.
Kairo said, "He was your brother."
Dante said, "He was my shadow."
Kairo said, "Shadows betray."
Dante said, "Not always."
Mūn said, "This one did."
Dante said, "We do not know."
Mūn said, "You know."
Dante said, "I suspect."
Mūn said, "Suspicion is enough."
Dante said, "Proof is required."
Mūn said, "For what."
Dante said, "For the kill."
The rain intensified. It hammered against the roof. The sound was deafening. It drowned out the typing. It drowned out the breathing. It drowned out the thoughts. The van was a box. It was a cage. It was a tomb. They were inside it. They were waiting. They were hunting. They were prey. Dante unplugged the drive. He slipped it into his pocket. He turned away from the screen. He walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the handle. He did not look back. He did not speak. He opened the door. He stepped out into the night. The rain hit his face. It was cold. It was sharp. It woke him up. He walked away from the van. He disappeared into the shadows. The team watched him go. They did not follow. They knew the protocol. They knew the need. He needed space. He needed time. He needed to think. He needed to plan. He needed to prepare.
Eikichi said, "He is going to hunt him."
Isaac said, "Yes."
Eikichi said, "Alone."
Isaac said, "No. We will be there."
Eikichi said, "He will not wait."
Isaac said, "Then we move faster."
The typing resumed. The screens glowed. The city slept. The storm raged. The verification clock ticked. Twenty-eight hours remained. The client was found. The target was identified. The war had begun. It was not against a stranger. It was against a friend. It was against the past. It was against the self. Dante walked into the rain. He did not feel the cold. He did not feel the wet. He felt the fire. It burned in his chest. It burned in his hands. It burned in his eyes. He would find Edward. He would find the truth. He would find the end. He would not stop. He could not stop. Too much was at stake. Too much blood was spilled. Too much history was involved. The circle was tight. It was closing. He was inside it. He was the center. He was the target. He was the hunter.
A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 8 of Shadow Contract. The enemy is revealed, but the history runs deep. How will Dante handle facing Edward? Please add this to your library and leave a review if you are enjoying the story. Your support keeps the story going!