The city lights of Jōkan reflected in the puddles on the street. Dante stood under the overpass. The rain had stopped, but the air was still heavy with moisture. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn't move immediately. He let it buzz three times. Four. On the fifth vibration, he pulled it out.
The screen was dark. No number. No name. He knew who it was. He swiped to answer. He didn't speak.
"Dante."
Her voice was clear. Calm. There was no fear in it. No tremor. It sounded like she was standing right next to him.
"Sophie."
"You met with the broker."
It wasn't a question. Dante's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"
"I have eyes. Not everywhere. But enough."
(Kairo): "She is bluffing. Or she is closer than we thought."
(Mūn): "Do not underestimate her. She has always seen more than you gave her credit for."
(Dante): "Silence."
Dante tightened his grip on the phone. The metal casing creaked slightly under the pressure. "Why are you calling?" he asked.
"Because you are walking into a trap. And you think you are the hunter."
"I am the hunter."
"Not this time."
A car passed by on the road above. The sound echoed under the concrete structure. Headlights swept across Dante's face, then vanished.
"Tell me what you know," Dante said.
"I know who hired the broker."
Dante went still. The background noise of the city seemed to fade. There was only the sound of her breathing on the other end of the line.
"Who."
"Edward."
She said the name like it was a fact. Like stating the time or the weather. Dante closed his eyes.
(Kairo): "Confirmation. Probability of truth: ninety-eight percent."
(Mūn): "Your heart rate is spiking. Control it."
Dante ignored them. He opened his eyes. The darkness under the overpass felt deeper now. "How long have you known?" he asked.
"Months."
"Months."
"I told you. I have not been sitting still waiting for you to protect me."
Her voice hardened. It wasn't anger. It was conviction. "I have been tracking the behavioral signature of whoever targeted me. The payment methods. The encryption keys. The way the orders were phrased." She paused. "It matches him, Dante. It matches Edward perfectly."
Dante leaned back against the concrete pillar. The cold seeped through his coat. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I needed to be sure. And because I needed to know what you would do."
"And what do you think I will do?"
"I think you will try to carry this alone. You will try to burn the world down before you let anyone else get hurt."
Dante didn't deny it. "That is not your burden," he said.
"It is when he uses me to get to you." Sophie's voice softened. Just slightly. "He knows you, Dante. Better than anyone. He knows you will come for me. He is counting on it."
"I know."
"Then you know you cannot play by his rules."
Dante looked at his hand. The glove was black against the gray concrete. "What do you have?" he asked.
"What?"
"You said you have been building a picture. What do you have?"
There was a silence on the other end. A shift in the air. "I have locations. I have financial records. And I have a history he thought he erased."
Dante waited.
"I am not the woman you left behind, Dante," Sophie said. "I am not the girl who waited at the school gate. I am not the victim in this story."
"I never said you were."
"You acted like it. Every time you told me to stay home. Every time you locked me out."
Dante gripped the phone tighter.
(Mūn): "She is right. You have been treating her like glass."
(Kairo): "Glass breaks. Steel bends. She is steel."
(Dante): "I know."
"I am sending you a file," Sophie said. "Encrypted. Open it when you are alone."
"I am alone."
"Not really. You have them with you."
Dante froze.
(Kairo): "She knows about us?"
(Mūn): "Impossible. Unless…"
(Dante): "She suspects. Nothing more."
"The demons, Dante," Sophie said. "You think I haven't noticed? You think I haven't seen the way you lose time? The way you forget things?"
Dante's breath caught in his throat.
"I am not afraid of them," she continued. "I am afraid of what you will lose to keep me safe."
The wind picked up under the overpass. It whistled through the gaps in the concrete. "Open the file," Sophie said. "Read it. Then call me."
"Sophie"
"No arguments. Not this time."
She didn't wait for a response. The line went dead.
Dante lowered the phone. The screen went dark. He stood there for a long moment. The city moved around him. People lived their lives. Cars drove. Lights flickered. But under the overpass, time felt suspended.
(Kairo): "She is dangerous."
(Dante): "She is Sophie."
(Kairo): "Those are not mutually exclusive."
(Mūn): "She loves you. That makes her dangerous to herself."
Dante pushed off the pillar. He walked out into the street. The air was colder now. He opened the message app. A file had arrived. No sender name. Just a string of code. He didn't open it yet. He put the phone back in his pocket.
He needed to move. He needed to think. Edward. The name sat in his mind like a stone. They had been friends once. Brothers in everything but blood. They had shared meals. Shared fights. Shared secrets. And now Edward wanted him dead. Or worse.
Dante started walking toward the safehouse. His steps were steady. But his mind was racing. Sophie knew more than he thought. She had been playing her own game while he was trying to shield her. He respected her for it. It terrified him. If she was in the game, she was a target. And if Edward knew she was investigating…
Dante stopped at the corner. He looked up at the skyline. Somewhere out there, Edward was watching. Somewhere out there, Sophie was waiting. And Dante was standing between them.
He took a deep breath. The cold air filled his lungs. He would open the file. He would read what she had found. But he would not let her fight alone. Not this time.
He turned the corner. His shadow stretched out in front of him. Long. Dark. It looked like it was reaching for something. Or running away.
Author Note: Thank you for reading Chapter 15! The dynamic shifts Sophie is not a damsel, she's a player in this game. What secrets does her file hold? Why does she know about the demons? Share your thoughts in the comments! Don't forget to add Shadow Contract to your library and vote with power stones. See you in Chapter 16!