ＰＲＯＬＯＧＵＥ
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ＥＩＧＨＴ ＹＥＡＲＳ ＥＡＲＬＩＥＲ
The room is cold and the absence of Loretto’s presence sends shivers up my spine.
I’m unsure of the purpose of my presence, but I’m sure he has a good reason.
Once the doors open, I sit up straight and wait for him to walk in.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Taylor.” I gulp silently and greet him in return with a nod of my head.
“Good afternoon, Boss.” I cross my leg’s over one another and place my arms on either side of the chair.
Loretto tosses a manila folder on his desk and clears his throat.
“What’s this?” I prompt and lean forward to inspect the assignment he gave me.
“This is your task. Ms. Crane and Ms. Long already have their assignments.” My eyes widen at the curt tone of his voice.
“What is the task if I may ask?” I pull my lower lip and chew on the inside of my cheek.
“I’m aware that your sixteenth birthday passed a few weeks ago, so the board and I have decided to use your skills to our advantage. This is your assignment.”
He briskly tosses me the folder packed with documents and I run my hand over the pages.
I open it briskly and skim each paper with precise precision.
Only a few names pop out to me.
Nadia Crane.
Brityn Long.
Dominick Moreno.
This information piques my interest, so I clear my throat and speak up. “What is my task?”
“Your task: Hunt down the mafia leader, take out Moreno, and test the loyalty of your two partners. Moreno has been selling traded secrets to our enemies who run with the mafia. If you track down Zayn Thorne, distract him however you please so that we can trap Moreno.”
I press my tongue into the roof of my mouth and clasp my hands together.
I rest them on my faded blue jeans and lock gazes with him. “What if I fail?”
“If you fail...”
He crouches forward to shut the distance between us as my breath hitches.
My hands hastily cling to the chair while his breath fans my face and I thickly swallow.
He stares at me with pessimistic eyes, which unnerved me. “Then prepare to pay the ultimate price.”
I gulp down a hard ball of saliva as my heart races inside of my chest and the organ beats unhealthily; causing me to harshly exhale.
“I’ll take care of it.” After exhaling unsteadily, I rise from my seat and suck in a deep breath.
Not only did his threat unhinge me, but it gave me goosebumps.
I take the hair, which frames my face, and tuck it behind my ear. “What time frame are we looking at?” I ask.
“However, long it takes, the sooner, the better.”
I blow out my cheeks and prop my elbows on the back of the chair.
“Are there any details I should be aware of?” I glance at Loretto, who has a malicious smirk on his face.
“There are traitors among us.”
“Should I snuff them out?” His pen crashes on the papers scattered on the desk.
“Only the dog can drive out the cat.”
