Chapter 5: Why Are You so Hostile?
The night was cold while Katherine was on the rooftop, crying inwardly as she debated with herself whether or not she should just ditch the body or go through with the ridiculous and unpleasant task. 'Why did it have to be me tonight?'
After what seemed like a hundred seconds had passed, she was still not moving.
Chris began to worry so he grabbed a spare headset that was connected to Katherine's comms and spoke to her. "Queen, what's wrong?"
Startled by Chris's gentle voice, Katherine snapped out of her trance and convinced herself to focus. "Nothing. Just... give me a second."
Clenching her hand into a fist to regain herself, she looked at the man's briefs and ignored the bulge on it. She then slowly reached into the secret pocket of his briefs that was just below the garter of the front side and quickly retrieved a small device from inside it.
She retracted her hand extremely fast like Usain Bolt's speed and breathed out a sigh of relief, patting her chest to calm her erratic heart.
Glaring at the man in front of her, she slapped his face as she stood up, "You are a very bad man, Mr. Nang!" she growled before leaving him behind.
"File acquired. Mission complete," she spoke to the comms.
"Great job, Queen," Chris remarked proudly.
Standing by the door, she looked back at Mr. Nang's unconscious body on the floor. "What am I going to do with the body? It's freezing out here."
"Leave it. A team will handle it later. Report back to the Castle."
"Copy," Katherine replied before the communication was turned off.
She found a restroom on the same floor and she hastily washed her hands before stepping into the elevator. The moment that she got inside, she felt slightly lightheaded and was even a little nauseous.
She massaged her temple gently and felt the bruise that was starting to form — that man must have hit her pretty hard. She winced in pain and clicked her tongue upon seeing blood on her fingers. She was clearly annoyed that she was not able to avoid it.
Arriving at the ground floor, Katherine walked straight out of the Crown Hotel and Casino and crossed the street to get to her car. Her head throbbed and she became really dizzy but she kept walking despite the pain pounding in her head.
Just as she reached the middle of the road, a speeding car came from her left, making her eyes widen in shock. She managed to move to the side just in time that the car came to an abrupt stop. But despite her evasion, the car's bumper still lightly hit her thigh.
"Seriously! This is so not my day!" she exclaimed and slapped the hood of the car that had just bumped her, glaring at the driver inside the vehicle though her vision was still a little blurry, 'Stupid flask' she thought as she became really cranky. Out of nowhere, she cursed Alicia for stealing her mission. Because of her, Katherine suffered such a humiliating task just earlier. And now this... great. Just great!
Inside the car, a man in his twenties who was sitting on the passenger's seat nervously spoke to the one who was driving, "B-boss… you hit a woman."
Damien Park who insisted on driving that night gripped the wheels as he looked at the woman in front of them. She looked like she was drunk and cranky.
He finally decided to get out of the car. "Miss? Are you alright?" His voice was clear and gentle, catching Katherine's attention.
Irritated at the question that he just asked her, she snapped at the man who was wearing an expensive tailored suit, "Do you even know how to drive?!"
The man was not surprised that she was mad at him, after all... he was indeed driving quite fast. But he scoffed at her behavior, 'Unbelievable.'
"Miss, you were the one who didn't watch where you were going."
With an intense gaze, she scowled at the man in front of her but was slightly dazed at how he looked from where she stood. They were standing a few meters apart and with the light from the lamp post shining on his magnificent figure, she began to notice his features.
His hair was neatly combed making his face very pleasing to look at and his dark eyes stared back at her as his brows furrowed. She wondered why he was looking like that at her.
Walking closer, Damien took out something from the inside pocket of his coat and he reached his hand out to her. As if by nature, Katherine did not think twice to block his hand and twisted it to defend herself.
Surprised by her movements, the man's instincts kicked in and he countered her moves by swiftly grabbing both of her hands before he spun her around that her back ended up pressing against his chest — his arm strongly holding her in place making her unable to move. "Easy… why are you so hostile?" His voice suddenly turned cold.
Katherine's breathing hitched at their sudden proximity, he was so close to her that she could feel his breathing on her ear and the warmth of his torso on her back. She gulped and wanted to escape from his grasp but judging by how he turned the tables rather quickly, she knew that he was more skilled than her. "Let go of me," was all that she could say.
At one moment, she was still hazy but after what the man did to her, she somehow sobered up. She was confused as to why she could not let herself get away from him.
"Hold still," he told her, and she felt a soft fabric brush against her forehead. She flinched a little when it stung.
"You have blood on your temple." He handed her his white handkerchief that was now stained with her blood. He let go of her gently and she turned to face him, her eyes full of curiosity as to who this man was.
Damien Park gazed back at her. Meeting her eyes, he suddenly found some familiarity. He refocused his gaze and remembered, 'Ah... she is the woman I danced with just earlier.'
He continued to observe the changes in her expression. She seemed to be studying him as well. Her eyes were clear and unwavering yet there was something sad with the way that she looked back at him.
Katherine's heart fluttered at how his stare bore into her like electricity that invaded her every sense. The sudden gust of wind snapped her out of her daze and then she heard him speak.
"Let me take you to the hospital." He was aware that his car had bumped her but the head injury was obviously not from the same incident.
Composing herself, Katherine put on an indifferent look as if nothing happened. "I'm fine," she insisted and started to walk away.
"You are clearly not fine, just let me help you."
She walked past him and bit out, "You don't have to."
Katherine hurriedly got inside her Chevy and turned the engine on. She stepped on the gas and left the area, speeding off on the road.
Tossing the handkerchief onto the passenger's seat, she reached her hand to her head and removed the wig that she was wearing — her long and soft chestnut hair bounced and flowed over her shoulder.
Stealing a glance at her rearview mirror, she saw the man watching her drive away until she was no longer in sight.
"Find out who that woman is and compensate her for what happened tonight," Damien told his assistant as soon as he got inside his car.
Already used to his boss' orders, Damien's assistant could only answer, "Yes, Boss."
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Chapter 6: Everybody Has Secrets
Castle
Inside Chris's office, Katherine reported about what happened during that night's mission. She had already changed into her casual clothes – leather jacket, tank top, pants, and boots – all in black.
"You did well," Chris complimented as he walked around his desk to face her.
"What is in that file? Why did we need to take it?" She asked curiously. The thing was, Katherine could not inquire to anyone else in Shadow because ever since she was trained, she was told not to. But from time to time, she'd ask Chris as he was the only one she could dare to and not others.
"It's a ledger for Mr. Cook's…" he waved his hand in the air as if trying to think of a way to say it, "...unauthorized expenses." He chuckled.
"But he owns the company... He's stealing from his own company?"
"We don't know why people do things," Chris shook his head in resignation.
"Then why did we prevent Mr. Nang from exposing the truth? CEO Cook is obviously cheating," she questioned.
"Cook's empire is an essential balance in the economy. If he fails, our economy suffers. We don't want that to happen, do we?"
"But…" Katherine still thought that it wasn't the right thing to do. Did she just allow a man to continue cheating?
Chris moved an inch closer and placed his hand on her shoulder like he always did to get her attention, patting it lightly to calm her down. Tilting his head, he smiled lightly and reminded her using his gentle voice, "No more questions."
She could only nod and let it go.
"Katherine, my dear, your face..." He grimaced as he stared at the cut on her head. Her skin was soft and milky white, now it's tainted with a wound. Chris felt bad that she had to go through things like this.
"I'm already used to it," she responded while lowering her head to avoid looking at his crystal blue eyes that mimicked the ocean.
The door suddenly opened and in came Parker, the director of Shadow and also one of its founding members. He was in his late forties and acted like the "father" to all the agents in the organization.
"Oh, I didn't know that our Queen is here." Parker walked to the center of the room that made Chris lower his hands and placed them in his pockets as he greeted his boss. "Parker."
"I was just on my way out." Katherine smiled politely before she exited the room. Though she had stayed with them for six years, there were only a handful of people she was really close with. She did not feel comfortable around Parker. This old man felt very dark and secretive. Though… who didn't have secrets?
As soon as Katherine was out of the room, Parker nonchalantly walked over to the glass window and watched his agents in their training. "You and Queen are very… close." His voice was emotionless but Chris knew him well enough to know what he meant.
Chris then replied, "I can assure you, I'm just looking out for her. After all…"
"After all… You saved her. Isn't that right, Christopher?" Parker turned to Chris and plastered a fake smile. Chris turned away to retrieve something from his table and then handed it over to his boss.
Taking the flash drive in his hand, Parker patted Chris's shoulder and walked out of the room. "Good… good… I can always depend on you," he said, placing the flash drive that Katherine got from her mission that evening inside his pocket. "Very good."
Later, when Parker had left the Castle quarters, he did not go straight home. Instead, he drove towards a dark area of River Park and looked for someone. "Ah… there you are," he muttered when he saw a man in a dark grey coat walking towards him.
"Mr. Green," the man greeted Parker.
"Mr. Cook. It's lovely to see you tonight." Parker shook hands with the other. And while their hands were joined, Parker handed the flash drive discretely.
"Your men are fast," Mr. Cook complimented.
"Ah… well, they're very well trained, of course."
"And my subordinate, Nang?"
"He's already taken care of in the hospital. You won't have to worry about anything. There will be no traces. It will be as if he just…vanished into thin air."
Mr. Cook gave a satisfied smile. He no longer needed to worry about that idiot worker of his. He took out a slim white envelope and gave it to Parker. "As agreed, get the ledger and you will get what you want."
With a grin on his face, Parker received the envelope. "A pleasure doing business with you."
"Likewise."
Parker went back to his car and drove away, whistling that he had his hands on a property that he always wanted. All without 'dirtying his hands'… because in reality, he used his power to make his agents do everything for him.
For the past years that Katherine worked under Shadow, she hunted, she hurt and she killed people. People whom she believed were enemies of the state or a threat to their nation. And she was okay with it because she believed that she was making the world a better place.
And that's what she needed to believe… because that's what Parker wants his agents to believe in.
…
Later that evening, Katherine arrived at her apartment.
And like usual, the moment she closed the door, she removed her jacket and boots, took off her top, stripped off her pants and left them on the floor. She was then only wearing her bra and panties as she casually strolled in her kitchen, fetching water from the fridge and drinking the whole bottle.
A faint stomp coming from the living room caught her attention.
Her head snapped towards the direction of the sound. She quietly grabbed a chef's knife from the side, slowly walked into the living room, and then she saw a dark figure standing near the window.
Without hesitation, Katherine threw the knife towards the figure but to her surprise, the man noticed her right away and dodged. The knife stuck on the wall at the same time that the man had turned to face her. "Woah, hey… easy, Katherine, it's just me."
She quickly turned on the lights and saw her mentor in her living room. "Chris?"
Chris was equally surprised when he saw her almost naked across the room. "Umm… clothes," he said as he looked away.
She instantly remembered herself and swiftly took a robe from the bathroom. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?" She tied the robe securely in place, trying to forget about the embarrassing incident and had to calm down her rapid heart rate because the man she liked just saw her practically naked.
"I didn't plan on coming here."
"Okay… so why are you here, then?" Then she thought, 'Surely it's not because you just wanted to see me, right?'
"Six years ago, I promised you that we will find who was behind your parents' murder."
The moment that Katherine heard him, all her senses heightened up. She pressed on and moved closer, "And?"
"I found a lead… and I will give it to you, just like I promised."
She gasped, her hands flew to cover her mouth in surprise.
"But this stays between us," he added. "No one can know about this, not Parker…and not even Styles. Do you understand?" Chris handed over a small envelope to which Katherine received excitedly, nodding her head and checking the content with only one name in it.
Katherine found the lead like a treasure map and was willing to do whatever it would take to get to the bottom of it. No matter what, she was going to find out the truth.
To her excitement, she threw herself and pounced on Chris which took him by surprise. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" she repeatedly said as she hugged him very tightly.
Their closeness caused his body to react in ways he did not expect. He stiffened at first, and then he couldn't help himself but return her embrace. So he wrapped his arms around her small waist and smiled.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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