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Novel Catalog
Chapter_22
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a subtle smirk. “A hassle, huh? That’s the reason you didn’t kill me?”
Yvette didn’t answer immediately. She leaned back against the cold brick of the alley, flicking her cigarette into the shadows. The moonlight caught the sharp edge of her expression—tough, yet somehow worn. “Yeah, a hassle. Sometimes it’s just not worth the trouble.” She paused, eyes narrowing slightly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m scared of it.”
Jeremiah took a slow step closer, his presence imposing yet calm. “I wasn’t worried about the trouble either. But you’re right—sometimes it’s not worth the effort. If I wanted to take you out, I would’ve already.”
Yvette’s eyes flicked over him, assessing his every move. “Are you trying to intimidate me?” she asked with a touch of mockery in her voice.
Jeremiah simply smiled, his eyes glinting with a cold amusement. “No, just stating facts.”
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence was filled only by the distant hum of the city and the faint rustle of wind through the alley. Yvette wasn’t sure what it was—whether it was the way Jeremiah carried himself, or something deeper, but she felt an odd familiarity between them. It wasn’t just their shared sense of detachment, but the way both of them had been shaped by the world into who they were now.
She broke the silence first, her voice low and laced with a quiet strength. “So, why are you here, Jeremiah? I know you’re not just passing through.”
Jeremiah’s gaze remained steady. “Just observing. I find it interesting, how people like you, people like me, operate. We don’t make excuses for what we do. We just do it.”
Yvette chuckled softly, shaking her head. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? We’re both good at what we do. But we’ve been doing it so long, we’re starting to forget why.”
There was a sharpness to her words that made Jeremiah pause, his expression momentarily softening. But just as quickly, it hardened again. “I don’t forget why. The mission always comes first. That’s all that matters.”
She nodded, though there was a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. “Right. The mission.” She exhaled a slow breath, staring at the ground for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “You think we’ll ever be more than just tools for someone else’s cause?”
Jeremiah tilted his head slightly, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Maybe. But I don’t think either of us is in a position to choose that. Not yet, anyway.”
Yvette stared at him, her gaze unwavering. For the first time in a while, she wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. Was this an opportunity to get close to someone who understood her, or just another distraction in a life that was meant for nothing but cold, solitary precision?
Her hand instinctively reached into her jacket pocket again, finding nothing. She cursed under her breath, realizing she had no candy left. She glanced at Jeremiah. “You wouldn’t happen to have something to sweeten this conversation, would you?”
Jeremiah’s smirk deepened. “I don’t deal in sweets, Yvette. But I might have something else you’re looking for.”
Yvette raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite herself. “What’s that?”
Jeremiah’s eyes glinted with a dangerous edge, yet his voice remained steady. “A way out. But you’ll have to be careful with what you choose to do with it.”
Yvette studied him carefully, her mind racing. For all his coldness, she could see the same sharpness in him that she carried in her own heart. He was offering something more than just an escape—it was a challenge, and maybe, just maybe, an invitation to something neither of them had ever truly embraced.
Without a word, she turned and began walking toward the street, her steps confident. “Maybe we’ll see what happens next, Jeremiah.”
His voice followed her, low and almost a whisper in the wind. “We will, Yvette. We will.”
The night stretched out before them—two lone wolves, both walking their separate paths, but both drawn toward something unspoken, something bigger than the worlds they had known.
