1 Chapter 1

"Leah," a voice called over the crowds of heads, "Leah Dearcroft!"

Leah craned her head to see, her face splitting with a grin.

It was the voice of her boyfriend.

The city's bustling shopping center was where the two had decided to meet for their date, and Leah was extremely excited.

It had been weeks since their last date and she was really looking forward to seeing Tim again.

Her boyfriend cut through the crowds and his eyes landed on her.

He gave her a quick grin before stepping up to her, "Leah."

The girl beamed before leaning into him, "Tim, I've missed you!"

His hands hesitated for a moment, which she found odd, before going around her waist like they had always done.

"I've missed you too."

Leah snuggled into him, content, even as a faint warning bell went off in her head.

She ignored it as she smelled him. He had the cool smell of mint around him all the time and his clothes sometimes carried the scent of cigarettes. She wrinkled her nose, mentally noting to ask him how many he smoked in a day. She needed to make sure she was healthy.

Speaking of health, however, Tim was in extremely good shape. In the two years Leah had dated him, she had never really seen him look pale or weak. He was always full of energy and if the strong muscles under his shirt were any indication, he visited the gym frequently. How had she never seen him actually go to the gym? Did they talk about it at all?

She frowned as they stood there in each other's arms in the middle of the bustling crowds.

She had been with Tim for two years.

Their relationship had grown with each other for four months before it had stayed the same.

Tim was a good boyfriend when they met each other, but he never initiated contact much. There were good morning texts here and there but Leah was the one who tortured him each day for a date, a spot to go to, or even a phone call.

She slowly stepped out of the hug to look up to him.

Maybe they should have a conversation about this… Was he too busy or did he not like her anymore.

She looked up to see his eyes fixed on something behind her.

She turned around to look before his hand grabbed her chin.

He turned her face toward his before leaning down to kiss her deeply.

Leah blinked before responding, no sparks and just confusion as he finished the kiss.

"Shall we go to our usual spot?"

She nodded quietly, the excitement of seeing him had completely left my body, "Yes."

"I have something important to ask you, Leah."

She looked up at him with surprise, "What?"

He took her arm and led her through the crowds to their favorite café.

"You'll see," he looked over at her and winked.

Her heart started beating fast again and she smiled to herself as she followed him through the happy crowds.

A blush broke out on her face.

He was still her Tim and no one else's.

Still her sweet, mysterious boyfriend who she didn't know as well as she would like. She had time to take things slow with this man.

The warning bells in her head were starting to get loud again and she shut them out.

---

Entering her apartment again, she sighed happily and in content before taking off her heels. The cool of the room hit her feet and she squealed.

She loosened her golden hair from her ponytail as she entered the passage leading to the living room and kitchen.

Leah's room-mates who were also her cousins were out for the week and she had the large apartment they shared, all to herself.

Walking to ward the fridge, she opened it to peek in.

She was quite full from her date.

Tim had paid as usual, ordered her favourite dessert from memory and they had held hands walking home. She beamed with a happy smile on my face. She was so happy.

All the doubts in her mind were pushed to the back. He made her feel so special whenever they went out and although her cousins kept nagging about how little he seemed obsessed with her, she shook her head.

Everyone had busy periods in their lives.

Tim was a loyal man and probably wasn't very forward and conversational.

Their dates could get very quiet very fast and even awkward sometimes when she tried to keep conversations going but somehow, they always ended on a good note.

"It's alright," she said out loud.

Leah grabbed a strawberry flavored yoghurt from the refrigerator before shutting the door.

She settled at the counter.

Pulling out her phone, she happily texted in the group chat that she was home after the date.

Her cousins had not seen the text yet and she opened a social media app called Dazzle. She had started an account years ago and she looked through the cryptic pictures she had posted to the app as she opened her yoghurt and reached across the counter for a spoon.

Tim wasn't a huge fan of social media and didn't have any accounts on any apps himself. Leah had settled for posting pictures of just their hands or just the food they had on their dates.

He was very apologetic about it, and she hadn't wanted to push him.

The blond received a message from a stranger and tapped on the notification to open it.

The picture that sprang up on the screen made her stomach drop.

---

There were hushed whispers across the hallway where men and women in sharp suits lined each wall. In the dim narrow passage, the gathered agents stood with their backs to the wall forming a lone path in the middle.

Several of them were sweating with others nervously shuffling from foot to foot.

"Why are we lined up today?" One of the men asked Tim.

Tim shook his head, "From what I heard, the Castaways job went well."

A couple more heads turned to the conversation.

Tim continued, "Cassandra told me. She said there was a huge fight but as soon as the boss landed, the dust cleared in hours."

There was a pause and everyone swallowed.

"The boss went himself?"

Tim nodded, a trickle of sweat on his forehead, "That's what I heard. I heard the entire enemy side was wiped out in hours after the boss stepped into the fight."

There was a breathless nervous laugh from one of the other men, "Well, he's the terrifying head of the organization for a reason. The man isn't one to show mercy in the slightest and always goes for the neck."

Another man nodded, "But why are we here?"

Tim shrugged, "Who knows… All Cassandra told me was that the boss was flying in for the week."

There was a jolt among the group.

"The boss? Here?"

Tim huffed, his eyes betraying his unease, "Well, this is headquarters." He snapped.

Another man flinched, "He never asks for everyone to assemble? What is this? And how does Cassandra know all of this anyway?"

A lady in the group chuckled, "Is Cassandra sleeping with the secretary again?"

Tim shot her a hot glare.

The group loosened up and began to laugh.

"Don't upset, Tim. Cassandra and he have started really bonding these days."

"Bruce will not like knowing two agents are dating, Tim."

"We're not dating," Tim glowered.

"Sure, is that why you guys are always tangled up together in the Store room?"

Tim rolled his eyes, "We let off steam sometimes."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

Tim looked over at the man and shrugged, his face emotionless, "No?"

"Yeah, you do!" The lady jumped in, "You picked her up when you started that mission near the warehouses, remember? You said she helped make your appearance look more casual when you were sneaking around trying to look like you were on dates near the beach."

Tim huffed, "I don't know what yo-"

The tall doors on the other end opened and a silence fell quickly among the agents.

A tall strapping man with a dangerous aura stepped into the passageway.