Chapter 295 - Where does your loyalty lie?

Walking out of a financial firm building, a broad-shouldered man with soft blonde curls that's combed neatly, making him look spruce with his classic black suit, got inside a car that's parked just right outside. A pair of clear blue eyes darted to the side mirrors of the vehicle, catching a glimpse of a figure from a distance. He had noticed that someone had been tailing him since Sunday and he waited until the third day to confirm his suspicions.

Chris drove towards a less crowded part of the city in an attempt to lure the follower there so he could catch whoever it was. If he was any regular person, he probably wouldn't have noticed that someone was following him because of how careful the follower was by keeping a safe distance. But with his years of experience, his expertise, his sharp eyes, and heightened senses, he caught on fast.

However, Chris wanted to see how far the follower would go. Based on the built and the choice of clothes of that person, Chris immediately concluded that it was a man. The follower wore sunglasses, a cap, a jacket, a mask, or in this case, a helmet since he was on his bike. Chris believed that the follower only wanted to keep an eye on him because he didn't sense any danger.

After having enough, Chris decided to find out what this follower's deal was. He stopped his car, parked at the curb and got out. He checked from side to side as though he was trying to make sure that no one was following him before he entered a sketchy alley.

Stopping his bike, Agent Gus parked several meters away from Chris's car and then followed him towards the alley. Unsure of what to expect, he carefully peeked first and saw that it was empty and Chris was nowhere to be found. The alley stretched for about thirty meters long and had a dead-end with a few doors on either side. Thinking that Chris must have gone inside one of the doors, he decided to enter the alley and inspect the place.

When Agent Gus reached the middle of the alley, he noticed that most of the doors were locked from outside. His brows instantly knitted in confusion and the sound of footsteps from behind him made him stand on-guard. 

Before he knew it, his mentor Chris was already sending punches and kicks his way and he was left to defend himself while trying to throw in his counterattacks at the same time, but who was he kidding? Whatever he knew, he learned from Chris. 

The masked man looked familiar but Chris didn't stop hitting the other. He forced the follower towards the end of the alley to trap him and leave him with no choice of escape.

And just when Agent Gus thought that he had an opening, he swung his arm to the side in an attempt to hit Chris's ribs. However, the latter grabbed his arm and twisted it — a cry broke out from him when he heard his shoulder snap.

Chris slammed the man onto the concrete wall and blocked him, his hands still locked on the man's arm. Bringing a hand to the man's face, he quickly removed the mask from his face and cursed when he saw that it was one of his subordinates. "Sh— Why are you following me, Gus?" he asked, releasing his harsh grip on the man only to turn him around so he could face him.

Agent Gus panted and clasped his injured shoulder with his other hand. He winced in pain when he couldn't move his injured shoulder as the joint got dislocated. Hearing his mentor's question, he knew that he already failed the mission that Parker gave him. Struggling to find the words to say to the man whom he respected so much, he could only look down, ashamed of himself.

"This is treachery, Agent. What is your purpose?" Chris's voice was hard and cold, feeling betrayed that one of his men did this to him. He waited for Gus to say something but the latter was determined not to say anything.

Realizing that Gus wouldn't answer him, Chris somehow got an inkling of what the situation was. Pressing his hand to Gus's chest—right above the heart — he said, "Look at me when you lie, Agent." When Gus shifted his gaze and stared at his mentor, Chris added, "Is this a mission?"

Gus swallowed as if that was his answer without opening his mouth.

"Did Parker send you?"

He blinked once and Chris took it as a 'yes'.

"Did he send you to kill me?"

He blinked twice and Chris understood it as a 'no'.

"Did he tell you why he asked you to follow me?"

He blinked twice again.

Learning that Parker only sent Gus to follow but not kill meant that Parker doesn't know anything. However, it only proved that Parker was getting suspicious of him already and even sent one of his men to do the job. Chris's hand remained atop Gus's chest and he felt the oddly calm beating of the latter's heart as though Gus was sure that his mentor wouldn't hurt him.

With furrowed brows, Chris asked another question, "Where does your loyalty lie, Augustine?"

Hearing his mentor calling him by his real name, Gus felt a sense of comfort. Of all the people in Shadow, Chris was the only person he looked up to. The one man who truly understood him and made him feel that he was more than just Shadow's soldier. Despite the impossible dream as an orphan, he was already content that at least one person believed in him. 

So without hesitation, he finally opened his mouth to answer his mentor. "I would never bite the hand that's feeding me. Never turn your back on the ocean."

The two men stared at each other as though their stares were assurances that would make the words that were just said truer. After a while, Chris let go of Gus and pulled on a smile on his face. The statements that his subordinate told him were words that he taught him during one of their training and missions that they did together.

Before Gus could straighten up, Chris reached out to the former's shoulder and snapped his bone back to its socket, making him whimper but he recovered quickly. As soon as he composed himself, he bowed to Chris as a form of respect and listened to what his mentor had to tell him before he was allowed to leave.

Going back to his car, Chris let out a deep sigh and rolled his shoulders. It looked like he had to reach out to Katherine again soon. He should have known that Parker wouldn't let this matter go that easily. He had to act smarter this time. He couldn't afford to have Parker order a bullet on his head yet he couldn't let Katherine be harmed as well.

Reaching for the folder on the passenger's seat, Chris opened it and his eyes flitted across the page, his gaze locking on the picture of the man that Parker tasked him to do a research on and give a full report. Next to the picture was the man's name in bold letters and it spelled, "Park, Damien Maverick".