The rain had slowed, but the city remained restless.
Neon lights flickered in the distance, cars moved like rivers of light below, and the scent of damp asphalt mixed with the metallic tang of blood in the air.
Ochieng stood over Black Fang, his fists still clenched.
The assassin wasn't dead.
But he wasn't in any condition to fight either.
And yet…
He was smiling.
"Who sent you?" Ochieng asked, his voice calm but firm.
Black Fang wiped the blood from his lips and leaned against the broken railing.
"Someone who knows your past," he said.
Ochieng's expression didn't change, but inside, a storm brewed.
His past?
He had buried it.
Or so he thought.
---
Black Fang's breath was shallow. He was clearly injured, but his smile never faded.
"You should be careful," he continued. "You think you're living an ordinary life, but there are people out there who remember you, Ochieng. People who fear you."
Ochieng remained silent.
He wasn't surprised.
Not really.
The past had a way of creeping back—no matter how much you ran from it.
And if someone was moving against him now…
It meant they thought he was weak.
A mistake.
A deadly mistake.
"You could have killed me," Black Fang admitted. "But you didn't."
Ochieng stared at him. "Not yet."
That made the assassin chuckle. "That means I owe you. And I always repay my debts."
Ochieng raised an eyebrow.
"You work for someone trying to kill me. And now you're saying you'll help me?"
Black Fang shrugged. "I was hired for a job. I lost. That means the job is over."
Ochieng narrowed his eyes.
He didn't trust him.
But he wasn't stupid either.
If Black Fang had information, he needed it.
"Fine," Ochieng said. "Tell me everything."
Black Fang's grin widened.
"First, take me somewhere with good whiskey," he said. "Then we talk."
---
As Ochieng and Black Fang disappeared into the city streets, a pair of eyes watched them from the shadows.
A figure in a dark coat, standing on a nearby rooftop, hidden in the rain.
They had seen everything.
They had expected Black Fang to die.
And now…
They had to report this.
To the one who gave the order.
The one who wanted Ochieng erased.
"He's still dangerous," the figure murmured into a phone.
The voice on the other end was silent for a moment.
Then, a chilling reply.
"Then we send someone stronger."
---