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Chapter 14 by micdan282 micdan282

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A Proposal

Nightingale moved silently across the rooftops of the city, her senses sharp despite the late hour. She was trying to clear her head, not take on a fight, not tonight. That hope didn’t last very long. A flicker of movement caught her eye on the adjacent rooftop. Tall, lean, and wrapped in shadows like she owned them.

Whisper.

Nightingale tensed. “You stalking me now?”

Whisper stepped into the moonlight with the confidence of a predator.

“Only a little,” she teased with a sly smile.

“Didn’t peg you for the rooftop-stalking type,” Nightingale said.

“I’m full of surprises and you’re not that hard to track.”

Nightingale straightened slowly, wary. “What do you want?”

Whisper stepped closer, her movements fluid and silent, like smoke curling through the air. “I need help.”

Rikki scoffed in disbelief.

“You’re serious, you want my help?” Whisper remained silent. “To start with I don’t work with killers.”

Whisper paused, a flicker of something unreadable in her gaze. “You’ve got to get over that. This is bigger than your cute little morals.”

Rikki didn’t answer. Whisper moved to the edge of the roof, looking out over the city.

“There’s an auction happening tomorrow night. Weapons, tech, black market types with too much power and no conscience. I’m going to crash it.”

“Why not go to the cops?” Rikki asked, though they both knew the answer. Whisper didn’t dignify it.

“I want to destroy the merchandise. Make a statement. But the place is locked up tight. I could use someone who knows how to hit hard and vanish.”

Nightingale crossed her arms. “Why me?”

“You’re good,” Whisper admitted. “I’ve studied you and despite beating your ass the other night I can tell how talented you are. And because, whether you want to admit it or not… we want the same thing.”

Rikki’s jaw tightened. “Is that so?”

Whisper turned to her then, fully, stepping closer. Not close enough to touch, but close enough to feel the shift in the air between them.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I see the look in your eyes. You’re angry, you’re tired. Trying to hold everything together while the city crumbles around you. Just like me.”

The words dug deeper than Rikki expected. She didn’t answer right away.

“I’m not convinced.”

Whisper smiled, slow and knowing. “Just think, we have a shot at putting a dent in the rot eating this place… and the chance to see if you like working with someone who doesn’t play by the rules.”

There was a tension hanging between them now. Not hostility but something sharper, warmer. Rikki noticed, and hated that part of her didn’t want to look away.

Finally she broke the silence. “Fine. I’m in. One job. But there has to be no killing.”

Whisper grinned, already turning to the edge of the roof. “See you tomorrow.”

She dropped down the side of the building, disappearing like she’d never been there at all. Nightingale stood still for a long time, staring at the space where she’d been. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides. She didn’t trust Whisper but God help her, she was curious.

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