She made a call.
Tenebrae was a city blessed with natural beauty. Bisected by a long river that merged into the ocean a few hundreds of miles away, it was located right at the foot of some stunning hills that were peppered with beautiful lakes. Unlike the coastal, wet weather of Shadow Port, Tenebrae experienced all seasons – snow in the winters, sunny days in the summer, and the best fall in the country.
Looking at the browned leaves crunched under her new boots, Morana stood at the railing of the very public pier, holding the disposable coffee she’d bought from a vendor across the street. Her light beige jacket kept her warm enough that she didn’t feel the chill in the afternoon sun, hiding the small gun she’d taken from Dante’s, her hair pulled back into a braid she’d quickly put together in the car as Vin drove her. He was there somewhere, watching her back as Dante had instructed him to do. The silent man was soon becoming one of her favorite people.
The ferries crossing the river honked their horns, people buzzed around her, and Morana stood, alert and aware, waiting for the man she’d contacted to shed some light on her questions.
As though in answer to her thoughts, she heard the familiar, grave voice behind her, “Don’t turn.”
Though tempted, Morana refrained and simply nodded, keeping her eyes glued to the buildings in the distance on the other side of the river. She felt the man come into her periphery beside her, but couldn’t make anything out.
“I wish I could say nice to meet you,” Morana quipped.
“You want to know why I contacted you, Ms. Vitalio?” the man with the grave voice began.
Again, Morana nodded. Out of everything, she was most curious about this.
“You are key to a puzzle I’ve been trying to solve. I believe we can help each other out.”
“And how will I do that?” Morana asked, her voice calm as she kept her gaze focused straight.
“Find the information about what was happening here twenty years ago.”
“And what will I get in return?”
“Whatever answers you need.”
“And you will give me those in exchange?” Morana asked, confirming.
“Yes.”
Pondering on that for a second, Morana took a sip of her coffee. It was actually pretty good. “Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t,” the man replied without hesitation. There was no inflection in his voice, nothing in his tone at all - just the grave baritone that spoke of experience far beyond her years. “But we’re on the same side for now, just looking for the truth.”
“What are your reasons for interest in the end of Alliance?”
“What are yours?” he shot back.
Morana felt her lips curl. “Alright, then. First question – how did you know someone was going to try and kill me?”
She saw the man lean his arms on the iron railing in her periphery and caught the dark clothes he was wearing. “Information is important in my line of work,” Mr. Grave casually elaborated. “Someone put a hit out on you, a pretty expensive hit if I might add. I just told you in goodwill.”
A baby cried somewhere on her left. Morana knew Vin was somewhere behind her as well.
“I appreciate you giving me a heads up,” Morana thanked the man.
“There’s no reason for you to be wary of me, Ms. Vitalio,” the man stated plainly. “I have nothing against you or The Predator. You’re his woman and I have no wish to make an enemy of him.”
His woman. Well, she was, wasn’t she?
Morana shook her head. “What’s Distance Y?”
The man beside her paused, “You got to them pretty quickly.”
She’d had help from someone. Was it this man? Before she could ask, he answered her. “It’s the Syndicate.”
It was an anagram. What the hell.