Syndicate: Project Rye [Kendall Jenner/You]

Chapter 3

Crowd of people crossing the road, ambling on the sidewalks and entering buildings, their attention solely on themselves, shoulders brushing against another inattentively while their heads hung low as their eyes focused on a device on their hands in the city. It's so scary how distracted they are on their phones that they're unaware what has been happening beyond what they usually see that not even their minds can comprehend. And all of it I have observed just by gazing at them through the window from a booth in an old busy diner a few miles away from the headquarters where I just had finished a meeting.

"Everything alright Detective?" Asked my partner, Detective Tora. Noticing her intense stare at my peripheral vision.

"How blind can they be?" Muttering a question lowly, I shift my eyes down to the steaming mug of coffee in front of me.

"The question is," Tora averted her gaze outside the window. "Are they even ready to know the truth?"

I remained silent, my fingertips sliding delicately around the rim of the cup. No, they wouldn't be, they will never be ready, seeing that majority would be willing to turn blind eye if the news ever broke. The media, it always has played a big part of how humans think, the lies that influenced their thinking and how people turn on each other like holding knives on each others necks. Media has its way of hiding the truth under a blanket and out of everybody's eye, that only who deeply cares about the world only see.

And that's the reason why they took an interest to who can influence more people.

“They will never be.” I mumbled a reply, watching her take a quick sip of her black coffee.

Tora set her half empty mug on the table and pulled her sleeve back to check her wristwatch. “A few more hours before the auction start, you still remember the plan right?”

“Of course I do,” I briefly frown at her statement and closely watch her relaxed and swift movement. “How long have you been working in the agency?”

She stared at me with her usual stoic expression. “What's with the question?”

“Is it bad to know my partner?” I shrugged.

She replies vaguely. “Not that long.”

“Can you be more specific?”

Tora arched a brow. “May I remind you that we're here to do our job.”

“An uptight one I see.” I observed.

“I'm not uptight,” Glaring at me, she lifts her mug again and hold it closer to her lower lip. “I just prefer to finish the job with precise actions.”

“Are you implying I won't get the job right?”

She held a piercing stare right at me, taking long silent sip of her warm coffee. “I have my doubts,” She replied truthfully just as she pull back her coffee. “You are a rookie after all.”

“This rookie could prove you wrong.” I challenged.

“Oh you don't want to do that, Detective Rye.” Tora pushed her empty mug forward on the table. “Goes to show how careless you'd be just before the mission start.”

I silently glared at her from under my furrowed brows, her eyes remained blank and still like quiet water. Breathing through my nostrils, I averted my attention away. I don't want to start in a bad situation with this uptight fucker, this is still my partner after all. Well not totally, we just have the same designated mission, after this auction we'd go to our separate ways and do our jobs accordingly.

Gazing out the window, the sky glowed with dark bluish light while at the horizon I see the deep orange glow of the sinking sun with strokes of purple hue. Soon as darkness hits, that’s when hidden war will begin.