Prologue

The Benefactor was late again.

With a soft sigh, Lukas lay down on the wall, letting his arms dangle. The scraping of dirt and concrete against his fingertips was a welcome discomfort. The feeling of something so real, something so solid, grounded him. He needed it. After everything that had happened, he needed it.

He stared up at the sky, his eyes illuminated by moonlight and twinkling stars, the burning breaths of the cosmos. For a moment, he was a kid again, stargazing when he should be sleeping, staring at stardust for endless hours of night.

“Tired?” asked a voice.

Lukas turned his head, ignoring how the bricks dug into his scalp as he did so. In the shadows, barely distinguishable, was a man. The tallest man Lukas had ever seen, towering over everything and everyone. His eyes glowed red, illuminating the outlines of the giant ram’s mask he liked to wear. For safety, he said. To look cool, Lukas said.

Lukas sat up, grinning his Cheshire cat grin. “Nah. You’re just late.”

He just about saw the corners of the mask lift up. It was the closest thing to a smile the Benefactor ever got.

“You’re not wearing your gear,” the Benefactor noted.

Lukas looked down at himself as if only just noticing the worn trousers and t-shirt. He shrugged, looking back up at the sky.

“You said, ‘look casual’.”

“‘Casual’ and ‘Lukas Holmberg’ aren’t phrases that go together,” the Benefactor commented wryly.

“I’ll let you have that one,” Lukas smiled.

There was a pause, a medium of silence. For a moment, it seemed that both men were busy looking at the moon, both lost in their own minds.

When the Benefactor spoke, his voice was soft as velvet. “I think we both know why we’re here.”

Lukas glanced at him. His stormy eyes had always unnerved the Benefactor, though of course he would never admit it. There was something about the intensity there, the emotion, that made him uncomfortable. Lukas never had any idea what was going on in his own mind, but when it came to other people, he seemed to see and understand everything. In the Benefactor’s line of work, men like that were dangerous. The whole point of the Benefactor’s role was to buy and sell secrets, using knowledge as power. If someone could undo him with one look, his role fell to nothing.

“Yes,” Lukas said softly.

The Benefactor watched him closely. Lukas’s shoulders were hunched, his body curling over himself as though he was subconsciously trying to protect himself. His eyes were tired, and lines were beginning to show.

“When the time comes, will you help her?” the Benefactor asked.

Lukas didn’t even blink. “Of course.”

“No matter the cost?”

“You have my word, Lars.”

The Benefactor smiled under his mask. Lukas Holmberg was one of the only two people in the world who knew his real name.

“She will want revenge,” the Benefactor warned.

“Such is the way of the Scorpio,” said Lukas.

“You can’t let her have it. Once I’m gone, she will have to be responsible. She will have to put the job first, and revenge second. You need to be there to remind her of that.”

Lukas leaned back on his hands, his eyes moving upwards once again. Sometimes, he found it too hard to look at the Benefactor. They were friends, but Lukas was very conscious of the possibility of dying with one click of the Benefactor’s fingers.

“She’s not a child, Lars. She can look after herself.”

“You just said you would help her.”

“Helping and babying are different things,” Lukas said quietly. “I won’t patronize her. If you’re asking me for that, you can’t know me as well as you think you do.”

Another short silence fell on them. This one was uncomfortable. There was a certain tension in the air, the sort that made Lukas squirm in his own skin.

And then:

“I’m going to miss you, Lukas,” the Benefactor said. “You’re the only one who’s ever dared to question me.”

Lukas smiled to himself, but there was no happiness in it. “Only when it concerns her.”

“Of course.”

The Benefactor sighed, retreating further into the shadows.

Lukas watched him from the corner of his eye.

“When do you think it will happen?” Lukas questioned.

The Benefactor shrugged his broad shoulders. “In a week, maybe. Perhaps a month. Maybe it’ll be a couple of years. But soon. Very, very soon.”

Lukas closed his eyes, letting the breeze softly ruffle his floppy hair. As a child, he had loved nights like these. Quiet and dark, just about cold enough to make him shiver, but not so cold that he needed to retreat indoors.

“I suppose I shall see you at the finishing line,” he said.

“I suppose you shall,” the Benefactor answered. A pause. Then: “Lukas?”

Lukas opened one eye in reply, twinkling with an unreadable emotion.

The Benefactor let out a weary sigh. “I’m sorry.”

It was the first time he’d ever said the words.

It would be the last time, too.

Author's Note

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Reviews

[Tony Regent]

This is an amazing book!! I'm hooked already!! You're really good at describing characters, helping me visualize and analyze the personalities and physicality's of each character. I honestly don't have any criticism for the book. It's awesome!!

[solsystemtillnervsystem]

Oh my gosh thank you so much for this! I've only just seen it but I was having a bad day and your words made it so much better. Thank you!!