Chapter 129 Routine Checks
Dante's POV
My eye fell on it immediately, it stood out among every idle sight.
That part of the world stung me from the window, tugging at me and pulling back forgotten memories, things I didn't need or want to remember.
I'd always kept things locked down, emotions, regrets, all of them, buried under layers of determination and grit from years of watching my back.
Life in this game didn't leave room for emotions or anything but what I am.
But the more I stared, the more something stirred inside me, a particular pull I hadn't felt in ages.
It was like cracking open an old door I'd nailed shut, and I nailed it crazily.
It was like letting in a stream of light that brightened places I thought would be dark forever.
I couldn't help but ask what it would be like to let that part out? What would it be like not to always be the one calling the shots or spotting every angle?
Moments shared with Serena flashed in my mind, the smiles we shared, the way she looked at me like I wasn't just the Don.
She's the only one that had done that in the last few years, her and someone I didn't need to think about.
But everyone else saw me as untouchable, as an alien.
But with Serena, I felt that maybe, just maybe there was still something worth unlocking.
I blinked, focusing on what had caught my eye. There, on the sidewalk, a young couple walked hand in hand across the sidewalk.
The guy put his arm around her waist, pulling her close as she laughed at something he said.
She tilted her head back as she laughed and he leaned in for a quick kiss, both of them oblivious to the traffic or the wars that were well going on.
They hugged mid-step, playfully, like nothing else mattered in this world.
It hit me harder than I could expect a simple, happy moment to. A moment that felt worlds away from mine.
When was the last time I'd laughed like that? Or held someone publicly without wondering how I would be seen?
The light must have changed by now, but I couldn't bring myself to peel my eyes off.
My feet stayed in place as everything blurred around me the more I watched them fade down the block.
Faint horns blared around me, but not loud enough to catch my attention. But Nico's voice cut through faintly at first. "Don? You good?"
I didn't respond as it sounded so distant, with all the what-ifs swirling through my head.
What if I could have that? I could have no shadows, no enemies breathing down my neck.
"Don!" Nico yelled and that broke through as he tapped my shoulder. The touch pulled me back with my hands tightening on the wheel as I snapped my head around.
“What? What's wrong?" I asked immediately with wide eyes.
Nico pointed towards the green light ahead, then glanced back at the several cars honking behind us.
"Light's been green for years now, you zoned out there. Everything okay?" Nico expressed.
Marcus leaned forward from the back seat, tilting his neck to look out my window.
"Yeah, what's the holdup? You saw something?" Marcus asked from behind.
I shook my head, forcing a neutral expression as I hit the gas and the car pushed forward quickly.
"Nothing. Was just thinking,” I replied firmly.
The honks died down as we moved, but Nico wasn't letting it go. "Thinking about what? You've been off since that stop," he pressed on.
Marcus chimed in. "Come on, Don. Spill, we're not blind, you were staring out like you saw a ghost.”
I gripped the wheel tighter, flexing my jaw muscles. "Drop it, it's nothing you need to worry about,” I said harshly.
Nico exchanged a look with Marcus then shrugged. "Alright, but if it's got you spacing like that—"
"I said drop it!" I snapped, louder than I had intended.
The car went quiet immediately and I took a deep breath, easing off. “I’ve had a long night, okay? Let's just focus on the warehouses,” I said calmly.
Nico nodded slowly. "Yeah, we're good, Don."
I looked up to see Marcus learning back in the chair. "All's good, eyes on the prize," he remarked.
I shook off the remaining thoughts from earlier, shoving the couple's image to the back of my mind.
We had work to do, real work, no time for dreams.
We pulled up at the east warehouse first with the guard waving us in the moment we drew closer.
The place was quiet with just a few guys loading goods under the favourable weather.
We stepped out, and I nodded to one of the men that approached us. "We'll be doing a routine check and won't be needing your help," I declared and he walked off immediately.
“We'll remain on call to pass urgent information,” I announced to Nico and Marcus and they nodded in agreement.
So as we stepped inside, we split up with me heading to the office for logs while Nico checked the perimeters and Marcus kept an eye on the stacks inside.
I scanned through several stored records and ledgers of shipments, both in and out. All looked to be dated cleanly with no weird gaps nor extra names.
"Everything looks normal here," I called out through my phone.
Nico who must be walking by the fence lines and testing locks, checking for fresh tracks called out next.
"No signs of any tampering here, the gates remained intact," he muttered.
Marcus called out next behind all the rustling sounds. "Only standard gear, tools and parts here .Nothing out of place,” he remarked.
From there, we wrapped things up fast with no red flags.
"On to the next," I said as we climbed back in the car.
The downtown spot was busier, trucks zoomed in and out as we parked discreetly and went in.
I grabbed the security log from the desk and checked if the entries matched the schedule.
It did, no outside entries.
Nico reviewed the camera feeds on the security table. "Footage is solid, no skips and no unfamiliar faces," he announced.
Marcus wandered the aisles, checking shelves for dust patterns or out of place boxes.
“Everything's where it should be,” Nico added.
I nodded, staring around after we'd checked everywhere. I couldn't shake off the feeling we were missing something.
But we moved on without another word, straight to the warehouse by the river. We fanned out same as before as I scanned worker timesheets, checking the punches in and out all.
Nico inspected the docks, looking for boat marks or loose chains.
Marcus climbed a short ladder to high shelves, rummaging through bins.
But again, as before, nothing out of place. Frustration began building as we kept going.
We reached the fourth one near the industrial edge, it was the smallest of all.
“Same story," Nico muttered as we regrouped after doing the same checks, I heard a hint of frustration in his voice.
I rubbed my temples. "One more. If it's clean, maybe the mole talk was bullshit,” I breathed out and they agreed.
We pulled into the gates of the fifth warehouse as the guard nodded us through.
Something felt off right away, the air seemed heavier than it should be. We split again with me to the office, Nico ok perimeter duties and Marcus inside.
Everything looked fine at first glance, but as I dug deeper, I realized a pattern.
Not something wrong with the records, but something wrong with our process. We had to try something different.