All Chapters of RED LABEL: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

It was an unusual arrangement. Voss found unusual arrangements much more interesting than ordinary ones.He walked toward the central console and entered a command. The tactical display changed, bringing up personnel files from HammerHand's operational registry."Three," he murmured. The system began filtering the roster. Voss folded his arms. "Not necessarily the strongest," he murmured. The system adjusted. "Not necessarily the fastest." Another adjustment. "Not the most obedient." He paused. "The most resourcessful."Three profiles appeared. Voss looked at the first.Alfred Cross. Thirty-eight.Cross was a tactical planner whose greatest weapon was anticipation. He could walk into an unfamiliar environment and begin mapping its vulnerabilities almost instinctively. Entrances, exits, blind spots, surveillance positions, likely escape routes—his mind processed them almost automatically.He was patient, methodical and exceptionally difficult to surprise.Cross rarely initiated violenc

Nobody stepped out of the elevator on Floor 57 with the same easy expression he had worn during his playful conversation with Evelyn on the way up. The moment the doors opened, something in him settled into a quieter rhythm. He had been talking to her over the phone several times, and those conversations had gradually developed their own familiarity, but this was different. A telephone allowed distance to remain between two people. A telephone gave him time to choose his words, time to hide the pauses that might reveal too much, and even time to end a conversation before silence became uncomfortable.Standing outside Evelyn's suite was another matter.He walked toward Suite 68D and knocked once."Come in."Her voice came from inside, and Nobody pushed the door open.Evelyn was standing near her desk with a tablet in one hand. She looked up, and for a moment her expression carried a faint trace of surprise before settling into amusement."So you actually came.""You invited me.""I k

Evelyn listened without interrupting, but when he finished, she shook her head slowly."I understand the protocol.""Good.""I'm not asking about the protocol."Nobody's answer died before it reached his lips.She watched him carefully. "I'm asking about you."He remained silent.Evelyn waited, giving him more time than most people probably would have. When he still didn't answer, she moved away from the desk and sat down, resting her hands loosely in her lap."Why do you keep doing this?" she asked after a while.Nobody looked at her. "Doing what exactly? Protecting you or evading your questions?""Protecting me."He considered that distinction before answering. "Because somebody has to.""That's not good enough.""It is for me.""But it isn't for me."The words settled between them with more weight than either had intended. Nobody finally moved from where he had been standing and took the chair opposite her.He sat back, leaving enough distance between them for the conversation to r

"Complicated is becoming your favorite word," Evelyn said, leaning back slightly and letting her eyes rest on him."It covers a lot of ground," Nobody replied smoothly."I've noticed."She waited, giving him a long moment to fill the silence, but he simply sat there, relaxed and completely unbothered by the lull. When it became clear he wasn't going to elaborate, she let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk."All right. Let me ask it differently. Before you became my security specialist, what were you?"Nobody’s expression didn't flicker, remaining as smooth and undisturbed as still water. Inside, however, the question touched territory he had no intention of letting her enter."A man who had a lot of different jobs," he said, keeping his tone light."What kind?""The kind that taught me it's usually healthier not to ask too many questions."Evelyn raised an eyebrow, searching his face for a tell. "You expect me to believe that?""No.""Good."A faint, g

Richard Denkley had learned a long time ago that people rarely became frightened by objects themselves. They became frightened by what the objects represented. That was why the reaction from his old contact, Arthur, bothered him so deeply. If Arthur had simply failed to recognize the relic, Denkley would have accepted it without a second thought. If he had laughed at the description, dismissed it as an obscure military insignia, or told him to send a photograph, Denkley would have moved on to the next name in his contact list. Instead, Arthur had cut him off, ordered him not to digitize a single image of it, and severed contact completely. Denkley remained seated behind his desk for several minutes after the call ended, staring down at the dark metal resting on the clean sheet of paper in front of him. He knew that particular kind of silence. It was the heavy, suffocating stillness of a man who had suddenly realized a casual conversation had crossed into territory where even sp