Dealing under the table

To have acquisition talks so close to the beginning of the race season took everyone by surprise. The team had been quite successful in the past, so the need for an acquisition was totally unfounded. However, the team leader thought they should entertain the thought at least once. You never til you try, he'd say.

Lee and Neo arrive at their racing team's HQ which was in a small area of Pennsylvania. The entire staff was there, including the secretary Haala Red. She was also 19 like Neo and was good friends with them. However, her gut and mind continuously flipped with the ill feeling of impending doom. As Lee walked past, she grabbed his arm and pretended to hug him.

"This meeting is shady. There should be no talks of this kind at this time."

Lee looked around to check if he was possessed or something.

"Wait did you just-"

"Shh...the team head. That guy with him is suspicious. I'll check the rest of them."

Deciding to disregard the fact that Haala spoke all that without using her mouth, Lee quietly walked over to the office where the meeting was being held.

But there was no meeting.

Lee stood frozen in shock when he saw a strange man sitting across from the team head. The man seemed to sense Lee and launched himself across the room effortlessly, tackling him to the ground. In a swift movement, the assailant ran his gloved fingertip over the jugular of leader, leaving a lethal trace of ice. He was dead within seconds...

Haala pretended to walk past to hand in some documents but she brushed past the attacker. She noted his features as they clashed: he seemed fit, well trained. And his eyes. They were green, but a kind of emerald green shade. Too dark to be normal. Alas, she couldn't catch him as the sole focus was now on the dead team head. On the very day of an acquisition.

As the police filed in to seal off the scene, Haala took the brothers to a side away from prying ears.

"This was targeted", she began while keeping her voice down.

"How so?", quipped Neo.

"Why would a team head be murdered during deal talks? It's a cover up. The whole thing was a setup from the get go. I can feel it."

Lee sighed, knowing she was right in every sense of the word. "Alright but how are we gonna find out? If this is targeted as you say, then we can't trust anyone. Shit we don't even know where to look for evidence."

Haala bit her lip before handing them a card with a number.

"...She will."

The boys took one look at the card and swallowed hard. To call "her"? Things were way past serious.