The Time Keeper

Chapter 16 - The Den

I shook Darius's hand, still feeling a little bit in shock from the sudden turn of events. "Well, it's nice to meet you too Boss," I replied trying to sound more confident.

Darius led me through the entrance and into a lobby that looked, surprisingly normal—a few chairs for waiting guests to the side, and a wooden counter at the center back of the room. There was a man who looked to be in his twenties like me, with dark wavy hair behind the counter reading the same newspaper I was reading earlier.

He looked up as we approached, and nodded at Darius. "Hey, Boss," he said.

Darius nodded back and led me to the door at the back of the room. We entered, revealing an open space with a table in the middle of the room that looked to be for meetings. I expected people actually working and having a meeting it looked like nobody else was around, how slack.

Darius noticed my expression and said, "This is where we have our briefings when we get jobs. It's usually pretty quiet around here since we're usually out on business dealing with jobs."

I nodded, still trying to process everything that was happening. Suddenly, my mind snapped back to the urgency of the situation. "Wait, why were we in such a hurry? Who found us out and what's going on?" I asked, hoping to get some answers.

Darius looked at me seriously, "I'll let you know more later on. For now, I need you to stay put here with Jean at the front counter. It's for your own safety."

I was taken aback, "My safety? What's going on?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease.

Darius sighed, "Look, I don't have time to explain everything right now. Just trust me and stay put. I need to go quickly and sort out that something you're worried about." He walked back through the door into the lobby and I followed.

I wanted to protest and ask more questions, but Darius was already heading towards the entrance. "I'll be back real soon. Jean will take care of you," he said before disappearing out into the street as fast as we had arrived.

I turned to Jean, the man behind the counter, and asked him, "What's going on? Why do I need to stay here?"

Jean looked at me sympathetically as he flipped a news page, "I'm not really sure, kid. But if Boss says you need to stay put, you should probably listen to him. He knows what he's doing."

I nodded, still feeling confused and worried. As I tried to calm myself down, I couldn't help but notice the sparse but intriguing decor of the main room. In addition to the weapons mounted on the wall, there was a plaque that read "Hunter of the Month" with a picture of Lucas.

"Who's Lucas?" I called out to Jean. Obviously, I knew who he was, but I needed to hear it from someone else.

Jean replied from back in the lobby, "Oh, he's one of our top hunters. He's been with us for a few years and has taken down some pretty dangerous targets. He's really good at his job."

Well as long as I'm here, I have no doubt that Lucas won't be holding that spot in that frame for very long. I tended to take the top spot in my studies and this new position was no exception, although bounty hunter work will take more effort than I'm used to. I'll have to really push myself but that's no problem.

"Speak of the devil," Jean muttered loud enough for me to still hear from the other room.

Who? Lucas? He's not even here though? Seconds later I heard the door creek open.

"Look who decided to show up to work today," Jean jeered sarcastically.

"Oh whatever Jean, it's not like you're doing anything important sitting on your ass," Lucas remarked back.