A step to mission
The café smelled like burnt coffee and bad decisions.
Levi wiped the counter for the third time, pretending she wasn’t watching the door every two seconds. Her boss was already side-eyeing her like she’d lost her mind.
“Levi,” he muttered, “if you clean that spot any more, it’s going to disappear.”
“Maybe that’s the goal,” she shot back dryly.
But really… she was waiting.
And she hated that.
The bell above the café door chimed.
Her heart did something stupid.
Of course it was him.
Louis walked in like he owned not just the café, but the entire city—and maybe the air Levi was breathing too. Same calm expression. Same dangerous eyes.
Same annoying effect on her.
He slid into a chair like this was routine now.
Levi grabbed a menu and walked over, masking everything with a fake customer-service smile.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite suspicious customer,” she said sweetly. “Back again to stare at walls?”
Louis didn’t even look at the menu. “I came for the service.”
Levi blinked. “Wow. That’s the worst line I’ve heard today.”
“And yet, you’re still standing here.”
“Because I’m paid to tolerate you.”
A pause.
Then Louis smirked—small, but real.
And for some reason, that felt like a victory.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Black.”
“Of course,” she muttered. “You seem like the type who enjoys suffering.”
“And you seem like the type who talks too much.”
Levi leaned in slightly. “And yet, you keep coming back.”
For a second—just a second—his expression shifted. Like she’d hit something real.
But then it was gone.
“Maybe I like the entertainment.”
Levi rolled her eyes. “I’m not a circus.”
“That’s debatable.”
She walked away to get his coffee, but her mind wasn’t in it.
Last night’s mission.
The failure.
The masked man who got away.
The way he moved… precise, controlled… familiar.
Something wasn’t adding up.
And now Louis—this walking red flag—kept appearing right when things got messy.
Coincidence?
Levi didn’t believe in those.
She returned and placed the coffee in front of him.
“Careful,” she said. “It’s hot.”
“I can handle heat.”
“Yeah? Most people say that right before they can’t.”
Louis looked up at her then—really looked.
“You’re not most people.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Levi straightened. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze me. You’re bad at it.”
“And you’re bad at hiding things.”
Her grip tightened slightly on the tray.
Danger.
This was danger.
Before she could respond, the café door slammed open.
Three men walked in.
Not customers.
Levi’s instincts screamed.
They were too tense. Too focused. Eyes scanning the room—not for coffee, but for someone.
Her.
Or him.
Or both.
Louis didn’t turn.
But she noticed his hand shift slightly on the table.
Relaxed… but ready.
One of the men stepped forward.
“Well, well,” he said, voice low. “Didn’t expect to find you here.”
Levi frowned. “You got the wrong—”
“Not you,” the man interrupted, eyes sliding past her… to Louis.
Silence.
Heavy.
Electric.
Levi slowly turned her head.
Louis was still sitting there.
Calm.
Too calm.
“Do you always bring trouble into cafés,” she whispered, “or is today special?”
He stood up, brushing invisible dust off his sleeve.
“They followed me,” he said simply.
Levi scoffed. “Oh, great. That makes me feel so much better.”
The first punch came out of nowhere.
One of the men lunged at Louis—
—and Louis moved like it was nothing.
Fast. Clean. Controlled.
Within seconds, the man was on the ground.
Levi froze.
That movement.
Her breath caught.
That movement…
A flicker of last night crossed her mind—the masked man, the fight, the way he slipped past her like smoke.
Same control.
Same silence.
Same… ease.
No… it couldn’t be.
Her grip tightened around the metal tray
The other two men attacked together.
Chairs scraped. Cups shattered. Someone screamed.
Levi ducked as one of them swung wide, grabbing a metal tray and slamming it into his arm.
“Hey!” she snapped. “This is my workplace, you idiots!”
Louis glanced at her mid-fight.
“Stay out of it.”
“Oh, shut up,” she shot back, kicking one of the attackers in the knee. “You brought it here!”
For a brief second—just one—he almost looked impressed.
The fight ended quickly.
Too quickly.
The men were down.
Groaning.
Defeated.
Louis adjusted his sleeve again like nothing happened.
Levi stood there, breathing a little heavier than she wanted to admit.
The café was a mess.
Her boss looked like he might faint.
Louis reached for his wallet and placed money on the table.
“For the damages,” he said.
Levi crossed her arms. “You think that fixes this?”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that her heartbeat betrayed her again.
“It just buys me time.”
Her breath caught slightly.
“For what?” she asked.
His gaze didn’t waver.
“To see how long it takes you to figure me out.”
And then he walked out.
Just like that.
Leaving chaos behind.
Leaving questions behind.
Leaving her—
furious…
confused…
and way too curious.
Levi looked at the broken café.
Then at the door he disappeared through.
Her jaw tightened.
“Fine,” she muttered under her breath.
“Game on.”
To be continued