Sakari had made his way to where Eji Korhonen’s house was said to be, admittedly a few days later than he had anticipated. He wanted to give Keijo enough time to bond with Ivar so that them arriving within a day of each other wouldn’t seem suspicious to the brothers.

When he got there, the house was… completely empty. He had quickly checked in the windows of the first floor of the two story, rich-looking house. It wasn’t massive, like a mansion, but it was definitely too large for a single person to live in. Sakari assumed that maybe both brothers lived there, along with some bodyguards. This meant that he might accidentally stumble on Keijo… They would have to pretend that they didn’t know each other.

When he figured out that the house was empty, he made his way to the front door. There, he decided to look around and saw his target, head down, shielding himself from the sun. Eji didn’t even notice him until he was a few metres away from him, and when he did, his entire demeanour changed. Before, he looked like a vampire, someone allergic to the sun, but now…

Eji had whipped out his gun with such an impressive speed that Sakari jumped back and instinctively put his hands in the air. He had not expected to be immediately threatened as soon as he was seen, but then again, he didn’t know what to expect. Thoughts ran through Sakari’s head. Was this really how the mission ended? Right at the beginning? Did he fail this hard??

“Who the fuck are you and why are you at my house!?” The man’s voice was deep, but smooth and not the raspy, dead voice he was expecting. The smoothness and deepness almost made him more threatening; the kind of icy cold threatening that sends shivers down the spine. Sakari gave Eji his name and the story he had come up with and waited to see if he bought the lies. He watched Eji for any signs of either putting the gun down or shooting him with it, but what he noticed was something that was – yet again – completely out of Sakari’s expectations.

Eji’s gun wielding hand was trembling.

Sakari didn’t know whether the trembling was from fear or the urge to kill, but Eji’s eyes gave it away as fear. The golden, sunrise orange eyes were darting from side to side as he seemed to be both deciding what Sakari’s fate was and panicking about the decision. The poor man seemed more terrified than terrifying. Sakari’s eyes could only focus on Eji’s for a split second, because he also noticed the dangerous tap tapping on the trigger that the shivering hand was making. One single tap that was too hard and Sakari was a dead man.

“I’m not armed… you can check me if you’d like?”

“Shut up and let me decide!”

Sakari just nodded and went silent. He watched the gears turning in Eji’s head, then watched his mood snap in a completely different direction a second time. He now appeared completely calm and collected. He lowered the gun and looked at Sakari with a completely different gaze.

“Come back tomorrow. I might maybe have a job for you.”

As Eji walked past him, Sakari subtly looked over him. He was wearing a tight corset over a suit shirt and tie, suit pants and heels. He seemed to be completely different to how he had been described. He was elegant… and he seemed more scared of everything than murderous and irrational… well, maybe a bit irrational. The gun was still in his hand, as if he was still contemplating his decision.

When Eji was past him, Sakari watched him stop in his tracks. He watched one of his hands fall to his side and he snapped his fingers. Adrenaline shot through Sakari as he was grabbed by both arms by two of Eji’s bodyguards, who had been hidden away from him. He struggled against them, but when he saw Eji glaring back with his fiery eyes, he stopped struggling.

Those eyes… Sakari could see the bags underneath them from metres away.

“Take him inside.”

Wait, was this good? Or… was it really bad…? Sakari didn’t have an option, he was being controlled by the two men holding his arms to go into the house, led by Eji himself. They entered into a large loungeroom, where Eji pointed to a couch. Sakari was forced to sit down in it, and when he was finally let go, he looked up at the taller man. He said nothing, and Eji looked to his bodyguards.

“Keep an eye on him until I wake up.” He held his head in his hand. It was clear by his attitude, his body language, and those dark lines under his eyes that he was exhausted. It looked like he had stayed up for the entire night. Why else would he want to go to sleep at this hour?

After giving his command to his bodyguards, Eji’s focus switched to Sakari. “When I come back, I’ll decide what you can do. I do not trust you. You will have to earn my trust, bit by bit. You will do whatever me or my brother tell you to do, with no questions asked. I will organise you a room this afternoon, but you will be watched twenty-four seven. Even when you sleep. Do you understand?”

Sakari nodded. “Yes sir. I understand.”

Eji turned away. “Good. You two, watch him. If he escapes, you’ll be the ones who are punished.”

With that, Eji left the room. Sakari had succeeded. He thought… He hoped that Eji wouldn’t give him some kind of impossible task and punish him for being unable to do it… but he was willing to if it meant completing the mission. The hardest part was over.