Blaze breathed an inward sigh of relief. That settled it. They really were "one of us."
Only then did he truly let his guard down.
"Of course I knew. I was just being careful. A lot of our brothers have disappeared lately, and you're new faces. I had to make sure you were all right first, didn't I? I left the item at the bar. Follow me."
He opened the door and led the two of them to the bar, took a bottle from the liquor rack, then returned to the room.
With a sharp crack, Blaze smashed the expensive bottle on the floor, sending red wine splashing everywhere. He picked a round metal sphere out of the broken glass, wiped it on his clothes, and placed it inside the little box before closing the lid.
Once the little box was closed, several electronic characters flashed across its surface, finally resolving into a message that read "Decoded."
"Done."
Blaze handed the little box to Tartaglia, who inspected it carefully before slipping it into his coat.
"You've done an excellent job, Blaze. I'll make sure the higher-ups hear about it."
Tartaglia smiled as he spoke.
Blaze responded politely, "Thank you, sir. I didn't do much. I only did what I was supposed to."
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
The two exchanged a smile.
Tartaglia patted Blaze on the shoulder, then turned and raised his eyebrows at Rosaria.
"Blaze has worked so hard for Hydra. Why don't you help our hero 'unwind' a little?"
As promised, this one's yours.
With that, Tartaglia gave Blaze a suggestive look and left the room.
Only Blaze and Rosaria remained inside.
"Heh."
Rosaria's gaze lingered on the slightly raised vein in Blaze's neck.
She slowly approached under the man's eager, excited gaze.
Her crimson lips curved into