The city looked the same.
That was the first thing Leo noticed as he stepped out of Mr. Kola's building and into the late afternoon sun. Traffic crawled. Horns blared. Hawkers shouted prices that never changed. Dust hung in the air like it always had.
Nothing had shifted outwardly.
Yet something inside him felt… rearranged.
Leo stood still on the steps for a moment longer than necessary, the glass doors closing behind him with a soft finality. He slipped his hands into his pockets out of habit, then paused.
The paper was still there.
Folded neatly. Heavy despite its thinness.
A contract didn't need chains, he realized. It only needed consent.
He exhaled and began to walk.
The workshop smelled like oil and metal when he returned — familiar, grounding. The radio played low in the corner, some old song about love and forgiveness that felt like mockery.
Sadiq looked up from under a car the moment Leo entered.
"You went quiet," he said. "Everything okay?"
Leo hesitated.
There were words he couldn't use anymore.
"I'm fine," he said instead.
Sadiq slid out from beneath the car, wiping his hands on a rag. He studied Leo's face longer than usual.
"You don't look fine."
Leo forced a shrug. "I signed something."
Sadiq's brows furrowed. "Signed what?"
"A way forward."
The answer didn't satisfy either of them.
Before Sadiq could press further, Leo's phone vibrated.
Once.
Unknown number.
Leo stared at it.
The contract hadn't mentioned immediacy. He'd assumed — foolishly — that there would be a buffer. A pause. Time to process.
He answered.
"Yes?"
"Leo." Mr. Kola's voice was calm, familiar now in a way that made Leo's shoulders stiffen. "I trust you got home safely."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." A brief pause. "I need you tonight."
Tonight.
Leo glanced at Sadiq, who was pretending not to listen while very obviously listening.
"What do you need?" Leo asked.
"A favor," Mr. Kola said. "One that requires discretion."
Leo's stomach tightened.
"I'll send an address."
The line went dead.
No explanation. No negotiation.
Leo lowered the phone.
Sadiq didn't pretend this time. "That was fast."
Leo nodded.
"That's how it starts," Sadiq said quietly.
Leo didn't respond.
The address led him to the outskirts of the city — a quiet estate where the houses were spaced apart, guarded by walls topped with glass. The kind of place mechanics didn't usually enter unless something had gone wrong.
A gate slid open when he arrived.
Inside the compound, a black SUV sat idle, hood closed, paint immaculate.
Mr. Kola stood beside it.
"You're punctual," he said.
Leo inclined his head. "You called."
Mr. Kola gestured to the car. "It stalled earlier today. Driver says the engine cuts without warning."
Leo circled the vehicle, eyes scanning. "Why me?"
Mr. Kola's lips curved faintly. "Because I trust you."
The words felt heavier than praise.
Leo opened the hood.
The problem revealed itself quickly — not mechanical failure, but interference. A deliberate adjustment made to look accidental.
Sabotage.
Leo's fingers stilled.
"This wasn't wear and tear," he said carefully.
Mr. Kola's gaze sharpened. "Can you fix it?"
"Yes."
"Quietly?"
Leo met his eyes.
"Yes."
Mr. Kola nodded. "Proceed."
As Leo worked, he became acutely aware of the silence. No assistants. No witnesses. Just him, the engine, and the knowledge that this was no ordinary job.
When he finished, the car purred to life like nothing had ever been wrong.
Mr. Kola watched closely.
"Well done," he said. "You noticed."
Leo wiped his hands. "Someone wanted the car unreliable. Not broken. Just… inconvenient."
Mr. Kola smiled thinly. "Inconvenience is how messages begin."
Leo hesitated. "Does this happen often?"
"Often enough."
A pause.
"You didn't ask who," Mr. Kola added.
Leo lowered his rag. "I don't need to."
Mr. Kola studied him for a long moment, then nodded approvingly.
"That instinct," he said. "That's why this will work."
Later that night, Leo lay awake.
The ceiling fan spun lazily overhead. The room felt smaller than it had yesterday.
He replayed the day in fragments — the pen moving across paper, the engine humming back to life, the calm certainty in Mr. Kola's voice.
He had crossed something.
Not a line.
A threshold.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, a name appeared.
Sophia
His chest tightened.
He hadn't heard from her in days.
He answered cautiously. "Hello?"
"Leo." Her voice was softer than he remembered. Or maybe he was hearing it differently now. "Are you busy?"
"No."
A lie. Everything was busy now.
"I heard you signed with Mr. Kola," she said.
Leo sat up.
"How did you—"
"He mentioned you today," she said quickly. "At the office. Said you were… reliable."
Reliable.
The word felt hollow.
"That's good," she added, uncertain. "Right?"
Leo rubbed his face. "I think so."
Silence stretched between them.
"You sound tired," Sophia said.
"I am."
Another pause.
"I wanted to say thank you," she said finally. "For everything. For believing in me."
Leo closed his eyes.
"You're welcome."
She hesitated. "I don't think we ever talked about how things ended."
Leo exhaled slowly.
"There's nothing left to talk about."
"That's not true," she said softly. "You mattered."
He almost laughed.
"Mattered," he echoed. "Past tense."
Sophia didn't respond immediately.
"I hope this works out for you," she said at last. "You deserve… more."
The call ended.
Leo stared at the phone long after the screen went dark.
More.
He wondered what more would cost him next.
The following days blurred together.
Calls came without warning. Jobs varied — some harmless, some clearly strategic. Cars that needed fixing before meetings. Equipment that couldn't fail at the wrong moment. Always quiet. Always urgent.
Leo stopped asking questions.
Mr. Kola noticed.
"You're adapting quickly," he said during one brief meeting.
Leo nodded. "I learn fast."
"Yes," Mr. Kola agreed. "And you're learning the right things."
Leo didn't know whether that was praise or possession.
One evening, as Leo locked up the workshop, Sadiq spoke again.
"You've changed," he said.
Leo paused. "How?"
"You don't hesitate anymore," Sadiq replied. "You used to."
Leo thought of the signature.
"I can't afford to," he said.
Sadiq studied him carefully. "Just remember — when hesitation disappears, so does innocence."
Leo met his gaze.
"I lost that a long time ago."
As he walked away, Leo realized something unsettling.
He wasn't afraid anymore.
And that frightened him most of all.