Luca hadn't slept in three days

Luca hadn't slept in three days locking himself in his study to plan a counterstrike the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts early on the fourth day he was seized by a violent coughing fit he covered his mouth blood seeping through his fingers I rushed over to support him I'm fine he wiped his mouth and waved me off just an old condition I forced him to lie down on the sofa and took over the planning at dawn I stood before the war map I stared at the Red Zones territories we were losing by the hour it felt like a boulder was crushing my chest then someone from the tech department rushed in with a deathly pale face ma'am we've got a massive breach the core tech database has been compromised the leak traced straight back to Leo the logs showed he used his clearance sending core data straight to Valos I arranged to meet him at an old warehouse by the docks it was a place where I used to take him to play when he was little he arrived on time dressed in black he stood in the shadows tall but looking like a complete stranger so it really was you Yes he admitted it without hesitation a cold smile curling at his lips that was nothing worse is yet to come out of respect for twenty years I'll leave you intact then I stared at that face so familiar yet completely alien trembling with rage I raised my hand stopping just inches from his cheek but I couldn't bring myself to strike him You really don't care about what we had what we had Valos blood runs in my veins and that's all that matters he turned and strode away without looking back I sank to the ground tears finally spilling over But the feeling that something was off only grew stronger I'd seen a flicker of something else in his eyes