Lars watched as Lee retreated into his back office with the secret box and frowned.
Something was up.
Something big!
Kazuya had left a couple days earlier, so if he was truly meeting with Lee… well, Lars' subterfuge sensors were blaring in his mind and he just knew something was up!
He'd tried many times to plant surveillance equipment in that back office, but he'd found it to be impossible. The best he'd managed was in an empty office in the building across from Lee's window. With some simple sound-enhancing equipment and a video feed he'd witnessed Lee's daily routine for more days than he'd care to remember. But Lars needed to get some dirt on them! His mind drifted back to Jin's orders and the promise in his eyes if he succeeded.
"Bring back any intel you can find," Jin had said late one night. "I want to know what my father and uncle are up to. They've been moving large sums of money around, obviously hiding some large… purchase." His eyes had grown dark as he no doubt thought of the myriad of things his family was plotting against him.
"I will bring back what you seek," Lars had promised with a bow. He'd felt Jin touch his shoulder in a firm, promising grip. That one little touch left Lars on cloud nine. Jin had entrusted his mission to him and he wouldn't return until he had something to show for it! His need to please Jin was burning in his chest as he'd taken up his surveillance post. He'd listened to the rumours around the office and the whispers of something big going down. Lee's cagey behaviour that afternoon confirmed it!
"Secret meeting, eh?" Lars peered into his monitor more closely and rewound the last few minutes of video. Lee's keyboard was clearly visible as he'd keyed in the password, and he'd seemed almost reverent of the box, holding it delicately and absently rubbing it. It must have held the secret communication device, or hard drive, or… well, whatever it was, it was just the sort of thing that Jin had asked him to look for!
Lars settled in to wait for Lee to return from his meeting. His eyes never drooped and his attention was focused. All his senses were on alert, and so he was able to pick up on the noises – albeit faint – that were coming from the back office.
Well, it was one noise.
Repeated over and over again.
"Heh, out of town my ass!" he leaned forward, waiting for the familiar sound of Kazuya – his brother – laughing loudly. It was a familiar laugh, the kind he let out when victory was within his grasp and he couldn't hold back the devil's excitement anymore. Of course, after all those years, the devil and Kazuya were so intertwined they might as well have been the same being.
Lars' blood froze as the frequency of laughter increased, the volume rising to a crescendo until it was a continuous stream of laughter and Lee's voice was barely audible above Kazuya's dark din.
Lars settled in and waited. He needed to act that night, since it sounded as if Kazuya and Lee were nearing completion of their plan. They could not complete whatever they'd started. Undoubtedly it was against Jin, and Lars would not allow that to happen.
It was another hour before Lee exited the back office and returned the black box to its place in the safe. Lars watched Lee's movements, noticing the sway of his hips and the way he flipped his hair to the side as he slid the box inside the safe.
He looked pleased with himself.
Satisfied.
Lars' stomach churned and his resolve hardened. They must have been close to making their move against Jin. He had to act fast to steal their data! He watched Lee leave, but waited another hour before he left his hiding place and made for his target.