The midday sun blazed overhead, casting harsh shadows across the street.
Jack Kadere stepped out of the hotel and turned slightly. Sunlight poured down onto Laurel Lance—her brown hair cascading over her shoulders, her face flushed with heat, and her expression soft and hazy, giving off an unexpectedly alluring charm.
"Should we head back?" Jack asked out of the blue.
"Back? Didn't we just come out?" Laurel blinked in surprise. "And besides, we already checked out."
She turned to face him, only to meet his gaze directly—those deep eyes of his filled with interest and something unmistakably possessive. This wasn't the focused stare he used during her training. No, this was something else entirely—the look a man gives a woman he's thinking of claiming.
The intensity of his stare made Laurel instinctively look away. Oddly enough, despite being fully dressed, she felt more exposed than she had during training, when she'd been dripping in sweat and fully-naked.
She didn't know how to react.
If Jack had made a move on her right after their training session, she might have resented it… but she wouldn't have resisted. And now—now that he was giving her a choice—she found herself hesitating.
Jack suddenly shrugged. "Forget it. Better to keep things interesting."
Laurel blinked again, caught off guard by the shift in mood.
"I won't be around to supervise your training this afternoon," he added casually. "You're on your own for now."
Laurel instinctively nodded, still flustered, only to see him already waving and walking away.
She stood there for a moment, dazed, then finally turned to leave.
It wasn't long before she saw a familiar figure approaching—her mother, Dinah Lance, face tight with concern and frustration.
"Are you okay? Did that guy lay a hand on you?"
"I'm fine," Laurel answered quickly.
"Really?" Dinah narrowed her eyes. "You come out of a hotel with him, face flushed, legs barely holding you up... what do you expect me to think?"
Laurel hastily explained what had happened—about the training, Jack's attitude, and that he hadn't forced her to do anything. Dinah's frown deepened. So he hadn't revealed who was behind the Queen's Gambit… and he hadn't harmed Laurel either? Just trained her?
She considered her options. For now, she'd keep watch.
After all, several agents had died the night before, and that wasn't something to brush off. She had already reported the incident to higher-ups. The current directive: stand by, gather intel, and observe Jack Kadere closely.
....
After parting ways with Laurel, Jack Kadere didn't head back to his apartment. Instead, he wandered the city streets, hands in his pockets, lost in thought.
What does every hero need?
A suit. And gear.
Since he was planning to accelerate Laurel's path to becoming Black Canary, those two things were essential.
He'd already thought it through—getting a suit wouldn't be an issue. Wayne Enterprises had all the resources he'd need, and with Talia al Ghul still operating behind the scenes as the major shareholder, he had an easy in. Their past association meant the doors were more or less open.
Standard gear? Same story. Wayne Enterprises had more R&D than half the Justice League combined.
But the Canary Cry device—the special sonic tech—was another story. For that, he'd need to visit Central City. Find Cisco Ramon.
Sure, Jack didn't know Cisco personally. He had no official credentials, no cash, no appointment. But did any of that really matter?
Not to Jack Kadere.
Without realizing it, he'd wandered into a park. Even with the sun blazing overhead, people lounged in the shade, having lunch or cozying up to each other. The place was buzzing with relaxed energy.
Jack found a nice, wide tree and dropped into the grass beneath it. He leaned back against the trunk, arms folded behind his head, just watching the world go by. He briefly considered asking Felicity Smoak to help him reach out to Talia once she was off work. She was good with that kind of thing.
As the sun filtered through the canopy above, movement in the distance caught his eye.
A woman burst out from behind a tree—long burgundy hair trailing behind her, black dress flowing as she sprinted across the grass. Her head whipped around as if someone was pursuing her.
Then she spotted Jack.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and without hesitation, she darted straight toward him. In one fluid motion, she straddled his lap, pulled his arms around her waist, and locked her arms around his neck—before crashing her lips onto his.
Bold. Reckless. Desperate.
She kissed him like the world might end in the next few seconds—clumsy but fiercely committed, pressing her body tightly against his like she wanted to vanish into him.
"Hm?" she murmured as Jack suddenly moved, gripping her by the waist and shifting her off his lap. In the same motion, he pushed her gently to the grass and leaned over her, his hands bracing the ground on either side of her shoulders.
Then he kissed her back—more deliberately this time.
The woman froze for half a beat, clearly confused… until she realized: in this position, she was better hidden.
Once it clicked, her alarm gave way to cooperation. Her lips moved with his, her breath hitched, and her body melted into the role—fake urgency shifting into something startlingly real.
Just then, heavy footsteps pounded through the park.
Two men in black suits, black ties, and dark sunglasses—the stereotypical "Men in Black" type—hurried by, scanning the area.
They caught sight of Jack and the woman on the ground, locked in an intimate embrace. Their eyes quickly darted away.
Even in a city as jaded as this, stumbling upon that level of PDA in broad daylight was awkward.
"Split up," one of the agents muttered. The two men turned and began searching in opposite directions, unaware of how close they'd just passed their target.
…
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I have verified that Dinah's plot was highjacked and she now follows Lyla Michaels storyline.