[Author's Note: This chapter is currently reformatted for the NBR (Next Big Recognition) project. It contains the latter half of the intro chapter, as well as the entirety of chapters 2, 3, & 4.
For those participating in the spotlight, ALL FOUR sections are included in the scope of the round. The section/chapter markers exist simply to let you know what the normal chapter division would be. My apologies for any lack of clarity on my part.

And please know that input on issues outside of the questions is also quite welcome (typos, for example), and that I can handle blunt criticism; I'd rather you give it to me straight and tell me what the problems are—whether major or minor—instead of hesitating or worrying about my feelings.

If you're a regular reader, rather than here for the project, I apologize for the inconvenience. You can just read section 2, and then move on to the next standard chapter—"Neutralized." Alternately, you can just read this formatted chapter in its entirety, then move on to Chapter 5, The Silver Packet.]

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Section 1 (2nd half of Intro Chapter)

When Maya finally arrived home, she was surprised to see her husband's vehicle already parked in the driveway. It was lunchtime, and she knew he sometimes invited clients over to their house for lunch or dinner—they were both excellent cooks—but he normally would've called ahead to let her know.

"Great," she grumbled to herself, taking a moment to fix her long ponytail and make sure her earrings were straight. As she stepped inside, there was no sign of Dominic or anyone else, so she quickly pulled her shoes off and jogged upstairs as quietly as she could, hoping she would be able to change into her workout clothes and leave again before anyone could notice she was there.

She normally wouldn't have minded, but the absolute last thing she felt like doing at the moment was making small talk with yet another client.

When she walked into the master, she was surprised to find Dominic waiting for her. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, slouched forward a bit.

So much for clearing my head. She set her purse down on the dresser, but before she could say anything, he spoke instead.

"Why were you going through my stuff?" He didn't look at her as he spoke, but his voice and body language seemed relaxed, calm. Strangely calm.

Maya froze, searching for words.

Before she could find any, he added, "And let me say this: going through my stuff is one thing...but lying to me about it? That's something else."

"I wasn't about to lie," Maya retorted, folding her arms. "I don't have anything to lie about." Her tone was sharp, but there was still a slight shakiness in her voice.

After a long moment of tense silence, she finally unfolded her arms, leaning against the dresser as she spoke. "Someone left me a note the other day."

"Who?"

"I don't know; it was signed, 'Someone who cares.'"

"What'd it say?"

"It said, 'Dear Maya, I know how happy you are right now, and I know how great things seem to be going. But there's something you'll learn one day, and better sooner than later.

"'We never really know the people we're married to as well as we think. I've had to learn this the hard way.
I love you, and even if telling you this breaks your heart, it'll still make things easier for you in the long run.

"'You need to check your house. I can't tell you for what, but I can promise you—when you find it, you'll know.'"

Maya laughed slightly, running her fingers through her hair.

Dominic was looking straight at her now, but still retained the same unnerving calmness as before. "Do you still have it?"

"Maybe. Could be somewhere in my purse—I don't know. Doesn't matter anyway; I've already read it so many times I can quote it by heart. The funny thing is, I almost threw it away. At first, it just creeped me out...but you know something? Ever since we've been together, I've known there was something wrong...something you weren't telling me.

"So, you know what? Yeah—I did look. I looked through your stuff, I looked through this whole Goddarned house trying to find something!"

She was yelling now, and swept everything off the top of the dresser, glaring at Dominic as the floor was covered with shattered glass and porcelain.

Still that same stare. The only difference as his gaze returned to her after briefly glancing at the mess on the floor was that it was now not just calm...it was cold. His dark-brown eyes were somehow icier than any blue eyes she'd ever seen.

Maya's actions weren't driven by anger; she was too self-controlled for that. She had just wanted a reaction; something—anything—to show he actually gave a darn about any of this.

But he seemed completely unruffled by it all, and his lack of reaction further fueled her anger.

"You want to know what I found?!" She continued, heatedly. "Duct tape. Mm-hmm. Duct tape...and rope...and zip ties...and syringes.

"And you know what's funny? When I first started looking, I was terrified—terrified—that I might find a gun.

"Guess what I found instead." Her voice softened. "Three. Three. Oh, and you even had a couple of knives to top it all off, but by then I didn't even care, you know?"

Her bitter laughter had reluctantly given way to tears by now, and she took a few deep breaths, trying to compose herself again. As she did so, a photograph on the floor caught her eye. She knelt down, carefully sweeping the glass off before picking it up. She gazed at it for a few moments, then flipped it around so her husband could see. It was a photo of the two on a trip together a few months before the wedding.

She looked at it again for a few moments, then tilted her hand slightly and simply let it slip from her fingers, as though she was letting go of their memories together with it.

"I have been losing my mind trying to think of an explanation. Some way that you could have a good reason for all of this. Some way this can all be okay, and we can be okay." She spoke slowly and more quietly this time, but the heat in her voice was unmistakeable. "And, after racking my brain for days, you know what I could come up with? What I have to show for it? Nothing. I did finally figure one thing out, though: I'm a complete idiot...because it's not my job to explain any of this—it's yours. So, you go ahead, and you help me understand this—all of it."

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                   [Theme Song]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

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Section 2 (Part 2, Honest Work)

Dominic sighed heavily, twisting his wedding ring for a long moment before he spoke. "Maya...when you asked me what I did for a living, back when we first met, I answered your question. But there's a lot you didn't ask, and a lot I didn't tell you."

"I don't get it. You told me you were a 'military contractor,' and now...what? That wasn't the truth?"

"It was. And it still is, but..."

"Ok, you know what? What does your job have to do with anything? You're telling me you need that stuff to sit behind a desk all day and go to meetings with executives?" She could see the barest hint of a smile on his lips as she said this.

"Not exactly for that. My company basically complements the regular military forces. We deliver supplies, provide medical care..."

"Okay, stop! I'm not concerned with what your company does. That part I already understand—"

"You don't," he said firmly.

"Look, I just want to know what you actually do all day. All those times when you're away and I'm thinking you're somewhere in an office building, or at a golf course."

"Sometimes we get contracts for more specific missions—"

Frustrated, Maya started to interrupt again, "I don't—"

"Look!" Dominic stood up, glaring at her. "You said you wanted answers! Now, if you were patient enough to turn this house upside down looking for evidence, then you're patient enough to listen while I talk, so let...me finish."

Maya backed down, folding her arms. Although she returned his glare, she was secretly relieved, hoping his indignation meant that whatever he was hiding, it wasn't as bad as she'd first thought.

"Thank you." He walked over to the bedroom window, briefly gazing out of it before continuing, "Some of the missions are pretty specialized...acquiring unique items or intelligence...or taking out high-value targets.

"I have a separate roster of people I use for the more advanced missions. They specialize in different things: explosives, hacking...whatever I need done."

"And you're part of the roster yourself." Her voice was softer now.

"Yes.... Sometimes I work solo, but I'm also team leader for most of the special operations."

"If you're part of the roster yourself, then what do you specialize in?" She tried in vain to hide the fear in her voice.

"My specialty is the neutralization of human targets."

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Section 3 (Part 3, Neutralized)

A slight shiver passed through Maya's body as she heard this. She'd heard this kind of language before.

"No....no," she thought, "that can't be what he means..."

"There's a few basic ways of dealing with targets," Dominic continued. "You can turn them...you can capture them...or you can kill them."

The words fell on Maya's ears, but she couldn't hear them at first. She didn't want to. "Wh-what did you say?" she mumbled, rubbing her temple as she spoke. "I don't understand."

Deep down, she was already screaming and crying, and the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach left her feeling as though she could barely stand.

But another part of herself was dazed and confused, as though she'd awoken from a deep sleep. She wasn't going to do this again. She couldn't.

"Maya, you wanted an explanation, and I gave you one. What else do you want me to say?"

"'What else do you want me to say?'" The words echoed in her mind. His tone...something about it sparked a flash of anger -- a flash strong enough to force her back into the moment.

"Oh, I see. You're finished? You think you're finished now? No. No -- you're not. You haven't explained anything to me. I don't know...who you really are. I don't know...how you can come home at night and kiss me, and ask me how my day was, and pretend that everything's okay when you just got through slitting someone's throat!

"And," she choked out, torn between rage, panic, and fighting back tears, "God knows...I don't know how you can just sit here, look me in the eye, and act like everything's normal and like I shouldn't have anymore questions, when the man I sleep next to every night just told me he's a serial killer!"

For a moment, Dominic was too stunned to say anything. "What...did you just call me?"

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Section 4 (Part 4, Un Mercenario)

[Glossary:
Un Mercenario—A Mercenary
Tu eres un mercenario—You are a mercenary]

"You just told me you murder people for a living. What else do want me to call you? What?! A hit man? You know what?" she continued, voice quavering, "I don't think that makes much difference to someone who's lying in a pool of their own blood after you've shot them. You can call yourself whatever you want—it doesn't change anything."

"Maya..." Dominic spoke slowly, trying to keep his anger in check, "what do you think a soldier does for a living?"

"NO!" Maya shouted, losing all composure. "Don't you dare bring them into this! My father and my brother were heroes. They served a cause—they protected this country!

"You? Tu eres un mercenario. You don't care about a cause...brotherhood...doing what's right...sacrificing yourself for something bigger than you. No; the only thing that matters to you is money...so you just whore yourself out to whoever you think's gonna pay you the most, and you don't care who gets killed, just as long as you get paid."

Dominic stood up and slowly walked towards her. "Up until 5 minutes ago, you thought I worked at a freaking desk job, and now suddenly you know what matters to me and why I'm doing this?" he asked, his voice dropped to a near-whisper.

He stared at her for a long moment, then added, "If I didn't care who gets hurt or killed in my ops...you wouldn't still be alive."

His words sent a chill through Maya's body. And the way he'd looked at her just then—it almost seemed like he didn't care.

"You seem to think I'm the bad guy here," he continued, returning to his seat on the edge of the bed. "You have no idea the kind of people I get contracted to kill."

"Then tell me," she replied curtly, trying to hide just how unnerved she was by his previous comments.

Dominic eyed her for a few seconds and scoffed, but then nodded. "Gregor," he finally said after a few moments of thought.

"Who's that?" Maya asked, leaning against the dresser again.

"Shut up and I'll tell you."