Chapter 49 Chapter 49
The meeting place was an abandoned church on the edge of the city. Broken stained glass windows caught the moonlight and cast colored shadows across cracked pews. Damien and I arrived first and the silence inside felt heavy and oppressive. Every sound echoed. Every breath seemed too loud.
"This could be a trap," I whispered.
"I know." Damien kept his hand near his concealed weapon. "Stay behind me. If anything feels wrong we run."
Footsteps echoed from the entrance. Victor walked in alone just like he promised. He wore a dark suit and his face was hard and unreadable. When his eyes found mine something flickered there. Recognition maybe. Or calculation.
"Damien Kane," Victor said. His voice bounced off the stone walls. "Never thought I would see the day we sat down together without trying to kill each other."
"The day is not over yet." Damien's voice was ice. "Say what you came to say."
Victor moved closer but stopped a respectful distance away. "I found out about The Syndicate three days ago. One of my men was approached to feed them information about my operations. He came to me instead. Started asking questions. Digging deeper. What I found made me realize we have both been played."
"How do I know this is not another manipulation? Another lie to gain advantage?"
"Because I lost twenty men last month in conflicts you started. Conflicts I thought were about territory and respect. But they were not about any of that. They were orchestrated to weaken both of us." Victor's jaw tightened. "I do not like being used. And I do not forgive the people who use me."
Damien studied him and I could feel the tension radiating from his body. Two predators circling each other. Testing. Waiting for weakness.
"What do you propose?" Damien asked finally.
"We pool our resources. Share intelligence. Hit The Syndicate from both sides. They cannot fight a war on two fronts." Victor pulled out a folder and tossed it on a nearby pew. "That has everything I know about their operations. Locations. Key players. Shipment schedules."
Damien picked up the folder and flipped through it. His expression stayed neutral but I saw his eyes moving fast. Reading. Processing. "This is useful. But it does not explain why you need us. You could take this information and move on your own."
"I could. But The Syndicate has someone close to their leadership. Someone who knows their next moves before they make them. I need someone on the inside who they will not suspect." Victor's eyes moved to me. "I need her."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"You are not part of this world. You have no ties to either organization. The Syndicate sees you as collateral. A weakness they can exploit." Victor took a step closer. "That makes you perfect."
"Absolutely not," Damien said. His voice was deadly. "She is not going anywhere near them."
"She already has been. They kidnapped her. Interrogated her. In their minds she is broken. Scared. Someone they can use." Victor looked at me. "You go back to them. Tell them you want revenge on Damien for dragging you into this mess. Offer to feed them information in exchange for protection."
"That is insane." I shook my head. "They will never believe me."
"They will because people like them always underestimate people like you. They think you are weak. That you will do anything to survive." Victor's face was unreadable. "And while they think that you gather real intelligence. You find out their plans. Their weaknesses. And you report back to us."
Damien moved between us. "I said no. Find another way."
"There is no other way. She is the only person who can get close enough without raising suspicion." Victor's voice hardened. "Unless you have a better idea."
"I do. We hit their shipment on Tuesday. Cut off their supply. Force them into the open."
"That buys us time, but it does not end them. They will just regroup. Find new suppliers. Keep playing their game." Victor crossed his arms. "You want to end this? You need to cut off the head. And to do tha,t we need someone on the inside."
I looked between them. Two men who hated each other were talking about my life like I was not standing right there. "I can speak for myself."
Both of them turned to me. Damien's face was a mask of barely controlled fear and anger. Victor remained cold and calculating.
"I will not let you do this," Damien said.
"It is not your choice to make." I met his eyes. "If this is how we end The Syndicate, then maybe I should consider it."
"No. Lisa, you do not understand what you are saying. These people will kill you the second they suspect anything. I cannot protect you if you are in their world."
"You could not protect me when they kidnapped me either. But I survived." I turned to Victor. "What guarantees do I have? How do I know you will not just leave me there if things go wrong?"
"You do not." Victor's honesty was brutal. "This is dangerous. You could die. But if you succeed, you end the organization that has been destroying both our worlds. You save lives. Including your own."
"And if I refuse?"
Victor's expression changed. Something dark moved behind his eyes. "Then I have no reason to keep my insurance policy safe."
My blood went cold. "What insurance policy?"
"Your friend Mia. The one who works at the coffee shop downtown. Sweet girl. Always smiling. Always kind." Victor pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. Mia walking into her apartment. Recent. "She has no idea who you really are. No idea what you have gotten yourself into. But if you refuse to help me, she becomes leverage."
Rage exploded through me. "You touch her and I will kill you myself."
"Then help me. Infiltrate The Syndicate. Get the information we need. And your friend stays safe." Victor put his phone away. "But refuse, and she disappears. Simple as that."
Damien lunged forward, but I grabbed his arm. If he attacked Victor now, everything would fall apart. The alliance. The plan. Any chance we had at ending this.
"You are a coward," Damien said. His voice shook with fury. "Threatening innocent people to get what you want."
"I am practical. There is a difference." Victor looked at me. "What is your answer, Lisa? Will you help us? Or do I make a phone call?"