The Deal

Screams of panic echoed through the lobby as armed men burst into the building, guns raised, eyes scanning for their target. Their target was Jasmine. She sat quietly in the darkness of the cleaning closet. 

Jasmine’s heart raced as footsteps echoed outside the closet. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable. Yet, the footsteps raced back the other way.

Her bodyguards were already engaging the intruders, their efforts fierce and unrelenting. Yet, despite their strength and skill… they were outnumbered. The hitman had brought a small army.

Jasmine knew she needed to get out. She needed to survive. The faint shouts of her men, the sound of fists connecting with flesh, mingled with the chaotic ruckus outside. She was safe momentarily, but she couldn’t stay in the closet forever.

Her hand trembled as she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone and turned it back on. Her eyes glanced over the screen, but it was already lit up. Dozens of notifications. Most of them from Elijah.

Elijah: Get out of there if you can, Jasmine. We’re coming.

Elijah: They have guns. Stay hidden. Do not make a sound.

Elijah: I will find you. I’m on my way.

A wave of nausea hit her, but she forced herself to breathe. He was so close. He would save her. But not until she could hear him from the other side of the door.

Her fingers moved with ease, navigating through her pockets until she located the second phone. The one Benjamin had left her. Her heart rate spiked again, and she hesitated for a moment. 

She dialed the one number on that phone. Benjamin’s. Hoping he would answer again.

The phone rang once, twice, and then he picked up.

“Jasmine?”, his voice sounded wounded. There was something off. A tightness. A tremor.

“Benjamin?”, she whispered. Her voice barely audible over the commotion in the background. “Are you okay? I’m hiding... I’m safe.”

“Jasmine, listen to me.”, he barked suddenly. His tone harsh, urgent. “You need to stay quiet. Do not say another word.”

Her chest tightened, panic creeping in. Something was wrong.

“Benjamin?”, she whispered again. Her voice growing shaky. “What’s happening? Where are you?”

The sound of muffled voices and a struggle reached her ears, followed by a sharp crash. She could feel her pulse racing in her throat, her hand tightening around the phone. 

“Benjamin? What’s going on? Answer me!”, she begged. 

There was a hiss of frustration on the other end of the line before she heard a woman’s voice. It was cold and cruel. It was Clara.

“It’s pathetic, really.”, she said. Her words dripping with malice, “You think you have a chance, Jasmine? Don’t worry, he’ll get you soon enough. And this pathetic loser… well he’s already lost.”

Jasmine’s heart stopped. “Clara!”, she gasped. Her voice trembling with realization. “What have you done to him? Where is Benjamin?”

Clara’s laugh echoed through the phone. She was cruel and full of glee, “Doesn’t matter now, does it?” 

“I will kill you if you hurt him.”, Jasmine threatened.

Clara chuckled. “I am not scared of you. You’ll be joining him soon. It’ll be my greatest pleasure watching him end you. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Besides, if you don’t hurry… you won’t be able to say your goodbyes to your brother.”, she sneered. 

Then, the phone went silent. The line went dead.

Jasmine’s breath caught in her throat as she pulled the phone away from her ear. Her body trembled with fear of the words Clara had just spoken. He’s already lost.. final goodbyes. The terror of the situation hit her full force, and for a moment, she couldn’t think straight. 

She couldn’t breathe, but she couldn’t afford to panic. She couldn’t let fear control her now. Benjamin was in danger. And if she didn’t do something, if she didn’t act fast, he would be lost forever.

“Get a grip, Jasmine.”, she told herself.

She shook her head, clearing the haze that had settled over her. She couldn’t think about herself. She had to think about the people in the bank, the innocent people in harm’s way because of her.  

She had to save them all.

With trembling hands, she shoved the phone back into her pocket and stood up. Drawing in a deep breath, she knew what she had to do. She needed to be in control.

The sound of gunfire still echoed through the halls, but Jasmine’s feet were moving before she had time to think about it. She was walking toward the chaos, toward the gunfight. Her heart was in her stomach, but she fought against the fear clawing at her. 

As she approached the hallway leading to the lobby, she could hear the shouting of her bodyguards. Their voices full of frustration and desperation. She pushed through the noise, ignoring the adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

“Stop!”, she screamed. Her words echoed down the hall and into the lobby. 

Her voice cutting through the tension in the air. The gunfire ceased for a moment, and the room fell into a tense silence. She took a deep breath. 

Her voice steadying as she spoke again, “Stop! I’ll go with you. I’ll go willingly if you stop fighting. No one else needed to get hurt. No one needs to die.”

Her bodyguards hands still clutching weapons. “Jasmine, no!”, one of them shouted, “You don’t know what they’ll do to you. We just need to hold out until the rest of the team arrive.”

Jasmine kept her gaze locked on the group of armed men standing at the center of the room as she walked out. She could feel their eyes on her. They were calculating, cold. One of them, a man dressed in a sleek black suit, took a step forward.

She remembered him from the photos. He was Clara’s hitman. The man sent here to capture her, then kill her. 

“I said, I’ll go.”, Jasmine repeated. More firmly now, “Just stop fighting. No one else needs to get hurt.”

The man’s expression didn’t change, but he nodded. Slowly, he moved toward her. The barrel of his gun still pointed at her. Jasmine’s heart hammered in her chest as she stepped away from her bodyguards, taking the first steps toward her own fate.

The hitman’s grip tightened around Jasmine’s wrist as he pulled her closer. His breath hot against her ear. His smirk never wavered, enjoying the fear flickering behind her eyes as she pretended to be strong.

Jasmine could feel her heart hammering, but she refused to let it show. Every muscle in her body screamed to fight, to break free, but she kept still. Her face a mask of calm determination.

"You're prettier than your photo.", he murmured. His fingers trailing down her arm in a mockingly tender gesture.

Jasmine's jaw clenched, but she didn’t respond. She had no time for games. She had just gotten her brother back after years of lies. She couldn’t let this man, this monster, take him away again. 

Her brother needed her.

The hitman laughed softly, obviously enjoying her silence. 

"This will be a fun job. I look forward to getting you alone.", he continued to tease. His voice dripping with a predatory malice. His hand slid up her arm, his fingers just a little too familiar. "I bet you're as fiery as they say. I look forward to seeing that."

Her bodyguards were positioned just outside the perimeter of the lobby, but they couldn’t get a clear shot. Every time one of them made a move, the hitman tightened his hold. He was dragging her away from the line of fire. 

They were stuck, trapped in a standoff that could end in an instant. But Jasmine was no longer thinking about the gunmen, the tension, or the threat. Her mind was elsewhere. She was focused on her brother, on the precious time ticking away as this man toyed with her.

He leaned in closer, a teasing smile on his lips. “I think you and I are going to have some fun, sweetheart.”

“I would never let you have your way with me, you dirty pig.”, she groaned as she spit at him.

He laughed, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

“You disgust me. Let’s just leave. Take me to my brother.”, she ordered.

“Brother?”, he asked with a confused tone. 

“The guy I am assuming you beat up. The one Clara is holding hostage.”, she said. 

“Oh. That makes this more interesting. She didn’t mention that.”, he confessed. 

Jasmine’s resolve hardened. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

He tightened his grip around Jasmine’s wrist as he led her toward the exit. There was a car outside waiting for them. This ordeal had already taken longer than he had intended. 

She passed by the front entrance just as Elijah came running up the stairs. His face contorted with panic and anger. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, his body frozen in place.

“Jasmine!”, he shouted. His voice raw with emotion.

The man in the black suit turned his gun toward Jasmine, aiming it directly at her head. 

“Move another inch.”, he growled, “and I’ll put a bullet in her head, then yours.”

Jasmine’s heart broke. 

“Elijah. Don’t worry.”,  she said. Her voice steady despite the fear threatening to overtake her, “They have Benjamin. I have to go to him and make sure he is okay. I’ll be okay.”

Elijah’s face twisted with rage, “I’m coming with you. I’ll…”

“No.”, the hitman  interrupted. His voice firm. “This doesn’t concern you. It’s a…”, he paused to think, “It’s a family matter. And unfortunately, you weren’t invited to the meeting. We must be going.”

Tears welled in Elijah’s eyes. His jaw clenched in fury, but he didn’t argue. He couldn’t because of the gun pointed at her head.

Jasmine shoved her elbow into the hitman’s ribs before darting toward Elijah. His embrace sent a shiver down her spine. The hitman regained composure and shot a warning shot in the air. 

“Miss. We had a deal. You come with me, and no one would get hurt.”, he smirked. Then pointed his gun at Elijah’s head. 

“I’ll come.”, she said. 

Elijah’s grip tightened on her, “Don’t go.”

Jasmine leaned in for a kiss and whispered, “I love you. Come find me.”, before heading back toward the hitman. 

He stepped forward and shoved her toward the black SUV waiting outside. The engine already running. Jasmine could feel Elijah’s gaze burning into her as the man pushed her into the backseat before slamming the door shut. 

Elijah’s body tense and his gaze never left Jasmine. He would find her and kill him. The hitman lifted his gun and shot out the tires of Elijah’s car before climbing into the vehicle with her.

As the vehicle sped away from the bank, Jasmine’s mind raced. Clara’s words haunted her. Benjamin was in danger and now it was up to her to save him.