Chapter 44: Trust is a Weakness

Chapter 44: Trust is a Weakness


Jake stood in the center of the training hall, breathing heavily, his knuckles raw from the last strike. The taste of copper lingered in his mouth, but he barely noticed. Pain didn’t matter. Only survival did.

Lisa circled him slowly, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Her enforcers lined the walls, watching with sharp eyes, waiting.

She smiled. "You’re learning, Jake. But not fast enough."

Jake swiped the blood off his lip. "If you'd kill me, you would have done it by now."

Lisa's grin became larger. "You always think in extremes. Kill or be killed. Win or lose." She stood closer, her tone seductive. "But that isn't how you destroy a person."

She snapped her fingers.

Two enforcers materialized. Jake psyched himself up, already prepared for battle.

Lisa raised a brow. "Oh, don’t worry. You’re not fighting them." She turned her gaze to the other side of the room. "You’re fighting him."

The door creaked open. A figure was shoved inside.

Jake’s stomach dropped.

Tom.

His best friend looked disoriented, a fresh bruise on his cheek. He blinked in confusion before his gaze landed on Jake. "Jake? What’s—"

Lisa snapped her fingers. "Jake, love. You've got a choice. Fight him… or he dies."

Jake's heart choked him. No. Not this.

Tom stumbled forward unsteady. "Don't listen to her."

Lisa breathed melodramatically. "Oh, I knew you'd be obstinate on this. Let me put it in clearer terms."

A knife was dropped onto Jake's toes.

Lisa's eyes filmed over. "Pick it up."

Flashback: Trust is a Weakness

Jake was twelve years old when Lisa first sat him down with her so-called golden rule.

There was one kid in the pack that he had trusted. Trained, laughed, shared secrets with him. Jake had felt, for the first time, that he had a real friend.

Then Lisa had sat them both out in front of each other like soldiers in some war.

"Only one of you fights," she had instructed. "The other learns that too much trusting costs too much."

Jake hadn't wanted to fight.

Lisa had pushed him.

And when it was over, when he had won, when the other boy was shattered on the ground at his feet, Lisa had knelt down beside him and said:

"Trust is the biggest weakness, Jake. Because trust gives others the power to shatter you."

Present – The Battle Jake Can't Win

Jake panted as he gazed at the knife before him on the ground.

Tom glared at him, his head shaking. "Don't."

Lisa was taking deep breaths. "Five seconds before I have my enforcers handle him for me. And they won't be as nice as you."

Jake's fists were at his sides. There had to be another option.

Three seconds.

His. mind was racing a mile a minute as he talked himself out of doing what he did.

Two seconds.

He crawled down to the ground like a crab. to grab the knife.

.Lisa's grin broadened.

Zane's Surprise Guest

Zane reclined on the cell floor, wrists aching from the silver cuffs. He didn't waste time.

The door creaked open.

.He had psyched himself up to catch another guard.

Lena entered instead. 

Zane stalled. "What in the devil are you doing here.

She crossed her arms and shut the door. "Don't worry, wolf-boy. I'm not here to kill you."

Zane's scowl didn't fade. "Sorry I don't trust you."

Lena breathed in, moving closer. "Listen. I don't have much time, and neither do you. Lisa's playing for keeps, and Jake? He's running out of time."

Zane's lips sealed tight. "What are you saying?"

Lena stopped and spoke in a near-whisper tone. "She's not keeping him for ransom. She's conditioning him. Warping his mind. And if you don't do something quickly. You might not even know him when you do."

Zane's chest shut down.

Lena leaned against the wall. "Lisa wants Jake to believe he has nobody but her left. And if she can make him believe that, he'll be perfect for her."

Zane fought for a breath of regular air. "Why are you sharing this with me?"

Lena's smile widened. "Because it would be boring to watch Lisa win. And, well. I don't think I want to see you squirm quite so much anymore."

Zane growled. "Touching."

Lena's smirk wavered. "I am serious, Zane. You must get through to him before she kills him stone dead."

Zane's fists curled. He would. Whatever the price.

A Risky New Ally

Mia stood before the empty warehouse, arms crossed.

Rico striding back and forth beside her. "This is a bad idea."

Mia breathed in sharply. "You got something better?"

Rico hadn't even gotten to respond when the door to the warehouse creaked open. Footsteps echoed off concrete.

A figure materialized in shadows.

Rico's face turned serious. "You've got to be kidding me."

Mia sighed. "Hi, Professor Grant."

The older man smiled, pushing his glasses up. "Now, now. No need to be so formal. Call me Leo."

Rico shook his head. "You're really bringing him into this?"

Leo Grant had been at the school for years, a low-key presence in Lisa's life. There had been rumors, though—his loyalty was no longer what it once was.

Leo smiled. "What do I say to her? Loyalty is a complicated thing." He leaned in a bit closer. "Hope you're here because you want to."

Mia didn't bat an eyelash. "We need onto Lisa's property."

Leo's frown didn't shift. "That costs money."

Rico folded his arms. "In or out?"

Leo shrugged, considering the options. "Okay, okay. But I have one condition."

Mia furrowed her brow. "What's that?"

Leo's voice turned icy. "After all this, when it's all said and done. Lisa is to be murdered."

A silence so profound hung in the air.

And then Mia smiled. "Deal."

The Breaking Point

Jake tightened his fist around the knife in the practice room. He had but scant seconds to strike.

Tom regarded him, trust in his eyes. Trust Jake did not deserve.

Lisa’s voice was mockingly soft. "Go on, Jake. Prove you’re not weak."

Jake’s pulse pounded. This wasn’t a test of strength. It was a test of trust.

And for the first time in years, Jake made his choice.

Instead of hitting, he turned the blade on himself.

Gasps filled the air. Lisa's face stiffened.

Blood ran down Jake's arm as he glared at Lisa. "I will never be yours."

Lisa's smile re-formed but changed in her eyes.

Something nearly. satisfied.

She clapped. "Very good, Jake. You pass. For now."
The guards dragged Tom away, yanking. Lisa leaned forward, her voice hushed.

"But next time? The choice won't be yours."

Jake's heart pounding as the doors swung shut behind them.

He had won the round. But Lisa hadn't lost.