CHAPTER 63: THERE’S NO ESCAPE
"You think you can walk away from this?"
Victor's voice was teasing and slick, like a sword on my esh. I didn't glance at him. I didn't have
to. Behind me, I sensed his calm, collected, and menacing presence.
My knuckles were white as I held onto the table's edge. My mind was even more worn out from the
last battle, and my body was still hurting. My shoulders were weighed down by the bargain I had just
struck in A Deal with the Devil.
Jeo's eyes were calculating and keen as he watched me from the other side of the room. Since the
the meeting ended, he hadn't spoken anything, and that quiet was worse than anything he could have said
to me.
At last, I turned to look at Victor. Chilly. I'm amused. As if he already knew how this would end, he
reclined in his chair.
"I don’t have a choice." My voice seemed empty and alien.
Victor grinned. "You're mistaken there, my love. You can always choose. Your alternatives just don't
appeal to you.
Joe moved next to me. Since we entered this room, he had not removed his hand from his pistol, and
I knew that he was only a mistake away from the ring.
"Elena," Jeo warned in a quiet voice.
I kept my eyes on him. I was unable to.
Because I understood his thoughts.
He had been deceived by me.
Nor the way our adversaries had, nor the way Victor had. However, I had already made a decision.
And because of that decision, neither of us had a clear path out.
As Victor drummed his fingers on the table, he saw the tension between us bickering like a match over
gasoline.
His words, "The clock is ticking, darling," "You can either get on board, or you can burn with the rest of
them."
I let out a slow breath. No escape.
Not one that didn't end in blood, anyhow.
Jeo remained still, but I could sense the rage pouring from him. He didn't have to express it. I had
gone too far.
The devil and I had struck a bargain.
Victor put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. Although his grin remained constant, there
was a waiting, piercing look in his eyes. Putting me to the test.
"You’re still thinking, Elena," he said. "That is a risky behavior. By now, you need to be aware that
indecision results in fatalities.
Jeo sharply exhaled, and I knew he would talk if I remained silent. And he wouldn't be able to leave
here alive if he did.
"I'm in," I said.
My lips felt nasty after hearing those words.
Beside me, Jeo tensed up.
Victor grinned more broadly. "Smart girl."
I resisted looking at Jeo even though I could feel his eyes burning into me. I was unable to. I wasn't
sure I could defend myself if I did.
Victor got up and pushed his chair back. "Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about your
first job."
The Work
Victor ushered us into a smaller, darker area with a single table in the middle. On top of it was a
folder.
"Inside that folder is everything you need to know," Victor said.
I refrained from grabbing it. Joe didn't either.
Instead, Jeo remarked, "You have a problem, Victor," in a cool but steely tone. "You have no faith in
us. We also don't trust you.
Victor chuckled. "That’s what makes this fun."
At last, I grabbed the folder and opened it. A picture was the first thing I saw. A man. late forties.
Sharp characteristics. Icy gaze. I felt a chill as I saw the name written below it.
"This isn’t a job," I said in a tense tone. "This is a death sentence."
Victor's grin remained unwavering. "It’s both."
Joe took a step forward, looking at the folder and then at me. "He’s sending us to die."
Victor clarified, "I'm giving you an opportunity." "You take him out, and I’ll consider our deal even."
I tightened my jaw. "And if we refuse?"
Victor's eyes became serious. "I'll have to reevaluate our agreement after that. And you won't like
how it looks, Elena, I promise you."
Joe gripped his rie more tightly.
I took a slow breath. No escape.
We had just entered an unwinnable game.
Victor was aware of it.
The Tipping Point
The folder was like a loaded weapon between Jeo and myself as we sat in the vehicle hours later.
Since we departed, he had remained silent.
I turned to him at last. "Say it."
He looked straightforward. "Say what?"
"That I made the wrong choice."
He drummed his fingers on the driving wheel. "You didn’t make the wrong choice."
I scowled. "Then what—"
"You made the only choice you had."
There was silence between us.
I took a deep breath. "But it doesn’t mean you forgive me."
Jeo's mouth clenched. "No, it doesn’t."
That impacted me more than I thought it would.
More to myself than to him, I murmured, "We'll end a way out."
He didn't answer.
And I realized at that same instant.
He could have meant a path out of this position, but I wasn't sure.
Or an escape from us.
Something drew my attention as I grabbed for the folder once again.
An introspection.
Outside the automobile, a shadowy figure is moving.
My blood froze.
"Jeo—"
However, it was too late.
Before I could get my revolver, the vehicle door suddenly sprang open, and a hand closed over my
lips.
Then everything became black.