The safe house is suffocating. The air is heavy, and the silence presses against my ears like a warning.
I’m alone, tucked away in a dingy motel room at the edge of nowhere, nursing the adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
I’ve barely slept since the ambush. Every creak of the floorboards sends my hand flying to the pistol under my pillow.
It’s only a matter of time before they find me again.
Ethan’s voice echoes in my head: “The only way out is through.” And his plan-the reckless, insane plan-haunts me. He wants me to help him kill Xavier, and if I refuse? I’m a dead woman either way.
I glance at my phone again. Nothing from Ethan. I feel like I’m holding my breath, waiting for it to shatter everything. The promises, the threats, the lies. The pieces don’t fit anymore.
The only thing I know for sure is that I have a target on my back. And if I’m not smart-if I make one wrong move-I’ll be the next body on the ground.
The burner phone buzzes. I snatch it off the nightstand, my heart skipping a beat as Ethan’s name flashes on the screen.
Finally.
I answer without thinking. “What the hell took you so long?” My voice is sharper than I intended, the fear and exhaustion seeping through.
“I had to make sure the line was clean, Alyssa. Relax, I’m here now.” Ethan’s tone is smooth, but there’s an edge to it. Like he’s balancing on a knife’s edge-just like the rest of us.
“I barely got out alive, Ethan. They found me in my own place.” I press my palm to my forehead, trying to steady the tremor in my voice. “The mole’s real, and they’re coming for me.”
“I know,” he says, voice low. “And it’s only going to get worse from here. That’s why we need to act now. I have a plan-one that gets us both out of this mess. But you need to trust me.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Trust you? Like how you trusted me when you dragged me into this nightmare? Or maybe how you conveniently left out half the truth about my father’s death?”
There’s a pause on the other end, but Ethan doesn’t deny it. “I told you before, I’m not innocent. But right now, I’m your only chance at survival.”
“And what’s the price of that survival?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
His next words are ice. “Xavier dies. It’s the only way.”
I suck in a sharp breath, trying to wrap my head around the weight of what he’s asking. Killing Xavier isn’t just a death sentence for him-it’s a declaration of war.
“Ethan, if we do this-if we even try-Xavier’s men will tear us apart.”
“That’s why we hit him first,” Ethan says coldly. “No hesitation, no mercy. He’s a threat to both of us, and you know it. The longer he’s alive, the more control he’ll have over your life. Are you ready to live like that?”
His words hit a nerve. Xavier isn’t just dangerous-he’s a monster with his claws deep in me. Even in hiding, I can feel the noose tightening, as if every breath I take without his permission is borrowed time.
“And if I say no?” My voice is barely a whisper.
There’s a beat of silence. Then Ethan’s voice drops, lower and more dangerous than I’ve ever heard it. “If you say no, then we both lose. He’ll kill me, Alyssa. And after that, he’ll come for you.”
I lean against the wall, sliding down until I’m sitting on the cold floor. This is what my life has become-choosing which devil to dance with.
“You don’t get to hesitate, Alyssa,” Ethan presses. “Not anymore. It’s time to choose: him or us.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t know what’s worse-the fact that Ethan’s right, or the fact that I’m starting to believe him.
Before I can respond, a notification buzzes on my phone. My blood runs cold.
“Hold on, Ethan. Something just came through.”
I lower the phone and open the message. It’s a video. No subject, no sender. Just a short, grainy clip. My thumb hovers over the play button, a sick feeling twisting in my gut.
With a deep breath, I tap it.
The video opens with the familiar, dim-lit setting of Xavier’s private club-only this time, the scene is far more sinister.
A man is bound to a chair, his face bloodied and swollen beyond recognition. I recognize him instantly: one of Ethan’s closest allies. His name is Leo-loyal, dangerous, and fiercely protective of Ethan. Or at least, he was.
Leo’s head lolls forward, blood dripping from his mouth. Then the camera shifts slightly, and Xavier steps into the frame.
“Let’s make this simple, Leo,” Xavier says, his voice calm but razor-sharp. “Where is Ethan hiding? Tell me now, and maybe I won’t tear you apart.”
Leo spits blood onto the floor, defiant even in the face of death. “Go to hell, Xavier.”
Xavier sighs, as if disappointed. Then, without warning, he pulls out a knife and presses it to Leo’s throat.
“Wrong answer,” Xavier murmurs, almost gently.
The camera zooms in just enough to catch the flash of fear in Leo’s eyes before the blade drags slowly, purposefully, across his skin. Blood spills in thick rivulets, and Leo lets out a choked gasp, his strength slipping away.
I can’t breathe. The brutality of it is staggering, and the message couldn’t be clearer.
As the camera pans back, Xavier looks directly into the lens. His dark eyes are devoid of emotion, cold and merciless.
“This is what happens to those who stand with Ethan,” Xavier says, his voice a chilling promise. “And Alyssa… you’re next.”
The video ends abruptly, leaving me staring at the black screen, my heart hammering in my chest.
I bring the phone back to my ear, my hands trembling.
“Ethan…” My voice cracks. “He knows. He has Leo… and he said I’m next.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end. Then Ethan’s voice sharpens with resolve.
“That’s it, Alyssa. No more waiting. We hit him now. Tonight.”
The room feels smaller, the walls closing in. I’m trapped between two monsters, both of them ready to destroy anyone in their way.
I close my eyes, trying to find a way out, but the only thing I see is Xavier’s cold smile and Ethan’s burning ambition. No matter which path I take, blood will follow.
A sharp knock echoes from the motel door, freezing me in place.
I pull the phone away from my ear, my pulse pounding like a drum. “Someone’s here,” I whisper.
Ethan’s voice is tight. “Alyssa, don’t open that door.”
But it’s too late. The lock clicks, and the door swings open.
And standing there, with a wicked smile on his lips, is Xavier.
“Miss me?”