The hum of the tires on the highway does nothing to soothe the storm brewing in my mind. Isabella’s grip on the wheel is tight, her knuckles pale under the pressure.
We’ve been driving in silence, the city shrinking behind us, but every mile forward feels like a rope tightening around my throat.
I stare at my phone, the messages swimming in my mind:
FBI operation incoming. Prepare for impact.
And now, the decision I’ve been running from my whole life is staring me in the face.
“What are you thinking?” Isabella’s voice breaks through the quiet, soft but heavy with meaning.
I don’t respond right away. How do I explain that I’m torn between survival and destruction? That part of me craves freedom-to run far, far away from Ethan, Xavier, and the bloody game I’ve been forced to play-but another part knows there’s no escaping this life. Not really.
“You think we can really disappear?” I finally ask, glancing at her.
She exhales, like she’s been holding her breath. “If we’re smart about it? Yes. It’s risky, but we could make it work.”
She tightens her grip on the wheel, her eyes locked on the road. “No more criminal games. No more lies. Just… out.”
It sounds too good to be true. And in this world, if it sounds too good, it usually comes with a trap attached.
“You’re scared,” Isabella says, her voice lower now. “I get it. But Alyssa, you’re running out of options. If you stay, it’s only going to get worse.”
“What if I can’t leave?” I whisper, almost to myself.
Her jaw clenches, and when she speaks again, her words are razor-sharp. “Then you’ll end up just like them.”
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes in my hand, vibrating with the insistence of something unavoidable. The screen lights up with a new message from a blocked number-the third player.
“There’s no escape. If you run, I’ll find you. And I’ll make sure you don’t live to regret it.”
I stare at the message, cold dread slithering down my spine. It’s not just a warning-it’s a promise. The third player has eyes everywhere. Running won’t save me.
I pass the phone to Isabella, and she curses under her breath as she reads the message. “This bastard doesn’t quit, does he?”
“No,” I murmur, sinking deeper into my seat. “He doesn’t.”
Isabella pulls the car over to the side of the road, the tires kicking up gravel. She twists in her seat, her expression dark with frustration.
“You know what this means, right? He’s never going to let you go. None of them will.”
“I know.” The words taste bitter on my tongue.
“So what’s the plan?” she demands. “Because sitting here isn’t going to save you. You need to decide-now. Are you coming with me or not?”
The weight of the choice bears down on me like a physical force. Run with Isabella and try to disappear, or stay and gamble everything-my life, my freedom, my soul-on outplaying Ethan, Xavier, and the third player.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” Isabella urges, her voice softer now. “We could leave tonight, change our names, vanish. We’d have a shot at something real.”
For a second, I let myself imagine it-a life without violence, without manipulation, without fear. A quiet house somewhere no one knows us, a fresh start with no ghosts to haunt me.
But the fantasy shatters as soon as it forms. There are no happy endings in this world. Running would only delay the inevitable. The third player will never stop. Ethan and Xavier will never stop.
Weighing Loyalty and Survival
“If I stay,” I say slowly, “I might be able to finish this. End it all-for good.”
Isabella’s eyes narrow. “Or you’ll end up dead.”
She’s not wrong. Staying means playing two psychopaths against each other while dodging the FBI and avoiding a bullet from the third player. But running feels like surrender, and surrender isn’t in my blood.
“What if I can take them all down?” I ask, my voice hollow.
Isabella shakes her head. “You’d be fighting a war on every front, Alyssa. Even you can’t win that.”
“Maybe not.” I stare out the windshield, watching the distant city lights flicker like dying stars. “But I have to try.”
The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating. Finally, Isabella sighs, running a hand through her hair. “You’re really going to stay, aren’t you?”
I nod. “I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” she mutters. “You’re just choosing the harder one.”
I offer a small, bitter smile. “Story of my life.”
She starts the car again, merging back onto the highway. “What’s the plan, then? You’re not just going to walk back into the lion’s den without a strategy.”
“I need to get to Ethan before the FBI does,” I say, my mind already working through the possibilities. “If I can stop him from running and get him to turn on Xavier, I might still have a chance.”
As we speed down the darkened road, my phone buzzes again. Another message from the third player:
“Tick-tock, Alyssa. Choose wisely-before the clock runs out.”
I clench my fists, anger bubbling under the surface. He thinks he’s already won.
But this time, I’ll be the one holding all the cards.
Isabella pulls off the highway, taking an exit toward the city. We’re heading back into the fire-straight into the heart of everything I’ve been trying to escape.
As the buildings loom closer, the weight of my decision settles fully on my chest. There’s no turning back now.
Whatever happens next, I’ll face it head-on.
And I’ll make sure I’m the one left standing.