Alyssa’s POV
“Xavier, let them go!” My voice echoed across the dimly lit warehouse, trembling despite the forced authority in my tone. The metallic tang of oil and rust filled the air, choking me as I stepped deeper into his lair.
“Alyssa, Alyssa,” Xavier drawled from the shadows, his voice rich with amusement. “Always so quick to demand. You forget-you’re the one without leverage here.”
The fluorescent light above flickered, casting his angular face into brief moments of stark clarity. He leaned against a rusted support beam, arms crossed, a predator waiting to pounce.
And then I saw them.
“Jessie!” I gasped, my chest tightening.
They were bound to a chair, wrists tied behind their back, face bruised but unmistakably alive. Jessie’s head lolled forward, their hair covering their face, but I caught the faint rise and fall of their chest.
“A touching reunion, isn’t it?” Xavier mocked. “But let’s skip the melodrama. You’ve wasted enough of my time already.”
“What do you want, Xavier?” I demanded, my fists clenching. “You got me here. Now tell me what the hell you want.”
He stepped closer, his boots crunching against broken glass. “It’s simple,” he said, his tone almost casual. “You betray Ethan and the FBI. Feed them false intel, throw them off my trail. Do that, and your little friend here walks out unscathed.”
My stomach churned. “And if I refuse?”
Xavier smirked, leaning in so close I could feel the heat of his breath. “Then Jessie pays the price for your stubbornness. Slowly. Painfully.”
“You son of a-” I lunged forward, but two of his men stepped between us, their hands gripping my arms like iron shackles.
“Temper, Alyssa,” Xavier warned, wagging a finger at me. “You’re not in a position to play hero.”
I struggled against the guards, but their grip was unyielding. “Jessie has nothing to do with this! You want me-fine. But let them go!”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Xavier snapped, his playful facade cracking for a moment. “I’m not letting them go until you prove you’re willing to cooperate.”
“You’re asking me to betray everything and everyone I’ve worked for,” I said, my voice rising. “Do you really think I’m going to roll over for you?”
“Not yet,” he admitted, circling me like a vulture. “But you will. Everyone has their breaking point, Alyssa. Even you.”
Jessie stirred, their head lifting slightly. “Alyssa… don’t…” Their voice was weak, but the determination in their eyes was unmistakable.
“Shut them up,” Xavier ordered. One of his men stepped forward, raising a hand toward Jessie.
“Stop!” I shouted, my voice cracking. The room went silent, all eyes on me.
“I’ll… I’ll hear you out,” I said, my throat tight. “But you have to promise me Jessie stays unharmed.”
Xavier smiled, his teeth gleaming like a wolf’s. “Smart girl.”
He gestured for his men to back off, and I was released, stumbling slightly as I found my footing.
“Talk,” I said, glaring at him.
“Here’s how this works,” Xavier began, pacing leisurely. “You continue your little charade with Ethan and the FBI. Feed them just enough information to keep them spinning their wheels.
Meanwhile, you’ll funnel intel back to me-real intel. Plans, movements, weaknesses. Do that, and Jessie walks free. Refuse…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
“I don’t trust you,” I said bluntly.
“You don’t have to,” he replied, shrugging. “But let’s face it-you don’t have a better option.”
The silence was deafening. My mind raced, weighing the impossible choices in front of me.
“You think you’ve boxed me in,” I said finally, my voice steady. “But you’ve underestimated me, Xavier.”
“Oh?” His eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “Do enlighten me.”
I took a step closer, my heart pounding. “You’re a coward, hiding behind threats and hostages because you know you can’t win otherwise. You think I won’t fight back? Think again.”
Xavier’s expression darkened, and for a moment, I thought I’d pushed him too far.
But then he laughed-a deep, menacing sound that echoed through the warehouse.
“Oh, Alyssa,” he said, shaking his head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
He gestured toward Jessie, who had been unnervingly quiet during our exchange. “Tell her,” he said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
Jessie lifted their head fully, and the look in their eyes stopped me cold.
“Jessie?” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Alyssa,” they said, their voice trembling. “I… I didn’t have a choice.”
The world tilted beneath me.
“What… what are you saying?” I asked, my voice breaking.
Xavier clapped his hands together, grinning like a cat that had caught the canary. “Surprise! Your dear friend here has been working for me all along.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not true. Jessie wouldn’t-”
“Wouldn’t they?” Xavier interrupted. “Oh, Alyssa, you’re so naive. Do you really think loyalty exists in this world? Jessie saw the writing on the wall. They knew siding with me was their only chance at survival.”
Jessie’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t want to, Alyssa. But he-he made it clear. If I didn’t, it wouldn’t just be me. It’d be my family. My-”
“Stop,” I said, my voice trembling. “Just… stop.”
Xavier stepped closer, his grin widening. “Face it, Alyssa. You’ve already lost. The only question now is how much more you’re willing to sacrifice before you accept it.”
My mind raced, desperate for a way out. But with Jessie’s betrayal, my options were shrinking fast.
The weight of Xavier’s gaze bore down on me as he spoke the words that would haunt me forever:
“Choose wisely, Alyssa. Because one way or another, this ends with you on your knees.”
As I turned to Jessie, my voice barely a whisper. “Tell me the truth. Did you ever care about me? Or was it all a lie?” Jessie hesitated, their silence cutting deeper than any answer ever could.