Alyssa’s POV
“I trusted you.” My voice trembled as I stumbled back, keeping my eyes locked on Jessie. “I would have fought for you, died for you… and you sold me out to him?”
Jessie’s face was pale, their lips trembling. “Alyssa, it wasn’t like that.”
“Don’t,” I snapped, holding up a hand to stop them. The betrayal twisted inside me, a raw, gaping wound. “Don’t you dare tell me it wasn’t like that. I just heard it straight from your lips!”
Xavier leaned against the warehouse wall, watching the exchange with a satisfied smirk. “Heartbreaking, isn’t it? Betrayal always stings worse when it’s personal.”
“Shut up!” I yelled at him, fury ripping through my chest.
“Oh, I love this fiery side of you,” Xavier taunted, crossing his arms. “But don’t waste it on me. Save it for Jessie. They’re the one who let you down.”
Jessie flinched at his words but didn’t refute them.
“Why, Jessie?” My voice cracked, and I hated myself for letting them see how much this hurt. “You could’ve come to me. We could’ve found a way out together.”
Jessie’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You don’t understand, Alyssa. He didn’t give me a choice. He threatened my family. If I didn’t cooperate…”
“Then you should have trusted me!” I shouted. “We’ve been through hell together, Jessie. I would’ve protected you!”
Their silence was answer enough.
The air was heavy with tension, every breath like a knife to my lungs. My mind raced, searching for a way out, a plan, anything.
“You’re running out of time, Alyssa,” Xavier said casually, inspecting his nails. “You can sit here and cry about your little heartbreak, or you can make a decision.”
I spun on him, the rage boiling over. “I’ll make a decision, all right.”
Before he could react, I lunged at him, grabbing the gun holstered at the waist of one of his men. I aimed it squarely at Xavier’s chest.
The room froze.
“Alyssa,” Xavier said, his voice low and measured, though I caught the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “Think this through. You shoot me, and Jessie’s life is forfeit. Not to mention your own.”
“Maybe,” I said, my finger tightening on the trigger. “But at least I’d take you down with me.”
His smirk returned, though it was weaker this time. “You’re not a killer. You don’t have it in you.”
“Wanna bet?” My voice was ice.
“Alyssa, don’t!” Jessie cried, stepping toward me.
“Stay back!” I snapped, the gun trembling slightly in my grip. “You don’t get to play the hero now.”
The tension was suffocating, every second stretching into eternity. Then, a noise outside shattered the moment-a car screeching to a halt.
Xavier’s men tensed, their hands going to their weapons.
“Looks like our little party’s about to get interrupted,” Xavier said, his confidence returning.
I didn’t wait to find out who was coming. Using the distraction, I swung the gun around, aiming at the light fixture above Xavier. I fired, the sound deafening in the enclosed space.
Glass and sparks rained down, throwing the room into chaos.
“Get her!” Xavier roared, but I was already moving.
I darted for the nearest exit, shoving past his men. Jessie called after me, but their voice was lost in the commotion.
The cold night air hit me like a slap as I burst out of the warehouse, my lungs burning. I didn’t stop running, my mind racing with fragmented thoughts.
Jessie’s betrayal. Xavier’s threats. Ethan’s manipulations. I couldn’t trust anyone.
I had no one.
I found myself in a dingy motel room an hour later, my hands shaking as I dialed a number I hadn’t used in weeks. The line rang twice before it was picked up.
“You’ve got some nerve calling me,” the voice on the other end drawled.
“I’m out of options,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I need your help.”
There was a pause, and then the person chuckled darkly. “Desperate, are we? What happened to all your talk about handling things on your own?”
“Cut the crap,” I snapped. “I wouldn’t be calling you if I wasn’t out of time.”
“Fair enough.” The third player’s tone turned serious. “What do you need?”
I hesitated, the weight of my next words pressing down on me. “Xavier has Jessie. They betrayed me. And Ethan-he’s closing in. I need to take them both down, but I can’t do it alone.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Alyssa,” the third player said finally. “You’re in over your head.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I said, my voice breaking. “But I don’t have a choice.”
Another pause, and then they sighed. “Fine. Meet me at the usual spot in an hour. And Alyssa-come alone. If I even get a hint that you’ve brought company, the deal’s off.”
“Understood,” I said, hanging up before they could say anything else.
The diner was nearly empty when I arrived, the flickering neon sign casting eerie shadows on the cracked asphalt. I slid into a booth at the back, my nerves on edge.
The third player arrived ten minutes later, sliding into the seat across from me. They were dressed in a sharp suit, their expression unreadable.
“Nice to see you again,” they said, their tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Cut to the chase,” I said. “What do you have for me?”
They leaned back, studying me. “First, I need to know something. How far are you willing to go to win this?”
“As far as it takes,” I said without hesitation.
They nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. Because what I’m about to tell you will change everything.”
“Spare me the theatrics,” I said. “Just tell me what you know.”
They smirked. “Fine. I’ve arranged a meeting with someone who can help. The head of the family pulling Xavier and Ethan’s strings. They’re the real power behind all of this.”
My stomach dropped. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious,” they said. “But be warned-this isn’t a meeting you walk away from easily. Once you’re in, you’re in for life.”
I swallowed hard, the gravity of their words sinking in.
“Where and when?” I asked, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.
“Tomorrow night. Midnight. I’ll send you the location.”
I nodded, my mind already racing with possibilities and contingencies.
“Oh, and one more thing,” they said, their eyes narrowing. “Don’t trust anyone. Not me, not them. No one.”
“Trust me,” I said bitterly. “I learned that lesson the hard way.”
As I left the diner, my phone buzzed with a new message. It was from an unknown number.
“You’re in over your head, Alyssa. Walk away while you still can.”
I stared at the message, my pulse quickening. Someone was watching me-and they weren’t on my side.