Zinnia
I knew Roman would test me. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. After testing me to kill Dr Jacobs, Roman had his men drag me to a room, only, this one was a tad leveled up from where they had first dragged me into. I stared at the dark walls for hours before the door someone pushed the door ajar and dragged me out to who knows where.
The room I was dragged to smelled like blood. Metallic and sharp. The walls were bare, concrete stained with crimson. A single chair stood in the center, its occupant bound and gagged. Roman sat across from me, legs crossed, an amused smirk playing on his lips. The bastard was enjoying this.
“You want me to believe you, Zinnia?” he said, tapping the armrest of his chair. “Then prove it.” He reached into his jacket, pulled out a gun, and set it on the table between us. “Kill him.”
I forced my expression to remain blank, but inside, my stomach twisted. The man in the chair groaned against his gag, eyes wide with terror. I didn’t recognize him at all. Was this Roman’s plan, to turn me into a killer? My hands clenched into fists.
“You hesitated,” Roman noted, head tilting. “That’s not a good look, darling. Makes me think you’re not as loyal to me as you claim to be.”
I met his gaze, keeping my voice even. “I just wasn’t expecting you would be testing me again. I just killed the man who helped nursed me. Shouldn’t that be enough to prove my loyalty?”
His smirk widened. “Disappointed?”
I exhaled through my nose, stepping forward. “If I do this, you’ll believe me?”
Roman shrugged. “It’s a start.”
I picked up the gun. It felt heavier than it should have. Roman watched me like a hawk, looking for any sign of hesitation, any flicker of doubt. The man’s breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling in uneven gasps. His eyes pleaded with me, desperate. He wanted me to spare him. He wanted me to find a way out of this.
I wasn’t sure there was one. I swallowed. Checked the gun. Fully loaded. Safety off. No way to fake this. Unless…..
A thought hit me so fast it nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs. A risk. A stupid, dangerous risk. But if I could make it work…
Roman sighed dramatically. “Tick tock, Zinnia. I don’t have all day.”
“I’ll do it,” I said.
I turned to the man, leveling the gun at his forehead. His body shook. His gaze screamed at me, Don’t do this. I pressed the barrel against his skin, took a breath and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed, bouncing off the concrete walls. The man jerked back, body going limp, blood splattering across the chair. His head lolled to the side, motionless.
Roman laughed. Slow, deep. “Damn. That was cold.”
I forced myself to breathe through the nausea rolling in my stomach.
Roman stood, clapping once. “Well, well. Maybe you are useful after all.” I set the gun down carefully. My hands were steady, but only because I forced them to be.
Roman circled the body, then turned back to me. “We’ll see if your loyalty holds. For now, you’ve earned yourself a drink.”
I swallowed hard, nodding. “I’ll take that drink.”
He grinned and gestured for his men to take the body away. I kept my face blank as they dragged him off, kept my breaths even.
Internally, I felt a little bit of relief to have gotten this over with. Despite what Roman thinks, I didn’t kill that man. I wasn’t heartless like him. The moment I fired, I’d tilted the gun by a fraction of an inch. The bullet had barely grazed his skull, just enough blood to sell the illusion. Just enough to buy me time.
But that time was running out fast because if Roman figured out what I’d done? If one of his men checked for a pulse? I’d be next in that chair.
Roman poured two drinks, handing one to me. “To new beginnings.”
I forced a smirk, clinking my glass against his. The whiskey burned on the way down, but it was nothing compared to the fire in my chest. I had to get to that man before they did. I had to finish what I started. Because if he woke up too soon and gave me away, Roman would make sure I never saw the next sunrise.
And I wasn’t ready to die. Not when Roman was still roaming this earth.
I needed a way out fast. Then, as if fate had a cruel sense of humor, the door swung open, and one of Roman’s men rushed in, out of breath.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Roman turned lazily, unconcerned. “What now?”
The guy hesitated, then glanced at me before speaking. “Milo’s body is gone.”
The room went deathly silent. I assured Milo is the man I just fake killed. Roman’s eyes slid to me, dark amusement gone. “That’s interesting.”
My pulse pounded against my ribs. Fuck.
So much for buying time.
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