No matter how this ended, it wasn't going to be good for Ace. If the C.I.B. agent won, Ace would be in trouble. He knew all too well how the agency dealt with "accidental witnesses" who stumbled upon the hidden world of curses. Their motto when it came to preserving secrecy was simple: leave no loose ends. Ace would have little choice in this matter.
On the other hand, if the agent lost—or worse, died—it would be a disaster. Even if Ace managed to kill the deranged curse user who wanted to skin him and save himself, it would only land him in the middle of another C.I.B. investigation. And this time, he wasn't sure he'd get lucky like he had with Layla, a rogue agent operating solo without backup.
Ace swallowed hard, his jaw tightening as his mind churned with contingency plans. Every possible scenario led to a dead end. All he could do now was wait and hope for an opening, but deep down, he knew he was walking a tightrope, and one wrong step could unravel everything.
