The deal hung in the air like smoke—dense, swirling, and impossible to see through. Ava's mind raced, heart pounding as the words Alex had just spoken echoed in her ears. "Let's make a deal, then." A simple sentence, yet one that made every muscle in her body tense. She had been prepared for many things, but this wasn't one of them.
She glanced at Lorenzo, who was watching the exchange between her and Alex with a growing smirk. His hands rested casually on the table, but Ava knew better than to mistake his relaxed demeanor for anything less than the predator he truly was. The Syndicate wasn't in the business of making deals—it was in the business of manipulation. This was all just another game to them.
"Deal?" she asked, her voice steady despite the knot of unease tightening in her stomach.
Alex didn't answer immediately. Instead, he slowly turned toward Lorenzo, his gaze hardening. "You've got what we both want," Alex said, his tone measured. "And I've got something you'll want even more."
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed, the playful glint vanishing. "Go on."
Ava's thoughts whirled. Was Alex trying to bargain for something else? Had he planned this entire confrontation to strike some kind of bargain with Lorenzo? She was out of depth now. This wasn't just about getting the flash drive—it had become about Alex's game, and she was an unwilling player caught in the middle.
Alex took a step closer to the table, his eyes never left Lorenzo. "The drive's just a piece of the puzzle, Lorenzo. What you really want is access to the server. The one that has all the evidence of the people who've been running the real show. You know, the ones above you—the ones who have the real power."
Ava's breath caught in her throat. She had no idea what Alex was talking about—she had no knowledge of any higher powers, let alone servers full of damning evidence. This was a whole new layer of the conspiracy; one she hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of.
Lorenzo's face twisted in disbelief. "You think I need you for that? You think I'm some pawn in your little game?"
Alex smiled, but it was cold, calculating. "I think you'll need more than your street smarts to survive the storm that's coming. The Syndicate's days are numbered. And you, Lorenzo, are running out of time."
Ava could feel the heat of the moment pressing down on her, the air thick with the weight of unspoken threats and hidden motives. The stakes had just been raised. The Syndicate wasn't just a drug ring; it was a web of corruption, and Alex was telling Lorenzo that he knew exactly where the threads led.
But why bring her into this? Why was Alex dragging her into a game she never agreed to play?
"You're playing with fire, Rossi," Lorenzo finally said, his voice growling low. "You think you can just walk away from this? You think you can trade me nothing for everything I've worked for?"
Alex didn't flinch. "I'm not here to trade you anything. I'm here to make sure you don't burn yourself up in the flames." His eyes flicked toward Ava, and for a brief moment, she could have sworn she saw a flicker of something deeper in his gaze—an emotion she couldn't place, but one that stirred something dangerous in her chest.
Lorenzo leaned forward, his eyes cold as ice. "I've dealt with men like you before, Rossi. You won't get away with this. None of you will."
The words were a warning. Ava could feel the tension building, the kind that made the air crackle like static before a storm. The situation was spinning out of control, and she needed to regain her footing. She wasn't here to make deals. She was here to get the flash drive and walk away—unseen, unnoticed.
Without thinking, she took a step forward, her hand sliding toward her jacket, where she'd tucked a small, sharp blade for moments just like this.
But Alex was faster. He caught her wrist, his grip firm, not violent, but commanding. His voice was low, almost a growl. "Not yet."
Ava's heart skipped. What was he doing? She had no time for this—no time for his games, his control. She needed to finish this mission.
"Let me go," she said, the steel in her voice unmistakable.
Alex met her gaze, his eyes unwavering. "This isn't your game anymore, Ava. Not just yours."
The words stung, but she kept her composure. She hadn't come this far to be manipulated. Her mission, her freedom, had to come first. She wasn't some pawn to be moved across the board.
Lorenzo, sensing the shift, sat back, chuckling darkly. "It's cute, really," he said. "The way you two dance around each other, pretending there's some kind of moral high ground. This is business. And it always ends the same way."
Alex didn't respond, but the cold edge in his stare spoke volumes. Ava realized then that this was the moment when everything split into two paths. One led to a deal—whatever Alex was offering, whatever leverage he held over Lorenzo—and the other led to chaos, to the kind of destruction she hadn't signed up for.
She could see it now. The web was more tangled than she ever imagined. Alex wasn't just trying to outplay the Syndicate. He was trying to burn it to the ground. And she was standing right in the center of it all.
Ava's mind raced, but she held her ground, her hand still concealed in her jacket. She could make her move now, take the drive and run, but that would put her at odds with Alex. She could feel the shift in his energy—he was no longer the target. He was something else now. Something more dangerous.
"Fine," she said, her voice crisp, decisive. "I'll play your game. But make no mistake, Alex—if I'm going down, I'm going down on my terms."
Alex's lips quirked into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We'll see about that, Ava."
Ava turned to face Lorenzo; her fingers still wrapped tightly around the hilt of the knife. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
But as she faced the Syndicate's leader, she couldn't shake the feeling that the real game was just beginning—and she was the last player anyone would expect.