Chapter 24

"All right, let me do it."

As I uttered those four words, they seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. I waited for Victor's answer, my grasp getting tighter around the phone and my knuckles going white.

The other end of the line paused for a moment before Victor's gravelly, low voice could be heard. "All right. Ethan, I knew you would see reason."

I gritted my teeth and tried to remain composed. This was part of the plan. I would have the leverage I needed to compile evidence against Victor and ultimately bring him down if I agreed to collaborate with him.

"But there's one condition," I stated, maintaining my composure in spite of the underlying wrath. "Emily stays out of this. She's off-limits."

Victor laughed softly. "So you still believe you can keep her safe? How... noble."

I tightened my hold on the phone and added, "I'm serious. The deal is off if you don't leave her alone."

There was silence for a while, and I wasn't sure if Victor would agree at first. But at last he said something.

"All right," he answered sharply. "I'm not stressed over Emily. I will not interfere with her affairs as long as she doesn't disrupt mine."

I let out a sigh. "Great."

Victor's tone darkened as he proceeded, "However, don't assume that this implies you're in charge. You work for me now, Ethan. And you'll follow my instructions when I say them. Do you understand?"

I took a deep breath. "Understood."

Victor's tone changed once more, returning to the easygoing, almost friendly manner that made my skin crawl. "Before we proceed, there is one more thing to do. A small loyalty test, if you will."

My heart fell. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

Victor went on, "One of my business partners has been getting... sloppy," in a silky yet menacing way. "He has been disclosing information that could endanger us both. I need you to handle it.

The weight of what he was asking fell on me, and I froze. "Handle it?"

Victor said icily, "Ethan, you know what I mean. This is your test. Prove to me that you're with me, and get rid of him."

I couldn't murder somebody. I couldn't do it no matter how involved I got in this. But if I didn't, Victor would know I wasn't truly on his side. And it would be over if he thought I was going to betray him. For me. For Emily. For everyone.

I said, my words tasting like ash, "I'll... I'll handle it."

My skin crawled as Victor laughed with satisfaction. "All right. You've got forty-eight hours. Don't let me down."

What had I gotten myself into?

Some hours later, Ben stormed into my office without his typical smile. After glancing at my face, he realized something wasn't right. "What happened?"

I ran a hand through my hair as I reclined in my chair. "Ben, I'm in deep. Victor is no longer playing around. He wants me to take out one of his partners."

Ben sat down next me when his eyes expanded. "Hold on, what? As in, kill him?"

I felt the weight of the world bearing down on me as I nodded. "Yeah. And if I don't, he'll think I'm not really with him."

"Jesus, Ethan," Ben mumbled as he wiped his beard. "You can't go through with this. There's gotta be another way."

"I know that," I said, my annoyance rising to the surface. "But what choice do I have? I'm already being choked by Victor. He will turn against me if I don't do this. And if he finds out I'm planning to take him down... it's game over."

Ben sighed as he shook his head. "Dude, this is terrible. Very terrible."

I leaned forward and buried my face in my hands, muttering, "I know. Ben, I'm stuck. I see no escape route."

Ben remained quiet for a long time, and his voice was low when he did speak. "What about the FBI?"

I frowned as I looked up. "What about them?"

Ben's eyes were keen as he leaned closer. "They're already sniffing around Monroe Enterprises. Maybe it's time to let them in. Use them to help take down Victor."

I shook my head. "No. Not quite yet. Before I call the FBI, I need to collect more proof. They will drag me down with him if I approach them right away. And I can't take that chance."

"So, what's the strategy?" Ben's voice was tight as he asked. "Ethan, you can't kill this guy."

I firmly stated, "I'm not going to," as my thoughts raced with potential solutions. I will find a solution.

The following day was a haze of phone calls and meetings, but I wasn't thinking about anything. Each passing minute seemed to be a countdown to my impending failure. Time was of the essence; Victor had given me 48 hours.

By late afternoon, I was outside the office of Paul Anderson, a longtime business associate of Monroe Enterprises, the guy Victor wanted dead. I'd known him for years, worked alongside him, and now Victor wanted me to end him.

I inhaled deeply, my thoughts whirling with potential. This had to be handled without going over that boundary. I simply needed to be clever about it.

When I eventually entered Paul's office, he smiled warmly at me. "Ethan! It's nice to see you, pal. Why have you come here?"

With the guilt still nagging at me, I faked a smile. "Paul, I just needed to talk. I have some... concerns I need to talk to you about."

Paul motioned for me to sit while his smile dimmed a little. "Concerns? What kind of concerns?"

I took a seat. I could not inform him of the true situation just yet. However, Victor would ensure that this talk never took place again if I didn't take action right away.

With deliberate word choice, I spoke slowly, "I've been hearing some things. Things pertaining to leaks. Information that shouldn't be out there"

When Paul's face turned pale, I realized Victor was right. He was at fault. However, that did not imply that I was going to murder him.

"Ethan, what are you talking about?" Paul's voice trailed off as he asked.

I made up my mind and got up. "Paul, you have forty-eight hours to vanish. Get out of the city, go underground. Let's just say that some people want you gone if you don't."

Paul's eyes were wide with terror as he gazed at me. "Are you serious?"

I turned to the door and said, "Dead serious. And if I were you, I wouldn't wait around to find out if I'm bluffing."