Chapter 100

"Ethan, my patience is at an end." Victor's words sliced like a razor into the tension. His remarks looked all the more powerful in spite of the little buzz of static on the phone line. "You have had your chances. This is getting old for me, and Gerard is still standing.

I sat back in my chair and held the phone so tightly that I was surprised it didn't break. My office's walls closed in on me as the faint light from my desk lamp formed long shadows.

I said in a quiet, controlled voice, "Victor, you don't understand. Gerard is more than a pawn I can remove with no consequence. If he falls, it'll unravel everything-"

"What will fall apart," Victor cut in, his voice cold, "is you. I saw promise in you, which is why I kept you alive. Don't make me regret it."

Before I could reply, the line died. The deafening silence that followed served as a sharp reminder of the trap closing in on me.

With a heavy chest, I breathed slowly. The choice was obvious: Gerard or me. There was no time for doubt, no room for compromise.

Outside my window, the city skyline gleamed weakly, the lights muddled by my mental fog. I was unable to stay here, stuck in my dilemma. Victor was getting closer to make his move with each lost second.

The screen of my phone gleamed in the dark room as I grabbed for it. Before I hit the call button, my fingers were hanging over Gerard's number.

Before he answered, it rang twice.

"Ethan." He spoke in a cool, measured tone that made your skin crawl. "What are you looking for?"

I said, with a steady tone, "We need to talk. In person. No backup, no games. Me and you alone."

A pause. "And why would I trust you?" followed.

I tightened my hold on the phone and answered, "Because you know as well as I do that this can't go on. Why are we pulling each other apart? Let's settle this amicably."

Another pause, this one longer. At last, he said, "All right. My storage building. Midnight."

With its metal walls splattered with graffiti and corrosion, the warehouse was a holdover from another age. There was a slight odor of rotting and oil in the moist air. A sinister undertone was added to the otherwise quiet night by the low buzz of faraway machinery.

The revolver in my jacket pocket felt heavy with every step as I parked a few blocks away. The little light above the door flickered like a passing star as I walked toward the entrance, my breath hazy in the chilly air.

Gerard was already waiting inside. He stood in the middle of the wide, empty expanse, his silhouette striking against the dark overhead lights.

"You're on time," he noted in a derisive tone. "I'll give it to you."

I said, "I'm not here to waste time," and moved forward. "This conflict between us must come to an end."

Gerard crossed his arms and grinned. "And you believe that I'll simply roll over and give you the victory? I must seem foolish to you."

"It's not about winning," I stated strongly. "It has to do with living. We are both being played by Victor. You are aware of that."For a brief moment, Gerard's grin faltered. "Even though Victor is a serpent, at least I know that I back him. You? Ethan, you're a wild card. Unpredictable. Risky."

I took another step closer, my pulse racing. "And you think Victor's any better? He'll utilize you until you're no longer useful, then dump you aside. We're both expendable to him."

Gerard's eyes narrowed, his attitude shifting. "You think I don't know that? But here's the thing, Ethan-I'd rather take my chances with Victor than trust a backstabber like you."

The strain in the air was suffocating, each word a spark threatening to ignite the powder keg between us.

"I'm offering you a way out," I said, my voice rising. "We can end this now, together. Or we may keep tearing each other apart until there's nothing left."

Gerard let out a sour laugh. "You're a good talker, I'll give you that. But I'm not foolish enough to trust a man who's been gunning for me since day one."

He grabbed into his jacket, and my senses kicked in. My hand went to the gun in my pocket, my heart beating in my chest.

"Don't," I warned, my voice low and dangerous.

Gerard paused, his fingers hovering over the concealed firearm. "Or what? Will you shoot me?"

I could feel Victor's ultimatum weighing down on me as the room seemed to be closing in.

"I don't want this," I said, my voice breaking under the pressure. "However, if you grab my hand-"

With his fingers moving once again, Gerard hissed, "You don't have the guts."

As I drew my gun, the cold metal shuddering in my hands, time seemed to slow.

I begged, my voice just above a whisper, "Don't make me do this."

As instinct seized hold, Gerard's hand sprang toward his firearm. The gunshot was so loud that it reverberated throughout the deserted warehouse.

Gerard stumbled and grasped his chest, his eyes wide with surprise. Blood piled up beneath him as he fell to the ground.

Only the faint, agonized gurgling of Gerard's respiration broke the oppressive calm that ensued.

With the gun still raised and my hand shaking from the adrenaline pumping through me, I gazed at Gerard's rumpled body. The wet, musty smell of the warehouse blended with the metallic fragrance of blood. The realization that there was no turning back now made my chest tighten as the weight of what I had just done struck me like a freight train.

Yet then, a tiny, broken sound interrupted the silence-a gasp, scarcely perceptible yet unmistakable.

I whirled around, my blood turning to cold. Standing at the far edge of the room, her face pallid as a ghost, stood Emily.

Her lips were parted in surprise, and her eyes were wide. She was holding on to the doorframe as though it were the only thing supporting her.

"E-Emily?" The rifle fell out of my grasp and clattered to the ground as my voice broke.

With her palm coming to her mouth as though to choke back a scream, she took a wobbly step back. Her eyes flitted from me to Gerard's corpse and back again.

Her voice trembled with surprise as she whispered, "What what did you do?"

I started to say something, but nothing came out. How am I supposed to explain this? How could I explain to her that I was powerless?

I eventually managed to say, "It's not what it looks like," but even my own voice sounded hollow.

"Not what it looks like?" she said again, raising the volume of her voice. "Ethan, I just watched you shoot him! Could it be something else?"

I stepped in her direction while making a conciliatory motion with my hands. "Please allow me to explain, Emily. This wasn't."

"Stay away from me!" she yelled, staggering backward.

Her answer pierced my chest like a dagger. She was afraid of me, not simply afraid.

"Emily, listen to me," I begged. "You're not aware of the circumstances. Gerard posed a danger. Victor would- if I didn't do something."

Her eyes narrowed, dread pierced by anger. "Victor? Is that the point of this? Now you're handling his shady business?"

She only needed to lash out because I paused.

Her voice trembled with rage as she asked, "You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you?" "All those times I thought you were protecting me, you were just just part of this sick, twisted game!"

"It's not like that," I answered, cracking my voice. "Emily, I was attempting to keep you safe. I did everything I could to protect you."

Tears rolled down her face as she laughed bitterly. "Safe? Ethan, do you think I feel safe now? Given your abilities, do you believe I ever will?"

I was physically struck by her comments, but I couldn't afford to let her go-not in this manner.

"Emily, please," I whispered as I moved closer to her. "You must have faith in me. This is the only way to survive, but I didn't want it."

Her face was a mix of disdain and sadness as she shook her head. "I don't even know who you are anymore."

She turned and ran, her footsteps resonating in the empty room before I could say another word.

My thoughts were racing as I stood motionless. The weight of her accusations, the sound of her cries, and the sight of her running away were nearly unbearable.

Then, however, reality struck again. Victor's demand hung over me like a storm cloud, and Gerard's lifeless body was at my feet.

Tonight, I had crossed a line that I would never be able to get back.

I was no longer only at battle with Victor or Gerard.

I was fighting a battle with myself.