Chapter 2 - The Devil’s Bargain
I stood my ground,
though my knees felt like they might give way at any moment.
"Who are you?"
I asked,
my voice stronger than I expected it to be in the presence of a predator.
He stood up,
moving with a grace that was both beautiful and terrifying.
"The names people give me are varied,"
he said,
walking toward me until he was only a few feet away.
"But you can call me Cassian."
Cassian Rossi,
the name whispered in the corners of police stations and luxury penthouses.
He was the man who controlled the flow of everything in the city,
from the high-end real estate to the darker trades below the surface.
"Why did you save me?"
I asked,
holding out his coat as if it were a peace offering.
He didn't take it,
instead,
he looked at my bandaged hands with an unreadable expression.
"Because you have something I need,"
he replied,
his eyes narrowing.
"And because the people who tried to kill you are the same people trying to take what is mine."
I thought of the USB drive in my bag,
the weight of it suddenly feeling like a lead weight.
"I’m a photographer,
Cassian,"
I said,
shaking my head.
"I don't have anything that could possibly interest a man like you."
He smiled,
but there was no warmth in it,
only a cold,
sharp edge.
"You take pictures at high-society galas,"
he began,
circling me like a wolf.
"You were at the Sterling wedding three nights ago,
weren't you?"
I nodded,
remembering the opulence of the event,
the flowers,
and the political elite who had filled the ballroom.
"I was,"
I whispered,
my mind racing to find the connection.
"You weren't just taking photos of the bride,"
he continued,
his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"You caught a handoff in the background of one of your shots."
"A handoff of what?"
I asked,
my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Evidence,"
he said,
simply.
"Of a betrayal that would burn this city to the ground if it ever came to light."
I realized then that the 'accident' on the bridge wasn't about me at all.
I was just a witness who didn't even know what she had seen.
"The drive I found in your coat,"
I said,
reaching into my bag.
"Is that what this is about?"
He stopped circling and looked at me,
a flicker of surprise crossing his features.
"You found it,"
he noted,
sounding almost impressed.
"I didn't think you’d look that closely."
"I’m a photographer,"
I reminded him.
"I’m trained to notice the details."
He held out his hand,
an unspoken command for me to hand it over.
"If I give this to you,"
I said,
pulling back.
"What happens to me?"
"You live,"
he said,
as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"I’ll clear your name,
I’ll find the men who cut your brakes,
and I’ll make sure they never see the sun again."
It was a bargain with the devil,
and I knew it.
But the police couldn't protect me from an invisible enemy who could reach into my car and cut my life short.
"I need to see what’s on it first,"
I insisted,
clutching the drive.
Cassian stepped closer,
his presence overwhelming,
the scent of cedar and rain clinging to him.
"Some things are better left in the dark,
Elara."
"Not when they almost drowned me,"
I snapped back,
refusing to back down.
He stared at me for a long time,
measuring my resolve.
Finally,
he sighed and gestured toward his desk.
"Fine,"
he said.
"But once you see it,
there is no going back."
"You are officially part of my world."
He opened a laptop,
the screen glowing in the darkness of the warehouse.
I plugged the drive in,
my pulse thundering in my ears.
The files were mostly images,
scanned documents,
and a single video file.
I clicked it,
and the screen filled with a grainy image of a hotel balcony.
Two men were talking,
their faces obscured by the shadows,
but the voices were clear.
One was the Police Commissioner,
a man I had photographed dozens of times at charity events.
The other was a man I didn't recognize,
but the way he spoke made my skin crawl.
They were discussing the systematic removal of Cassian Rossi,
and the 'disposal' of any loose ends.
"Loose ends,"
I whispered,
the realization hitting me like a physical blow.
"That’s me."
Cassian leaned over my shoulder,
his heat radiating through my clothes.
"Not anymore,"
he said,
his voice dark and full of promise.
May you like
"Now,
you’re the weapon."
