There’s no bluff in those eyes.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I don’t know who hired me,” I whisper, the words slipping out smaller than I want them to. “They texted my phone from a generated number I couldn’t trace. I already tried.”
He watches me carefully. “Sounds suspicious,” he says. “I’m surprised someone as careful as you would take a risk like that without digging deeper.”
“They offered me something I couldn’t refuse,” I say flatly.
I don’t elaborate. He doesn’t need to know what I’m after.
He leans back slightly, hands still braced against the chair—close enough to remind me who’s in control. “Are you willing to risk your life over it?”
I hesitate.
Not because I don’t know the answer—but because I need to choose my words carefully.
Truthfully, I’d burn the world to the ground for revenge. But I also know revenge can’t be served from a coffin.
“No,” I say finally. “If I’m dead before I can use it, there’s no point.”
He studies me like he’s reading the fine print in a contract.
My breathing slows. “If you promise to let me go, I’ll find out who hired me and give you everything I can,” I offer. “You can watch me delete every file I took from your system. Clean break.”
A grin spreads across his face, sharp and predatory. “Trying to bargain with me,little rose?”
The nickname twists something deep in my gut.
I hate how easily it slips from his mouth.
I hate how much itaffectsme.
“Yes,” I answer coolly, even though my skin’s still burning where he touched me. “Because I know you don’t care about me. You care about whoever’s using me to get to you.”
He doesn’t deny it.
Instead, he steps back and folds his arms, weighing his options.
“What do you need to get it done?”
“My laptop. And an internet connection.”
He raises a brow. “I’ll bring youalaptop.”
“It has to bemine.” I keep my tone firm. “The program I use is stored on it. I can’t run it from anywhere else.”
His eyes narrow, and suspicion bleeds from them. “That’s awfully convenient.”
I shrug. “That’s just how it is.”
He watches me a beat longer before turning toward the door. His hand rests on the knob as he says, “Fine. But you’d better think twice about trying anything.”
Relief rushes in like a tide, but I don’t get the chance to enjoy it.
“Wait,” I call out.
He pauses, glancing over his shoulder.