Page 33 of Drawn to Death
“He came to my house with a gun,” Talon says. “Pointed it at what’s mine. Made a choice I didn’t agree with.”
What’s mine.The words echo, drowning out everything else.What’s mine.Notwho.What.Like I am a thing, something you can carry or lose. But the way he says it makes something warm uncurl in my chest, slicing through the fear.
“I see,” Vincenzo says, leaning forward a bit. “And this is why you’ve brought me… what does Mickey call him? The annoying artist.”
His eyes cut back to me, and the warmth in my chest vanishes. I’ve seen that look before, in my own sketches, the way a predator looks at something small and edible.
“You know what he can do,” Talon says.
“I know what he’s done,” Vincenzo shoots back. “Posting pictures of our work online. Spreading evidence.” His mouth twists. “Drawing attention.”
My heart thuds against my ribs. Every part of me wants to run, but there is nowhere to go. Guards at every door, Vincenzo’s cold eyes on me, and Talon, the only safety I have left, not moving at all beside me.
Vincenzo leans back, swirling his drink. “Well?” he says, looking right at me. “Nothing to say for yourself? No explanation for why you’ve been documenting our business all over the internet?”
The room feels smaller; the air thinner. Sweat prickles along my hairline, under my arms. Talon has told me to let him do the talking, but Vincenzo is asking me, and the silence just keeps growing heavier.
"I didn’t mean anything by it," I blurt out, my voice embarrassingly high and fast. "I just wanted to understand. The dreams, they just happen; I can't stop them. I have to draw them or… or they'll burn me up from the inside." The words tumble out, desperate and shaky. "I won’t draw again, I swear. I’ll stop. I can stop."
Vincenzo looks at me with a kind of mild curiosity, like I am some weird animal in a zoo. "The dreams," he repeats, rolling the word around. "You mean when you see through my people's eyes? When you watch them at work?"
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. My throat is tight, almost closed.
"Through Talon's eyes specifically, but a few were Mickey’s. That's why he was prepared to pull a gun on you.” Vincenzo goes on, glancing at Talon. "Every kill, every job, all on your little website. Like a diary of death." His smile is slow and awful. "Did you think nobody would notice?"
"I didn’t know what I was seeing," I protest, the words rushing out. "I didn't know they were real, not at first. By the time I figured it out, it was too late, the site is up, people are already following it, but I can take it down, make it go away. I can burn all…”
"People," Vincenzo cuts in, the word sharp and final. "That’s the problem. People seeing things they shouldn’t."
I feel myself spiraling now, panic making my thoughts scatter. "I never use names. I never know names. Just faces, just moments before, before…" I can’t finish. My hands are shaking so badly I have to ball them into fists.
"Before Talon kills them," Vincenzo finishes for me. He sets his glass down; the sound is like a crack splitting the silence. "And now here you are. Alive. When you should be another drawing on someone else’s website."
The meaning is obvious. I am supposed to be dead. A loose end, waiting to be tied off.
"I told you he was taken care of," Talon says, slicing through my panic. "I never said he was dead."
Vincenzo’s eyebrows go up a little. "No, you didn’t." His eyes flick between us, calculating. "And now Mickey’s in your trunk because he thought otherwise."
"Mickey made a mistake," Talon says, flat and certain. "Quell is under my protection now."
The wordprotectionsettles between us, heavy and awkward. I watch Vincenzo process it, his eyes flicking, weighing what it means.
"Is that what we’re calling it?" Vincenzo asks. His voice has an edge, like he’s almost amused but not quite.
Talon doesn’t even blink. "Call it whatever you want. But he stays alive."
"And if I disagree?" Vincenzo’s tone is soft, almost like he is just curious.
"Then you’ll need to kill us both," Talon says, so flat and even it doesn’t feel like a threat, just a fact. "And find someone to replace me."
Everything freezes. I swear, even the air stops moving. My heart is thumping so loud I think it will give me away, this frantic, terrified beat.
Vincenzo’s eyes narrow, locked on Talon. I can’t see Talon’s face, but whatever he is showing makes Vincenzo’s mouth go tight.
"Are you giving me an ultimatum, Talon?" His voice is quieter now, dangerous.
"I’m giving you information," Talon says. "What you do with it is your choice."
