Chapter 25

Sevina

Central Havason borders with New Havason district—the most modern, glossy, and tallest part of the city. Skyscrapers, coated in advertisements and holograms, stretch into the clouds, lighting the overcast in neon colors.

The streets are no less impressive, each building unique with grandly lit entrances. Museums, casinos, bars, fashion shows, concert venues, and other leisurely places blend behind the window of our van as we skid with the traffic through the street. “Nuts.” I utter. Holding my amazement inside wouldn’t do the picture justice.

It’s Saturday and New Havason is at its peak hours. People flunk the wide streets. Tour busses cruise between the landmarks, tourists snapping pictures of everyone and everything. A luxurious limo skids past, a bride and groom standing in the open sunroof, bottles in their hands and smiles on their faces. A street entertainer with a makeshift robot, performing tricks and a crowd cheering for her.

“Here it is,” Aida says. Our Casino; a forty-story slim high-rise sparkles neon and holos against the night sky. People, draped in shiny garments, pour in and out the main double-door entrance. By now I see that if one needs to find someone who can get them somewhere they’re gonna find them in this district.

“Oh, this place is not that grand yet.” Corrin sticks his head to the front. It’s impossible to roll eyes in unison that perfect as we all do. I bet he has the Great opera house of Havason in mind. The cheapest ticket there costs six months of my salary.

Why we never thought of going to this Casino in the first place? I’m sure people far more important visit it. Or not. On the way here even bigger, shinier buildings of entertainment flew by. And what would I do if I met someone important? Gain a ton of information I don’t need? But I can always extract something beneficial to others. If only I knew the way I could help more than one person at a time. But I wasn’t ready back then. I trailed Corrin… still trailing him. And here we are now.

With other vehicles Aida rounds the building to the backlot. Our vehicle blends right in with a few crappy-looking vans, parked between lavish and poor cars.

“How IT will look like?” Terrel asks.

“I don’t know.” Aida shuts the engine. “You’ll have to separate and scout everything on your way up. Capo said he or she will probably be at the top of the building or at the bottom. Sevina, you go with Terrel to the top floors and move down. Corrin, Quint, take the basement and first ten floors.”

“But—” Corrin protests.

“It makes sense,” I say. “Terrel’s a stronger one.”

Corrin purses his lips, his masculine pride insulted. He’s strong, but Terrel’s bigger and far more intimidating.

“Here.” Aida passes us four key cards. “Your staff passes. Show it to the bouncer.” Capo must be well connected. He provided waiters uniforms to help us blend in as well; white button-up shirts and black slacks. Well, Aida said he gave her those.

It’s midnight but even deep in the back lot I hear the roar of the street. The city roars, the whizz of drones and helicopters cutting the air as if in an open field. I catch myself wishing to hear a familiar quiet buzz out my window, soft air stroking my face as I stare outside.

Aida’s voice in my ear breaks my line of thought. I confirm. Our earpieces are linked to her setup in the van.

We cross the lot to the back door. A group of waiters smokes nearby, so we, a bunch of rug rats, fit right in. A bouncer scans our passes and lets us into the back area, cramped with personnel and entertainers; not as lavish as I imagined it would be.

We reach the stairwell by the elevators and separate. Corrin and Quint keep straight and Terrel and I climb a few floors up, hoping to find an emptier floor to take an elevator less conspicuously.

A few flights of stairs later a short click ticks in my ear and I halt. “My comm’s down.”

“Mine’s too.” Terrel keeps climbing. “It must be all the interference. I know where to go.” Aida informed us en route. “The signal should come back as soon as we’re higher. Unless it’s the IT and they’re jamming the place.”

Rectangular blocks of windows dot the stairwell wall as we ascend, giving view to the casino itself —holos of half-naked women and handsome men glide between the aisles of slot machines and throngs of people. Droids deal cards at the gambling tables. A VIP area balcony overlooks the Casino pit, men and women lounging in vinyl booths, attended by waiters. I guess they’re elite visitors. Muffled music penetrates the walls. I saw pictures of places like this. So much luxury and details in one place, but despite the grandeur this is not the top of the heap. Top, I’d imagine, has twenty people sharing one Casino.

On the sixth uncrowded floor we catch an empty elevator to the top. The penthouse requires a passcode we don’t have, just like Aida said it would, so we step out into a dark blue hall on the thirty-eighth floor. This place might as well be a hotel.

“She said it’s the fifth door on the left.” Terrel assumes his character as a waiter. “Are you sure the order came from there?”

“Yes,” I say as we stride left. “I think that’s what she said.” No security. No nothing.

We stop in front of a fifth double entrance. Wait? How did Aida know which door it is?

Before I realize what an incomprehensible idiot I am or before Terrel reacts the doors slide open and a pistol faces my head. Two armed men in dark suits appear from behind the walls.

“Finally.” Another man speaks up drily from behind his desk, frantically tapping the keyboard.

The room is a windowless crimson-colored lounge joined with an office. Terrel keeps his cool. “We’re here to—”

“Don’t bother. I know why you’re here.” The man at the desk snaps his head up. I gasp. He’s not the IT at all.

He’s Corrin’s father.

While I stand shock-stricken one of the security men slides his hands over my body in a quick frisk. We’re shoved inside. My knees lock with fear. How did they know? Who snitched? No. It’s not important. What do I have to do to see his life?

“I thought I’d never catch you.” Corrin’s father shoves away from the desk, irked. “In so many years no one was bold enough to attack the shipments. And then I learn that kids from a gang did it,” he scoffs, “Out of each scenario, this one was the last on my mind. Where on earth I left a gap for such a daring group to form?”

He’s not aware of my abilities. At least he looks like he isn’t.

He strides to us, stopping in front of me and clutching his digital pad tightly. Chills shoot through my back and I inch back a step, landing into a security man’s clutches, who seizes my upper arms with vicious tightness.

Corrin’s father’s arm recoils and the impact of his pad against my cheek shakes my brain. His fingers grip my collar, yanking me back straight, and he nears my face so close I wince, shutting my eyes. “Why did you do it?” His voice is like sand grated against paper. A stench of sharp cologne pricks at my nose.

Look at him, while he’s close…

But my head is low, shallow breath bursting in and out, and all I can do is stand stiff, a useless fear-stricken mess. No one described to me what it’s like to meet the Boss. All I know of him is the fear and disappointment Corrin felt.

“How many of you are there?” He releases me roughly, and I hear his shoes swivel against the wood, pivoting to Terrel.

I should’ve looked…

Terrel’s quiet.

When I part my eyes Corrin’s father motions to the man who holds me, a gesture I don’t get. One of my captor’s clutches disappear and before I comprehend why a short electrical whizz bounces through my ears and I notice a taser in the man’s grip.

“No, don’t!” Terrel calls out just as millions of needles paralyze my muscles. A shriek erupts out of me.

The current stops, no longer than a few seconds, and my legs buckle. The man releases me and I succumb to my fours, gasping and trembling.

Corrin’s father’s feet come into my line of vision. “How many of—” The main door slides open.

“Excuse me.” Scanning the room, a man with faint Asian features tilts his head. “I didn’t know you had visitors.” He checks his shiny watch.

I wipe at my mouth and arch back, slumping to my knees, my whole body singing in remains of pain.

“It’s fine. Please enter.” Corrin’s father waves him in. “It’s just a hiccup.”

His hands behind his back, the guest glides in. Well, to say that he glides would be an understatement. I’ve never seen anyone walk with more poise and fluidity before. He looks like he’s in his late forties and all about him screams ‘a business mogul’— combed raven hair, thinly trimmed beard, black pressed suit, no tie, and a shirt with its top unbuttoned. If he’s from the higher ilk, this is how the ilk should look like.

His coal-black eyes slide past me and Terrel before settling on Corrin’s father. They shake hands. “If you’re in a hurry say how much you need,” the guest says.

“I’ll be quick, please wait,” Corrin’s father lets out, suddenly more timid around this man. No wonder. The mogul looks like someone you don’t want to mess with. So what are we fighting against, a distant thought reaches me, when tycoons like this man make Corrin’s father fret.

The visitor stands aside, his attention shifting to one of the paintings on the wall. He’s as tall as Terrel, a bit leaner than that though. “What did the kids do?” He admires the art.

Tapping his pad, Corrin’s father laughs nervously. “A lot of trouble they’re going to pay for.” I swallow a shaky ball of gathering tears.

“I’ll leave then. I don’t like watching kids die.”

What?

“They’re not going to die here, Sherman,” Corrin’s father pivots to Terrel. He swats at the man who guards me, and he hunkers down next to me.

“No, plea—” Taser digs into my ribs. I succumb on my side, locked in place, screaming.

What…What Corrin’ was thinking? I don’t need this bosses’ life story to understand that reasoning with him is pointless. I don’t know Dan, but I’m sure he won’t be able to force this man to step down peacefully.

Corrin!

You better be okay.

“You’re still not talking.” Corrin’s father grinds his teeth and I realize the pain has stopped. Perhaps, I passed out for a minute or two.

Hate clusters in my throat and in my half-cognitive state I hiss a mass of words I’m sure only I can make out. “There are a lot of us. You’ll never beat us.” I might as well lie. Even if Dan’s the boss, this shaky man can’t have any remains of power. Because of people like him peaceful civilians suffer and it’s crucial we take him down. We have to…

Corrin’s father lifts his brow. “You deserve another one.” He lifts his hand—

“Stop.” The security man snaps his head at the guest— Sherman, who admires the painting still. “This is an incredulous painting. A gorgeous forgery.” On his heel, he pivots, the air of superiority all but permeating the room. “Don’t touch her.” Like an unmovable force he strides to me. “Move.” The security man scuttles back and Sherman stops between me and Corrin’s father. “Reid, I arrived here to do business, not to watch you torture children.” Thanks for the kindness of strangers, I guess. “There’s no need to torture kids you intend to kill.” What? You, asshat! “The girl is lying, their numbers are small, and you need to focus on solving your problems, not agitating yourself further. That’s why I’m here—to help you.”

But for my ragged breathing silence falls in the room.

Sherman’s voice reverberates even through me, a deep and powerful drone. “Do you or do you not want to do business, Reid?” Reid… Right, Corrin’s father’s name. I never bothered to call him by his name.

Reid drops his head. “Excuse me, I’ve had some troubles lately.” His shoulder flinches and he grits his teeth, trying to control himself. The man must be developing Parkinson’s.

“We’ll solve it. Don’t do what can be done by your men. It’ll save you nerves.” Sherman puts a hand on Reid’s shoulder. “The man you’re waiting for must’ve arrived already.”

Following stillness from both men watching me and Terrel destroys the last remains of my calm.

Is this where I plead for my life?

“Get rid of them,” Reid barks out. I let out a huff and part my lips to call after him, but only a breathless tortured croak comes out.

Reid notices as he takes his coat from the couch. “Should’ve thought in the first place.” He stops in front of me, a sturdy shadow blocking the light. I could look at him… but my body shivers and I don’t dare to meet his gray eyes. I begin to understand the fact that I’ll die. And it leaves every cell in my body howling with terror.

Reid stomps out of the room, Sherman gliding behind him and one of his security men in tow.

Another chance to everything. Missed. The chance more valuable than IT, more valuable than anything. He was our goal from the get-go.

I might’ve become the only person who could reason with him.

“Get up.” The security man pokes me with his foot, his gun pointed at Terrel. Terrel’s chest heaves as he looks at me, pain and distress embedded into his face.

I scramble up, swaying until I find my balance. At the gunpoint the remaining thug rushes us out. Where’s he going to do us in? No one would hear a shot here and his pistol has a silencer anyway.

Interfering scrubs my ear and Aida’s words erupt into my stinging head. “Does anyone hear me?” The sound is almost euphoric, a beacon of hope. She’ll figure something out! I want to scream back, but don’t dare.

“Are you okay, Aida?” Terrel asks.

“Shut up!” The thug nudges Terrel’s head with a pistol.

“Terrel, what’s going on?” Aida’s tone falls. “Did you meet the man?”

My heart gives a deafening thud. Terrel and I exchange glances, our faces filling with agony. Capo never had a plan. It was she. Out of all people, Aida betrayed us…

“Yeah, we met him,” Terrel utters.

In my ear Aida sniffs. “I’m sorry.” She pleads. “He promised we’d get jobs. This is stupid what we’re doing, Terrel. We left the only place we got. That man said he’d support us if I told about the shipments.”

At the end of the corridor we’re led into a dark empty room; a windowless, airless cube. “On your knees,” the man barks out.

“On your knees?” Aida echoes, her pitch rising. “What’s going on?”

“He’ll kill us,” Terrel whispers, lowering himself to the ground.

“No…” Aida’s surprise and terror echo over the line. “No, he can’t! He said he wouldn’t. He promised you’d be safe! He can’t…”

Facing the wall, I slump to my wobbling knees beside Terrel, lower my head and blink at the tiles, dark stained tiles.

This is the room for dirty business.

Even if this was a setup my cowardice failed me again. Failed us. I should’ve stayed at home. I should’ve found another job…

Or I should’ve just fucking looked.

Aida cries, and I think I hear the van creak as she vaults outside. I let out a sob and bite my lip so not to burst into tears.

“It’s all right,” Terrel mouths to me. Shivering like a leaf, I turn my head at him merely. Should I look him in the eyes? For comfort? For anything?

With the corner of my eye I see the thug point a barrel at Terrel’s head. What can we do? Terrel may look intimidating, but he’s the only one who isn’t a murderer as far as I rem—

Terrel’s hand flies past my head as he pivots, ducking under the man’s gun. A shot deafens me as Terrel grabs the man’s legs and with a powerful tug pulls the footing from under him. The man crashes on his back. Terrel leaps on him, pinning him with his mass and grappling for his gun. Grunting with effort, he wraps his fingers around the barrel and twists it sharply, pushing it to the thug's face.

Two shots crack out, blood and brains splattering on the tiles.

Terrel stumbles back to the wall, gasping. A red spot near his heart expands and merges with a bigger stain of blood at his ribs, where a twisted knife sticks out.

My panicked breath falls silent and a distant voice screeches in my comm. Aida’s screaming.

“You-you better hope t-they don’t go back on the remaining—” Terrel slides down by the wall, wheezing—“ deal you made.”

Ignoring lamenting Aida in my ear, I crawl to him on my fours, dazed from the rush of adrenaline and shock. I grab his hand and flit around uselessly, unable to focus on what to do. My cheeks and eyes burn from salt, but I don’t feel myself crying.

Terrel wraps his palm around mine and tugs me closer, stopping my flitting. “At least w-we did something. Do it or die trying, right?” I nod relentlessly, words and tears clamped tight in my throat. I saw this… I saw people die just like this.

“You’re-you’re…” I stammer as I fixate on his eyes.

Three seconds.

Five.

Ten…