Chapter 98: A gamble
> Alisha
"And why should I trust you?"
Venzrich’s jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his face jumped. He pressed the cold muzzle of the gun deeper into my forehead. I could feel the circular rim of the barrel digging into my skin. It was freezing, a sharp contrast to the sweat trickling down my neck.
"Marcus, don’t do it!" I snapped. My teeth were gritted as I sensed Marcus stirring behind me. I didn’t need to look to know he was reaching for his holster, his body coiled like a spring. I knew he was anxious; he was programmed to protect me at all costs, but a single wrong move now would turn this hallway into a graveyard.
"Stay back!" I ordered again, my voice trembling only slightly. This was my only chance.
If Marcus drew his weapon, the dozen men behind Venzrich would open fire, and we would be dead before we hit the floor.
The truth was, I didn’t have a good answer for him. If I were in Venzrich’s shoes, I wouldn’t trust me either. I was a wild card in his eyes, a potential enemy standing in the middle of his desperation.
But I had to make this work. Mallory was out there, and time was bleeding away.
I looked Venzrich straight in the eye, refusing to blink even as the gun metal bit into my brow. Then, I slowly scanned the room.
Almost everyone who had the power or the position to help my sister was present. I looked at the men, and most especially the family members. Genuine rage was written on every face. It was a sea of anger directed at me.
Either my presence really made them that furious, or the traitor among them was a world-class actor.
"Tell me..." I started, locking my gaze back onto Venzrich’s icy stare. "Do you honestly trust every single person standing in this room right now?"
I felt his finger twitch. He partially pressed the trigger, just enough to make the mechanism click but not enough to set it off.
My heart thudded against my ribs like a trapped bird. I knew I was a mere second away from losing my life. The air in the hallway felt heavy.
"If there’s one person I don’t trust here, it’s you," he answered, his voice a low growl. "So when you mentioned your sister, does that mean she was involved in all this?"
The question caught me off guard. My eyebrows creased, and I stared at him, genuinely puzzled.
The confusion must have shown on my face because his grip on the gun faltered for a tiny fraction of a second.
"Don’t tell me you didn’t know?" I asked, my voice rising in disbelief. "Eleina was the one who kidnapped Mallory. She was the one who took her right out from under your nose."
A flicker of something crossed his eyes—surprise, then a deeper, darker shadow of doubt.
That’s it.
That was the sliver of hope I needed. I saw the slight change in his posture. This man was on edge, pushed to the brink by the disappearance of his wife, and I had just handed him a piece of the puzzle he didn’t have.
This was my opening. My only chance to get him to actually listen instead of just pulling the trigger.
"I wouldn’t risk my little sister’s life if I wasn’t telling the truth," I said, my voice urgent. "I just want to talk to you. Ten minutes. That’s all I need. Give me ten minutes of your time, and I’ll give you the rest of the story."
I could see the gears turning in his head. He squinted at me, his eyes searching mine, trying to find a lie, a hint of a trap, or a hidden motive.
"No," I corrected myself, sensing his hesitation. "Five minutes. Just give me five minutes in a room, let’s just talk alone for five minutes."
"Why are you doing this?" he spat. "Last I checked, you never treated my wife like she was your sister. You treated her like an outcast. Why the sudden change of heart?"
I took a deep breath. The air was cold in my lungs. I knew that if I told him the whole truth—that I had been secretly protecting Mallory from the shadows all this time—he wouldn’t believe a word of it. He’d think it was a story made up to save my skin.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, then opened them, letting all my frustration and fear show.
"I just want my little sister back," I said plainly. "To be honest, I don’t care about your wife. But I need you to understand that someone is manipulating Eleina. Someone is pulling her strings to make all of this happen, and I can tell you for a fact that it isn’t anyone from my side."
I let that sink in. I wanted the seed of suspicion to take root in his mind. If it wasn’t my people, it had to be his.
Venzrich paused. The hallway went silent. Even his men seemed to hold their breath. He tilted his head slightly, looking past me toward the group of people standing behind him.
"Brother! Don’t get swayed by this woman!"
The shout came from Vale Chesten, Venzrich’s brother. He stepped forward, his face red with anger. "She’s trying to poison your mind! She’s making you doubt your own people just to ruin our chances on finding my sister in law!"
"I agree with Vale," Mara Bryce added, her voice sharp and cold. "She’s a snake, Venzrich. She’s playing on our desperation. Don’t let her lead you away."
I didn’t let their words shake me. I didn’t look back at them. I kept my eyes locked on Venzrich, standing my ground without flinching.
"You can choose to believe them," I retorted, my voice steady. "You can listen to them and keep pointing that gun at me. But if you do, you might as well bid your final goodbye to your wife now. Because without what I know, you won’t find another clue. You’ll be searching in the dark while the real traitor laughs at you."
Venzrich didn’t move. He looked like a statue, a deadly one made of muscle and rage. "Why should I trust you?" he whispered again.
In a split-second decision, I did something crazy. I reached up, grabbed the barrel of the gun with my own hand, and pressed it even harder against the center of my forehead.
"MADAME!" Marcus shouted, his voice full of alarm. I heard his boots scuff the floor as he prepared to lung.
"I’m fine, Marcus! Stay back!" I reassured him, never taking my eyes off Venzrich.
I looked at the man holding my life in his hands. "You can shoot me right now if you think I’m lying," I challenged him. "If this is a game to me, then end it. But if it isn’t, you’re killing the only person who can help you."
Bang!
