James watched as Linda vomited everything in her stomach…he could literally tell what she had eaten that day.
The stench of vomit mixed with blood created an even more disgusting and grotesque scene around them.
"You done?"
Linda coughed, struggling to breath. Her mind was spinning, unable to process what was happening, what she had woken up to.
Hector, still grinning at the scene before him, chuckled. "Guess not everyone has the stomach for this, huh?"
She then looked at Stephen who sat there like he was trying to be invisible.
Her stomach twisted again, but she forced herself to swallow down what was coming up.
She needed to stay calm. Panic wouldn’t help her now.
"You’re awfully quiet. I expected more screaming, maybe some begging. Instead, you just sit there throwing up all over the place." James said.
She didn’t want to speak, she couldn’t. Her mind raced with a thousand questions, but fear kept her silent.
Hector chuckled. "Maybe she’s in shock or maybe she’s just trying to figure out how to get out of here alive."
"That’d be smart of her." He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees. "But let me make something clear, sweetheart." His voice dipped lower, colder. "You’re not leaving, unless you have answers for me."
"...W-what do you want from me…?" She finally managed to whisper.
James slowly reached out his hand, shivering her face.
"Can I ask what the fuck are doing in the chief office after I beat the shit out of you?"
She could still feel the bruises from earlier, the dull ache of where his fists had landed. She had barely been conscious when he left her behind. And yet, somehow, she had ended up here.
She didn’t even remember how.
"I-I don’t know." She admitted. "I don’t remember."
James didn’t react at first. He simply stared at her.
"You don’t remember?" He repeated. "That’s strange."
Linda flinched as he suddenly grabbed the armrest of her chair, leaning in so close she could feel his breath against her skin. His bloody fingers trailed along the side of her face.
"You expect me to believe that?"
Her body tensed, but she forced herself to hold his gaze. "I-I swear…I don’t know how I got here."
"Well, shit, that’s interesting." James laughed. "You remember?" He looked at Stephen.
"She has nothing to do with any of this… I was the one who picked her up. She was unconscious the whole ride."
James tilted his head. "Mmm. But she said something about the president, didn’t she?"
Stephen’s hand trembled, but he needed to tell the truth. "I informed the president about what happened with Linda…and he ordered me to come and delete all the files and documents related to the operation."
James opened his mouth slightly, as if surprised by Stephen’s words.
"I see." His gaze flicked toward Linda, then back to Stephen. "And what exactly did you delete?" James tilted his head as he stared into his eyes.
Stephen’s hands trembled even more, but he managed to speak while blood slowly pooled beneath him.
"All of the files and reports that connected the operation to the government."
James remained silent, while Linda braced herself, expecting something, maybe another beating.
"So, you’re telling me…" He began. "that the president sent you to clean up his mess? To make sure no one could trace anything back to him?"
Stephen slowly nodded. "The Vice President ordered the hit. The President just wanted to make sure the government wasn’t connected to it, because he knew that you would come and maybe leak it to the media…"
"Man, I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered." He let out a chuckle. "The big guy himself is so scared that he’s wiping every little trace of my assassination attempt?" He glanced at the chief’s mutilated body, blood still pooling beneath the chair. "Too bad that I killed him. But tell me something…do the government fear me or the files I have about all the corruption?"
Stephen didn’t know what to say. He glanced at Linda, but her gaze was on the table, still trembling.
"...the files..." He managed to say it, but he wasn’t sure that it was still true.
"Mmm…" James looked up at the ceiling, then back to Stephen. "And what would happen if I burn all of those? The thousands of pages, the hard drives, all of it? Would you fear me?"
Stephen slowly glanced at the chief’s body and the officer, then looked back at James.
"...yes, I would fear you."
"You would fear me because a man is defined by his actions…but then, would the government fear me?"
It was the moment when Stephen understood that James wasn’t just asking a question, he was declaring a war. He was saying that even if he didn’t have the documents, he would still be feared by the sheer brutality and terror he could unleash.
"They would fear you…" He said.
"And how many bodies would it take? Maybe 10, 30, or 100? How much would it take for them to realize that they fucked up so badly that they have no other option but to kneel before me?"
"I—"
"It’s… not you…" Linda suddenly spoke, her voice still trembling, but her eyes locked onto James’s face. "James Bellini… wouldn’t do such a thing… killing without a purpose… it’s not you."
For a moment, James’s eyes wavered, as if he was changing in that exact moment.
He leaned forward again toward Linda.
"Crazy how the government always says this…’we are not killing without a purpose,’ but then they bomb cities, they send soldiers to a war that has no purpose, they let people die from hunger in the fucking 21st century. Isn’t that killing without a purpose?"
He leaned back.
"Oh, wait, I forgot… all of these things have money in them. How stupid of me." He laughed looking at Stephen and Linda.
But she said nothing back, just stared at him. She knew the truth very well, even if it was horrible, it was still the truth.
"Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not dumb and saying I should kill everybody, no… but there is one thing I hate more than someone trying to kill me… it’s someone thinking they can get away with it."
"...W-what do you want then?" Linda asked.
"Do you remember what we talked about in the hospital?"
Linda’s breath hitched, but she nodded. "Yeah… I remember that."
James smiled, "Good." He leaned back, resting his arm on the chair. "Then do it. Kill the Vice President."
"What…?" Stephen blinked
"Why are you acting so surprised?" His eyes darted at him. "You wanted to use me to eliminate your little political rivals, right? Why don’t you just do it yourself?"
Stephen remained silent.
"You needed to fucking kill my brother first." His fingers twitched, gripping the edge of his chair. "So let me ask you…do you have any objections?"
Stephen’s eyes widened.
"I don’t."
"Okay, and that DTA or whatever the fuck you wanted, I’m also in."
Linda and Stephen went numb, all the thoughts in their heads just vanished.
"Yeah, don’t look at me like that, but I don’t actually join. I do it my own way. You two will just assist me." He smiled.
"You want us to—"
"Yeah, you will become my dogs, but very good dogs, and we can together take over the government, maybe help someone run for presidency. Wouldn’t that be fun?"
He looked at Linda, who was already regretting all the life choices she had made so far, while Stephen was just realizing what James meant by it.
Then he stood up and turned for the door.
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"I want to see in the news that the chief slipped and shot himself or something like that. Y’all know how to cover up shit."
James turned toward the door, but before stepping out, he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Make sure it’s done properly." He said, his voice calm but clear warning.
Stephen gave a small nod, though his fingers twitched slightly at his side. He had no choice but to comply.
Without another word, James walked out, Hector following closely behind.
As the door shut behind them, Linda finally exhaled, her whole body trembling.
Because she knew, this wasn’t the end.
It was just the beginning.
On the way out, there were already dozens of officers with guns in a standoff with James’ bodyguards.
It was clear that someone had been shot, but seeing James standing there meant that he wasn’t the one who had died. The blood on his suit and hands only confirmed it.
"Drop your weapons!" An older officer shouted at them.
James didn’t move. He barely even blinked. His expression was calm—too calm. His gaze swept over the officers, then down at his own hands then back at them.
"No, you drop your weapons!" James shouted back at them which caught them off guard and confused.
The officer looked at each other, but the older officer didn’t really care.
"I said drop your weapon and get on your knees!"
"I don’t even have a weapon you dumb fuck—"
A shot.
It went past James and into the wall.
"Drop it before I fucking shoot you!"
What are the odds that I will die if we start shooting in there…it’s gotta be fifty-fifty.
James simply held out his hand toward Hector. "Give me a coin."