Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Dante
She doesn’t stir when I lay her down on the mattress. Not even a small twitch. The sedative settles well into her bloodstream which means I gave her the perfect dosage. Enough to keep her out temporarily without doing real damage.
I take a step back and roll my neck, joints popping quietly.
I already know she’s going to be pissed when she wakes up. We’d agreed not to use anything that required a needle, but her father insisted it would look convincing. Indistinguishable from how we treated every other hostage.
Finnic stands a few feet away, eyes fixed on her. His breathing is off and he hasn’t yet addressed the blood seeping down his arm.
“You gonna take care of that?” I ask, nodding toward his forearm.
He glances down like he’d already forgotten it existed. His skin is inflamed around the bite marks and I am sure it will bruise later.
“I’m fine,” he mutters.
I plan to toss this needle out and use a new one the next time. If she were an actual hostage, I wouldn’t give two shits.
But I don’t want to maim her in any way.
“Sit,” I order.
He stiffens. “I don’t-”
“Sit,” I repeat, but sharper this time.
He hesitates, but then drags a hand down the mask on his face and drops onto one of the overturned crates along the wall.
I lean against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
“I gotta say,” I break the silence casually, “I’m surprised you were a little rough with her.”
He doesn’t look at me at first. His attention stays fixed on Leigh, sprawled across the mattress, motionless except for the steady rise and fall of her chest. He lets out a dry laugh and retorts, “I mean, that’s my job here. Is it not?”
I smile at his sarcasm. “It is.” My brow raises as I stare at him. “But from what I’ve heard, you’re not usually aggressive with women.”
His shoulders tense as I pace the room.
“That’s why the boss chose you to help me with this job,” I continue, “He needs to know you won’t screw up an important situation like this. He’s gotta be sure you won’t hesitate when things get complicated.”
I stop directly in front of him.
He still isn’t looking at me.
His eyes are locked on Leigh, her dark lashes resting against her cheeks, lips parted slightly in sedation. She looks peaceful like this. Innocent, if you didn’t know better.
“Are you listening to a word I’m telling you?” I question.
His gaze finally snaps to mine. “What?”
“This is the time to show how much you can give to the company.. and how much you can take.”
His lips part, but nothing comes out.
I straighten and turn away from him, walking back towards Leigh.
I observe her again.
This was different than when she’s awake.
She was something entirely opposite when she was conscious.
She seems like she is always ready for a fight, always on guard. It’s as if she expects everything to be a challenge.
But here, now. She’s artlessly tranquil.
Behind me, Finnic exhales a long, resigned breath. “What do I need to do?”
I glance over my shoulder at him. “Just show him that you can contain those bottled-up emotions you have and everything will be fine.”
He shakes his head. “So, I’m not allowed to have any sympathy for someone who could be innocent in all of this?”
I arch a brow. “Did you not see the picture? This girl is no where close to innocent. She was bred and raised in this environment. The only thing she could possibly be is just ignorant and honestly, that’s sadder.”
“Maybe she didn’t know. Maybe she thought the money was for something good.”
I let out a dark chuckle. “You’re really sticking your neck out for a girl you met less than twenty-four hours ago.”
He sits in silence.
I know he understands what I’m saying. He’s smart like that.
He has no idea who she is or what she could be lying about. Yet, he stands here already defending her honor like he’s grown up with her all of his life.
I turn fully to face him then, studying him.
“You know what that tells me?” I ask quietly.
He doesn’t answer.
“It tells me you’re projecting,” I insist. “And projection gets people killed in this line of work.”
He scoffs under his breath. “Or it keeps them human. And so what if I am projecting? We all come into this job carrying trauma and shit from our past. We all have experiences that fuck with how we see things.”
I laugh, shaking my head at his honesty. “Feeling human while working for a man like the one we work for is a luxury we can’t afford to have.”
I step closer, close enough that he can’t look anywhere else without it being obvious.
“I’m not saying you don’t get to have a past.”
His gaze flicks to the wall, then back to me. “Hell,” he mutters, “everyone who ends up here does.”
I glance briefly at the blood that is now drying onto his arm before meeting his eyes. “But you don’t get to let the past grab the steering wheel when it comes to something like this. You don’t know her, and you probably never will.”
He clenches his jaw harder, but holds my gaze.
“I know what it’s like to carry shit that never shuts up,” I continue.
“Fucked up memories that crawl into your thoughts at the worst possible moments.” My mouth twitches, something bitter passing through me.
“That doesn’t make you special, Finnic. It makes you dangerous if you don’t keep that shit on a leash. ”
The room’s atmosphere feels heavier as I continue.
“This job doesn’t offer second chances,” I state firmly. “Not when emotions start clouding judgment.”
He swallows.
“You hesitate, people die. Sometimes it’s the wrong people. Sometimes it’s you.”
I gesture vaguely toward Leigh without looking at her. “This setup exists to see if you can compartmentalize. If you can follow orders even when your instincts are screaming at you to play hero.”
His brow furrows. “So what? You want me to stop caring?”
“I want you to control it,” I snap. “There’s a difference. Caring without control gets you buried.”
I straighten, my voice lowering. “This isn’t just another job. This is the job. If you can’t do this one, you may not find another one, if you get the gist.”
He stares at me, realization slowly settling in.
“You pass this,” I say as if I’m suggesting a challenge, “and you move up. Not just in pay, but in trust. You’ll have more access than before and you’ll become someone the boss can rely on when things go to hell.”
“And if I don’t?” he retorts.
I don’t hesitate. “Then this is the sky’s limit. Best case, you stay muscle forever. Worst case..” I shrug once. “You become a liability.”
Silence stretches between us.
I hold his gaze. “I understand going through tough shit. I understand more than anyone. But if you want to keep working with us, if you want to survive in this world, you don’t let it bleed into your decisions.”
I tilt my head towards Leigh. “This is your final test, Finnic. How you handle her determines exactly how high you climb.”
Then I step back, giving him space to sit with it.
“Choose carefully,” I add. “Because from here on out, every choice you make is being watched.”
I turn and walk out of her temporary prison.
Not seconds later and footsteps trail behind me.
For now, he seems to be making the right choice. He’s choosing to distance himself from his emotions, to do the job he was given.
But soon enough, we’ll find out just how tightly he can keep them contained.