Chapter 6 Digging Too Deep #2
Everyone knew it.
The younger man stepped closer to the table.
His eyes remained locked on Viktor.
"I've spoken to dozens of people."
"That's part of the problem."
"Workers are afraid."
"They have reasons."
"And you think that's acceptable?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Firmly.
Honestly.
Elias blinked.
Surprised.
Viktor understood why.
The younger man expected resistance.
Not agreement.
Unfortunately, agreement didn't change reality.
"Accepting something and surviving it aren't the same thing."
The words sounded familiar.
Old.
Tired.
Like lessons learned the hard way.
Elias shook his head.
"It shouldn't be like that."
"No."
"It can change."
Viktor laughed.
A harsh sound.
Humorless.
The kind of laugh produced by experience.
"You're twenty-one."
The younger man's eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you still believe the world works the way it's supposed to."
"And you don't?"
The question hit harder than expected.
Because once upon a time, Viktor had.
Years ago.
Before life taught different lessons.
Before people died.
Before promises broke.
Before reality crushed idealism beneath its boot.
"No."
The answer remained simple.
Brutally honest.
The room fell silent.
For a moment, neither looked away.
The tension between them felt different now.
Not anger exactly.
Something deeper.
Something far more dangerous.
Elias glanced down at one of the open files.
A worker injury report.
The paper looked worn from age.
"These people deserve better."
His voice softened slightly.
"They do."
Viktor surprised himself by agreeing again.
The younger man looked up.
Confusion flickered across his face.
Probably because their argument wasn't unfolding the way he expected.
Viktor wasn't defending the company.
He wasn't defending management.
He wasn't defending anyone.
That wasn't the point.
The point was survival.
"Then help me."
The request caught him off guard.
Elias stepped forward.
One step.
Small.
Yet somehow significant.
"Help me understand what's happening."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Automatic.
Necessary.
The younger man's frustration became visible.
"Why?"
Because people got hurt.
Because investigations attracted attention.
Because Richard Hart's company wasn't some university project.
Because the world didn't reward heroes.
Because Viktor had already lost enough people.
Because he was becoming far too invested in someone who made terrible decisions.
None of those answers felt safe to share.
Instead, he chose the simplest one.
"Because you need to stop."
Elias stared.
"No."
The refusal landed between them.
Firm.
Absolute.
For the first time, Viktor saw something fierce beneath the younger man's gentle personality.
Not anger.
Conviction.
The kind that refused to bend.
It should have frustrated him.
Instead, it sparked something else.
Respect.
The realization annoyed him immediately.
"You're not listening."
"Neither are you."
The argument escalated.
Not loudly.
Quietly.
Which somehow felt worse.
Each word carried weight.
Each response struck deeper.
Neither backed down.
Neither wanted to.
Viktor moved around the table.
Elias mirrored the movement.
Soon the distance between them had disappeared entirely.
One step.
Maybe two.
Nothing more.
Close enough to see every detail.
Close enough to notice the faint freckles across Elias's nose.
Close enough to see determination burning in green eyes.
Close enough to realize that was a very bad idea.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too warm.
Too quiet.
Neither man seemed willing to retreat.
The argument continued.
Yet the words became harder to focus on.
Because Viktor's attention kept drifting.
Toward Elias's face.
His mouth.
The way passion animated every expression.
Jesus Christ.
This was a disaster.
The realization struck without warning.
Not the investigation.
Not the records.
Him.
His reaction.
His attraction.
Elias was standing inches away, arguing with him, challenging him, refusing to back down.
And somehow Viktor wanted to pull him closer instead of pushing him away.
The thought hit like a punch to the chest.
Wrong.
Stupid.
Dangerous.
The younger man was still talking.
Still making points.
Still trying to convince him.
Viktor barely heard any of it.
Because suddenly all he could think about was how close they were.
How easy it would be to close the remaining distance.
How badly he needed to get out of this room.
Now.
Before he did something unbelievably stupid.
Elias must have noticed the shift.
His voice faltered slightly.
The silence that followed felt electric.
Neither moved.
Neither breathed.
For one impossible second, everything stopped.
Then Viktor stepped back.
Abruptly.
As though the space between them had caught fire.
His jaw tightened.
Every muscle in his body screamed for distance.
For control.
For sanity.
"This ends now."
The words sounded rough.
Almost angry.
Mostly at himself.
Elias blinked.
Confused.
"Huh?"
"Stop digging."
Viktor turned toward the door.
"Viktor."
"Stay out of it."
The younger man took a step forward.
Concern replaced frustration.
That somehow made everything worse.
"Wait."
Viktor didn't.
Couldn't.
Because staying meant looking at Elias longer.
Thinking longer.
Feeling things he absolutely should not be feeling.
The attraction had been manageable from a distance.
Not anymore.
Not after standing inches apart.
Not after realizing exactly how much danger he was in.
Without another word, Viktor shoved open the door and walked out.
The cool evening air hit his face.
It wasn't enough.
Nothing felt like enough.
Behind him, Elias remained inside the records room.
Ahead of him stretched the construction camp.
Dust.
Steel.
Concrete.
Work.
Simple things.
Things that made sense.
Because whatever was happening between him and Richard Hart's stubborn, infuriating son made absolutely no sense at all.
And that scared Viktor far more than the investigation ever could.
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