Into the Abyss

In a world built on deception, even the truth can be a weapon.

Adrian...

Midnight.

The warehouse loomed in the distance, its towering steel frame casting long shadows beneath the glow of flickering streetlights. The night carried a bitter chill, but it wasn't the cold that sent a slow coil of tension through my spine.

It was the uncertainty.

I didn't deal well with unknown variables. And Celeste Carter? She was my biggest one yet.

I leaned against the hood of my car, arms crossed as I watched the empty lot in front of me. Dante and Lorenzo were on standby, waiting for my signal, but I had made sure they remained unseen. This wasn't their game to play—not yet.

I had to see her moves first.

The faint hum of an approaching engine cut through the silence. Headlights swept across the lot before a sleek black sedan rolled to a stop a few yards away. The driver's side door opened, and she stepped out, moving like a shadow in the night.

Celeste.

She walked toward me, her expression unreadable, but her eyes—sharp, calculating—were already searching for answers before I even spoke.

"You're early." My voice was calm, even.

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "So are you. I suppose that makes us both impatient."

The corner of my mouth lifted slightly. "Cautious?"

"Always." Her gaze didn't waver, but there was something in the way she stood—tense, guarded.

A gust of wind swept through the space between us, carrying the scent of oil and steel. She didn't break eye contact, and I wondered—just for a second—if she could feel the shift in the air, the weight of the moment pressing down on both of us.

She was here. But was it because she wanted to be—or because she had no choice?

"Tell me something, Ogonëk." I pushed off the car, closing the distance between us. "Why is it that no matter how much trust I offer, you still keep me at arm's length?"

Her jaw tensed, but she didn't step back. "Maybe because trust in your world comes with a price."

I smirked, tilting my head. "And what's the cost, Celeste?"

She exhaled sharply, her fingers tightening at her sides. "More than either of us are willing to pay."

A convenient deflection. But I let it slide—this time.

Turning, I gestured toward the warehouse doors. "After you."

She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before moving ahead. I followed close behind, my senses attuned to every movement, every subtle shift in her posture. If she was planning something, I would know.

Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit, the air thick with dust and the lingering scent of rusting metal. A single table sat in the center, a laptop open on top of it, the screen casting a dull blue glow across the concrete floor.

I closed the door behind us, the click echoing in the cavernous space. "This is where we begin."

Celeste stepped forward, eyeing the setup. "And how exactly do we do that?"

I moved past her, picking up a small USB drive from the table. "We feed the traitor a story. One they can't resist. Something big enough to force them into action."

Her gaze flicked to mine, sharp with skepticism. "And you think they'll take the bait just like that?"

"They won't have a choice."

A flicker of something—hesitation? Doubt?—crossed her face before she masked it. "And what if you're wrong?"

I smiled, stepping closer, letting the space between us tighten. "I'm not."

She exhaled softly, shaking her head. "Arrogant as ever."

I leaned in just enough to watch the flicker of awareness in her eyes. "Confident, Ogonëk. There's a difference."

For a beat, we stood there, the silence stretching between us, thick with something unspoken. I had been watching her closely for weeks, waiting for the moment her carefully constructed walls would crack.

And I could feel it now. She was close. So close.

But trust was a double-edged blade, and I wasn't the only one bleeding.

She finally broke the silence, her voice lower now. "Let's get to work."

I studied her for a moment longer before nodding. This was it—the beginning of the end.

And I wasn't sure which one of us would survive it.