Chapter Nineteen—Kahlan’s POV—Being the Pawn

Hours later, I left the office, my body aching from exhaustion.

The sun had already set, casting long shadows across the empty parking lot.

I pulled out my phone, checking for messages.

None.

Maybe, just maybe, they had left me alone.

I exhaled slowly.

Then—a voice behind me.

"Don't turn around."

My body went rigid.

Cold air brushed my neck.

A man's voice. Low. Calm. Too close.

My breath hitched.

"Await further instructions," he murmured.

A sharp click followed—a gun being cocked.

Then—silence.

I didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

By the time I finally turned—the parking lot was empty.

***

The walls were closing in.

Or at least, that's how it felt.

I sat at my desk in Kingsport Companies' temporary London office, my hands gripping a pen so tightly my knuckles turned white. The papers in front of me blurred, unreadable, no matter how hard I tried to focus.

I couldn't concentrate. Not when I knew I was being watched.

Every time I looked up, I felt it.

Eyes.

Somewhere. Everywhere.

I had made a terrible mistake thinking I was free when they let me go. I was never free. I was still their pawn.

I forced myself to take slow, steady breaths, but my heart wouldn't slow down. The envelope sitting on my desk felt like a ticking time bomb.

Convince Maximus to cancel the Redmont deal. You have 48 hours.

That alone would've been enough to rattle me. But what was inside had sent me spiraling into full-blown terror.

A photograph.

Of Aldrich.

Through the scope of a sniper rifle.

The message was clear—if I failed, they would eliminate him.

I wanted to scream, to rip the paper to shreds and pretend it wasn't real. But that wouldn't change anything.

I had to do what they wanted.

Or he would die.

A shadow moved in my peripheral vision, and my breath hitched. I snapped my head up, pulse hammering.

Amelia.

She stood by her desk, arms crossed, studying me with narrowed eyes.

Damn it.

I hadn't even realized she was watching me.

I quickly stuffed the envelope into my drawer and forced a tight smile. "Something wrong?"

Amelia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head, assessing me like I was a puzzle she was trying to solve.

"You tell me," she said finally. "You've been acting weird since you got back."

I forced a laugh. "Weird? I'm fine."

She didn't look convinced. "No, you're not."

Her gaze flicked toward Aldrich's office. "And he knows it too."

My stomach twisted.

Before I could respond, Aldrich appeared in our midst, pulling a file off my desk and almost pretending like neither of us were there. Then just as he was turning to leave, he paused and mentioned. 

"Let me see you, Kahlan."

My heart skipped. Had he noticed something?

I rose and followed after him; Amelia trembling on my behalf. 

Aldrich sat at his desk, flipping through documents, his expression unreadable. He didn't acknowledge me at first, letting the silence stretch.

I clenched my hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

Finally, he looked up.

His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, sharp and calculating.

"You've been acting strange," he said flatly. "I don't like strange."

I swallowed. "I'm fine."

His eyes narrowed. "Try again."

My breath hitched. He saw through me. Just like he did at the lounge.

I scrambled for something, anything to get him off my back.

"I just… I don't think the Redmont deal is a good idea," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Aldrich stilled.

For a long, terrifying moment, he just stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the desk.

"You don't think it's a good idea," he echoed. "And why is that?"

I hesitated. "It's risky. You don't know if you can trust them."

Aldrich's jaw clenched. "And you do?"

"No, I just—"

"Stop talking."

His voice was cold, sharp.

I shut my mouth, pulse hammering.

He studied me for a long moment and I thought I saw his eyes trail down my body, then stood up, slowly making his way around the desk.

I forced myself not to back away as he came closer, towering over me.

"Listen carefully, Walsh," he murmured. "You do not tell me how to run my business. You do not get to decide what's risky. Your job is to answer my damn calls and take notes—not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

I nodded quickly, barely breathing.

Aldrich studied me a second longer, then scoffed.

"Get out of my office."

I didn't hesitate.

I turned and practically ran.

I barely made it to the bathroom before my legs gave out.

I collapsed against the sink, gripping the edge as I fought to stay upright.

I had failed.

Aldrich wasn't backing out of the deal.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers shaking as I unlocked the screen.

No messages.

Yet.

But I knew they were coming.

As if summoned by my thoughts, my phone buzzed.

I flinched.

The message was short.

Look outside.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned toward the window, my heart hammering.

At first, I saw nothing.

Then—a black car.

Parked down the street.

The window rolled down slightly.

Just enough for me to see it.

The barrel of a sniper rifle.

I staggered backward, slapping a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

They weren't bluffing.

They were really going to kill him.

Another message buzzed in. 

You're running out of time. 

***

I barely made it through the rest of the day. Every second felt like a lifetime, every sound made me jump.

I had to get Aldrich to drop the deal.

But how?

I couldn't just blurt it out. He'd never listen.

By the time the office emptied, I was a wreck.

I stepped outside, ready to collapse into a cab and disappear for the night.

But then—my phone buzzed again.

A video.

I clicked it, my stomach twisting.

The footage was grainy, surveillance-style.

Aldrich.

Walking down Kingsport's hallway.

And on his chest—a red laser dot flickered.

My vision blurred.

A message followed.

Last warning. Do it, or watch him die.