The price of the truth

Tricia sat motionless, Daniel's blood still warm on her hands.

The chaos around her had settled into eerie silence. He was gone. Just like Maya. Just like everyone who tried to help her.

The truth has a cost. Blood.

Her vision blurred ad she stared at Daniel's lifeless face. He lied to her, betrayed her, but in the end, he still chose her.

And Lana had killed him for it.

A sharp pain tore through her chest. Not just grief, but rage.

Lana thought this was over. She thought she had won.

She was wrong.

Tricia clenched her fists, standing slowly. Every muscle in her body ached, but she ignored it. She had spent way too long being a pawn in someone else's game. Without knowing.

Now, it was her turn to play.

The real cost

She had two choices. Run or fight.

But running never saved anyone. Not Maya, not Daniel.

If she wanted to survive, she had to end this. She had to end Lana.

She took a deep breath and searched Daniel's pockets. His phone was there, blood-smeared but intact. Good!

She dialled the one number she never thought she'd ever use.

A deep voice answered after two rings. "Didn't expect to here from you, Tricia. I hoped you'd call though."

"Carter's dead." She said, her voice cold. "Lana did it."

A pause, then: "I know."

Of course he did. No one in this world stayed ignorant for long.

"I want to make a deal." Tricia said.

The man on the other end chuckled. "You? Making deals? Thought you wanted out?"

She gripped the phone tighter. "I wanted out, but now I want her."

Silence stretched between them, then he muttered, "where are you?"

Tricia glanced around the wreckage of the hideout.

"Somewhere between my past and my next mistake."

The man exhaled. "Meet me at the docks in two hours. And, Tricia?"

She braced herself.

"Be sure you're ready for this. Once you're in, there's no going back." He added.

She knew that already. The truth had dragged her into hell, and there was only one way out.

"See you soon." She said, ending the call.

The final play

The docks were shrouded in darkness when she arrived. A black SUV was already waiting.

The driver's side door opened and Jared Steele stepped out.

Carter's second-in-command. A man just as ruthless, but smarter. More patient.

"You look like he'll." He observed.

Tricia shrugged. "I've had a rough week."

He leaned against the car. "So, you want Lana dead?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes."

He studied her, the smirked. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"You in or not?"

He chuckled. "I'm always in, but tell me Tricia, what do you gain from this?"

She met his gaze. "Closure."

He nodded. "Alright then, let's end this."

Ending Lana

Lana's hideout was a high-rise apartment in the city. She had security, but Jared had men. Enough to take them out.

Tricia moved like a ghost through the hallway, gun stead in her grip. No more hesitation. No more fear.

When she reached Lana's suite, the door was already open.

Lana sat inside. 2 glasses of wine on the table before her. Waiting.

"You were always stubborn." Lana said, without looking up.

Tricia stepped inside, keeping her gun raised. "You knew I'd come?"

Lana smiled. "Duh, this was always going to end with one of us dead."

Tricia tightened her index on the trigger. "Why did you kill Daniel?"

"I freed you," Lana corrected. "He was always going to hold you back."

A storm of fury boiled in Tricia's veins. "This wasn't for me, it never was. Everything you did, it wasn't about protecting me. It was for yourself. For power."

"You're right." Lana sighed, refilling her glass with wine. "I wanted you to take your rightful place. I wanted you to rule beside me."

Tricia swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm not like you. "

Lana stood up, moving closer. "But, you will be."

"Not today." Tricia pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the room.

Lana gasped, clutching her dress as blood bloomed across it.

She staggered back, sinking into the couch. "You.... really did it."

Tricia's hands trembled but she didn't lower the gum. "I'm not your pawn anymore."

Lana's lips twitched a faint smile. "Good."

And, she was gone.