Page 50 of Death Game: Supernatural Battle

“They threatened you… your life or career. They wanted you to approve the DA and you wouldn’t.”

“H-How do you know about them? Are you human?”

I waved a hand. “As human as they come.”With some alterations.“However, Bluff City is not in a good state. I’m hoping to stop it falling into… unsavoury hands for good. To do that, I need proof that something was amiss in the Lot 42 DA.”

She wet her lips.

I lowered my voice. “To do that, I need your help.”

“They’ll kill me.”

“They won’t,” I told her. “No one’s aware that I came here. Your statement won’t be put forward to the correct parties until I am positive my people can use that proof to overthrow our enemies.”

Sandra stood abruptly. “I can’t help you.”

“You’re not safe here, Sandra. You think they don’t know where you are? Do you think leaving Bluff City was protection enough? If you had the sense to get out of that situation, then you’re smart enough to realise there’s nowhere in the world they can’t find you—should they choose to.”

Tears pooled in her periwinkle-blue eyes.

I steeled myself, focusing on the texture of her wallpaper. “I can protect you. I say that with complete knowledge of their capabilities. But to protect you, and the city, I need to know how they tried to force your hand.”

Julia Dinh took over after Sandra, but approaching her wouldn’t go unnoticed by either clan. I’d looked up her name and confirmed she was a Sundulus human liaison. Yet she’d pushed through the DA for Fyrlia.

Which meant she was working both sides. Or Fyrlia had a larger hold over her.

Sundulus hadn’t detected any wrongdoing in the Mr Ringly case. No bribes, compulsion, or apparent blackmail. Seeing as the rules prevented compulsion of anyone who signed contracts, Sundulus couldn’t compel Julia for the truth. It would nullify future deals made with her as the signatory.

Had she figured that out?

That’s why the clans compelled the very powerful—people who delegated tasks to others. Mr Olythieu was in their power and couldn’t sign over anything himself; however, he could introduce them to a range of financial CEOs and advisors who could do the work they wished, as well as his direct underlings.

Sandra sat again, and I scanned her striking features, wondering if the stress of being a pawn inIngeniumcaused the fine lines around her eyes. She couldn’t be older than her mid-thirties.

We were all victims in this. But if we acted like victims, they’d win.

“You’re living in fear,” I whispered. “I know the feeling, Sandra. That’s why I took my chance to live a life free of it. And the chance is good, or I wouldn’t be here.”

The woman plucked a tissue from a box on the table and wiped her face. “How can I be free? I’ve seen them. Seen what they can do. I just made it out of there with my life. As full of fear as life now is, why would I risk drawing their attention my way again?”

“For the others you may have in your life.” I held her gaze. “You cut ties with Mr Hothen, so you know what I’m talking about. Will you live alone forever? What if you have children one day? What about your parents and siblings and their children? That’s what you must protect. The information you have could be the thing that will protect them. Not only will I protect you during the proceedings, but afterward, if you still wish to hide, I’ll help you do it properly. You and whatever loved ones you wish to take with you. You don’t have to believe this, but you can see the same fear in me. I know what you’ve been through and what you feel. Believe that I’ll do right by you and everyone else who has suffered.”

Sandra closed her eyes, and I listened to the rush of breath in her throat and focused on the bead of sweat trickling down her neck.

The silence swelled and the ticking of the clock a few rooms away boomed in my ears.

Her lips trembled and she opened her eyes. “You’ll help my family?”

I nodded. “I will.”

She exhaled and her shoulders sagged. “I need time to—”

“There is no time. Unless you want the enemy to win, it has to be now.”

Her hands shook. She opened her mouth twice before speaking. “I’d been working on the Ringly case right before I finished work that day. I usually left him until last because he tended to erupt on the phone each time I knocked his DA back. That happened a lot over the three years I worked with him. That particular day, I left work and found a list of my family’s home addresses in my letterbox. I didn’t know who the list was from at first. As time went on, each time I had an interaction with Mr Ringly, a new copy of the letter would appear. First, just in my letterbox. Then at my workplace. I’d get off the phone with him and a letter would be sitting there on my desk. Toward the end, I found them in my bedroom. Sometimes while I’d been sound asleep.”

Fuck.Even without knowledge of Vissimo that was terrifying.

“I told my superior and hoped that would be an end of the trouble. Instead, he asked me to stay on the case so Mr Ringly wasn’t alerted to the police investigations. It took a while to realise he hadn’t told the police about the harassment at all. I contacted the police myself and tried to go directly to the mayor. After that, the police stopped returning my calls. The mayor blocked me at every turn. I started to believe he must have some kind of stake in Mr Ringly’s plans. It was the only thing that made sense.”

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