Page 71 of The Bonventi Hitman
"Who's there?" I say in a demanding tone.
My mind races with possibilities of who's on the other side, each one more terrifying than the last.
"Sofia?" a voice calls out quietly from beyond the wooden barrier that separates me from God knows what dangers.
"I don't see you on the screen," I say, fear beginning to crack my voice.
"You won't. Please, open up. I don't have much time. I know you have the keycard."
"What? How?" I'm so confused.
"Small flat white… cinnamon on the lid," the voice says, and then I connect the dots. His voice—it's the person from the coffee shop.
I scan the keycard and slowly open the door to see the man who I met in the bathroom and gave my notes to standing before me.
"What? I didn't?—"
"We've looped the video, but I only have a few minutes," the man says.
"Wait, if you could do this the whole time, why now?" I ask, upset.
"We knew you had the keycard to unlock the door and were alone. Look, we can't trust everyone here, and us meeting is a big risk, but we're making it."
I can tell something is off and that even he is a bit uncomfortable being here.
"Things are escalating much more rapidly than we thought, and we've got intel that you may have been compromised. I'm here to offer you a way out. Now, there was a split on this since it's not known, but?—"
The words hit me like a train, and my head spins.
Compromised? How? How could that be?
"A split?" I blurt out as he's talking. "What does that mean?"
"Some leading this wanted you to stay; some thought it best to pull you out."
"Okay. And how credible is the source?"
"Very, but who told her—I mean, them—isn't."
So, a woman is the other person working this.
After all I've been through, and now my whole mess with Gabriel and my fucked-up feelings—I can't just leave.
"No, I'm staying. I don't think I'm compromised."
The man looks surprised. He must have been one of the ones to vote to pull me out.
He lets out an audible sigh. "Okay, stay vigilant. Something bad is coming. Watch your six."
I nod.
"Here," he says and pulls out a small gun from under his shirt. "Take this, just in case."
I grab the gun and feel the cool steel in my hands. "Thank you," I say and bring it behind my back.
"Anything you want me to take back to the team?" he asks.
I know I have to give them something. I won't give them what they want, or who they want for now—maybe just a little intel to keep them happy.
