THREADS OF DECEPTION

Samantha's POV Alex and I rushed away from Helena's estate, the terrible silence between us hanging weighty in the air as the evening passed in a blur. Helena agreed reluctantly to assist us, but with every minute that went by a knot of discomfort tightened in my gut. Royce was still the one dragging the strings even if the game had changed once more. And that SMS message validated what I had worried all along. Royce remembered. Rereading the message, I fixed my gaze on the phone in my hand and felt my heart accelerating. You have planned something. I know. You are not going to win. Simple, direct, and horrifying. Still, it was not the danger that shook me. The fact he had sent it without second thought was noteworthy. No cloak of secrecy, no pretense of protracted game playing—he was reminding us he was always one step ahead. "What's it say?" Alex's voice broke through the heavy silence to draw me back from my ideas. I paused for a second before handing him the phone and watched as his face clouded as he perused the message. His knuckles tightened around the driving wheel, the strain pouring off him in waves. Alex said, "He knows," his jaw tightening. She is already on to us. I tried to force down the mounting sense of anxiety by swallowing hard. But precisely how? We proceeded cautiously. Still, we have hardly moved at all. Frustration flaring in his eyes, Alex shook his head. "It has no bearing. Royce points everything with his eyes. Helena may have also alerted him should her loyalty to us fall short as stated. I wanted to resist, to tell Alex we had to trust her at least for now. The reality was, though, I wasn't sure either. In the face of peril Helena was too serene and quiet. She was a wildcard as she knew more than she would have said. We lacked the luxury of options, though. Royce knowing about our plans simply made things more difficult; we needed her. "I don't think she's working with him," I responded, my voice firm but not sure. She is, nevertheless, most certainly hiding something. something spectacular. Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair, then turned into the road as the lights of the city vanished into the distance. " Whatever it is, we will work it out. Still, we have to keep ahead of Royce. Playing his game on his terms is unaffordable for us. I nodded, while uncertainty tore at me. Royce had shown he could predict our every action already. How might we outsmart someone like him? "What will our next action be?" Needing to hear Alex's plan, I requested to have something firm to grab among the anarchy. Though he covered it effectively, he looked at me, his eyes mirroring the same doubt I experienced. "We keep ahead, constantly changing. For now we still have Helena and Lila. We still need more information, though. Royce does not run on his own. He has a network; if we can locate someone burned by him inside that network, we might have a chance to make things right. Though it made logic, it felt like we were reaching for straws. "Who?" Everybody who has ever crossed him is either dead or too terrified to defend themselves. Alex's rage bubbled beneath the surface as his hold on the wheel tightened. "There always is someone." We just have to look for them. With every mile, the weight of our circumstances pushing down on us, the drive back to our temporary safe haven seemed longer than it should have. When we at last arrived, I got out of the car; the chilly night air did not help to quiet my racing thoughts. Alex trailed closely behind, his anxiety obvious as we entered. The safe home was small, unassuming flat on the outskirts of the city. We exactly needed this kind of place, which none would have looked twice at. Still, I couldn't get rid of the sense that we were under observation even inside the security of her walls. Royce permeated all. He has already shown this. Alex threw his suitcase on the table and walked to the small living room, his irritation bubbling over. Time is running out for us. Royce won't wait for our move to come about. First he will come after us. Knowing he was right, I quietly observed him. Royce wouldn't let us have any time to breathe; the clock was running. But neither would panicking help either. Leaning on the table, I added, "We need a way to get to him," a quiet but authoritative voice. "Something he is not seeing approaching." Alex halted walking and turned to face me, narrowing his eyes. "Like what??" I hesitated; the notion developed in my thoughts even as I spoke. "Helena's our method of approach. Still, we cannot rely simply on her to get us going. We must be leveraged. Something that will expose Royce to vulnerability. And how might we accomplish that? Alex asked, drawing his arms across. "We know not enough about him to identify a flaw." I bit my lip and my mind flew. "Perhaps Not." But Lila does. Alex's face grew grim at the reference to Lila. Though I knew she had information we needed, his confidence in her was already precarious. She had been close enough to Royce's operation to know where the flaws were, and if we could convince her to tell us, we might have a shot. "She's not going to talk willingly," Alex replied, his voice low. Particularly not if she believes Royce could still reach her. I nodded knowing he was correct. But Lila had something about her—something I had seen in her eyes when we left Helena's mansion. Indeed, fear exists; yet, also regret exists. She no longer showed Royce loyalty, at least not in the same manner she had formerly done. Though she was too afraid to start, she wanted to escape. My voice firm, I responded, "I'll talk to her." "She seems more willing to help than she lets on, too. She only needs a cause for hope that we will succeed. Alex cast a soothing glance at me. And if she is playing us? I inhaled deeply and stared back at him. "We will then address it. For now, though, she represents our best opportunity. When I found Lila seated on the edge of the bed with her hands tightly gripped in her lap in the small guest room at the rear of the flat, her eyes were weary and apprehensive, she looked up as I came in but said nothing. Sitting in the chair opposite from her, the quiet between us stretched out for a few minutes before I spoke at last. Though the urgency was obvious, I responded, keeping my voice calm: "We need your help." "Royce is onto us; we are done if we do not move soon." Lila's attitude stayed the same, but I could see the terror flickering in her eyes. She was aware of the stakes. I told you everything I know. "No, you didn't," I murmured gently, moving slightly forward. "More exists. You are not telling us something here. Lila, I know you are terrified. Everybody is like this. Royce is going to come after all of us, though, if you fail us. Adding you. She turned aside, her jaw clenching. I thought she wouldn't answer for a second, but then she let out a weak breath. You misunderstand. Royce... he is not only dangerous. He's—"' "I do understand," I said, a soft but forceful interruption. "I am aware of his capabilities. But without your aid, we are not going to survive this. You have been inside his surgery. You know his areas of vulnerability. All you have to tell us is. Lila's gaze flashed back to me, and I sensed the struggle fighting inside her. She was trapped between her want to be free from Royce and her anxiety of him. I knew how difficult that leap was, and I knew this was a fight I could identify. Her voice hardly audible, she murmured, "I don't know if there's any way to stop him." He has always been ten steps ahead. "Maybe," I murmured, moving in close and speaking steadily. "We will never know, though, if we do not try. And do you not want to spend your whole life chasing him? Silent for a long period, Lila gazed far ahead at the floor. Every line of her face showed the anxiety, but there was also something more there that suggested she wanted to rebel. She simply had no idea how. At last she turned to face me, her eyes a mixture of will and resignation. "There is a shipment," she remarked softly. Royce is shifting something really large. Two days from now it is. You might be able to get what you need to bring him down if you can intercept it. My heart missed a beat as her words sank in. It was this. We had been waiting for exactly this chance. "Where?." I asked, my voice steady but bursting with expectation. Lila paused momentarily before exhaling a quivering breath. "It is occurring at the ports. pier seventeen. My thoughts flew with the opportunities as I walked out of the room. Though it came with certain risks, our lead was strong. Royce was more than just any adversary; he was a force to be reckoned with, and this cargo might either be the last nail in our line of action or the means of his ruin