POINT OF BREAKTHROUGH

Samantha's POV My stomach clenched in knots the instant Royce sent his message. Do you consider yourself to be safe? This is only the starting point. I watched the words on the television, my head whirling. We had barely survived out of the docks, yet here he was once more, telling me that he would always be one step ahead, right behind us regardless of distance. Alex saw right away the shift in my attitude. His eyes hardened with concern as he approached, even though his breathing was still laboring from the run. "what is it?" I showed him the message by raising the phone. His hardening face told me all I needed to know. Though he was equally bored with this never-ending game of cat and mouse as I was, there was something more underlying his irritation. Royce was a shadow hovering over anything we attempted, not only a menace. His effect tightened the noose around us wherever we went. I murmured, my voice lifeless as I pushed the phone back into my pocket: "He's taunting us." "He's trying to wear us down and make us feel as though we won every escape." Alex remained silent for a minute, staring from the black alley around us to me. His eyes revealed a conflict—anger, sure, but also something softer, more protective. Though he had always been the cool one, the one who considered before he acted, even he was getting close to cracking. Though the tightness in his voice betrayed his will, he murmured softly, "We cannot let him get to us." That's what he is looking for. Should we break right away, he wins. I wanted to hang onto that little thread of optimism he suggested. In actual terms, though, I was tired—mentally, physically, emotionally. Every stride forward felt as though it pulled us farther into Royce's trap, and the weight of it was intolerable. "How are we meant to keep on?" My voice just above a whisper, I asked. "He is familiar with all we do prior to our doing it. He is two steps ahead constantly. Alex's mouth closed, his irritation boiling just under the surface. We will sort things out. This far we have made it. I nodded, but doubt bit me. Indeed, we had survived—but for what length of time? Every action felt like a frantic attempt at survival, and the walls were closing in faster than I could manage. There was no space for a minute to breathe, to think straight. Not just now. The faint sound of the city around us as we stood in the alley set out a flash of wrath—not at Royce but more at the circumstances we had been driven into. We had lost control, and that insight felt like a gut-bashing blow. I was exhausted from feeling helpless, not only from running. "We cannot keep reacting," I exclaimed abruptly, the words pouring out before I had time to completely understand them. "We must carry the battle to him." Alex turned to look at me, his eyes narrowing somewhat. "What are you stating??" I inhaled deeply, my mind flying. "We have been playing defense all this time. Hoping we could keep one step ahead, we have been waiting for Royce to decide his next action. But suppose we give up waiting? What should we do first? Alex's brow wrinkled, a mix of astonishment and worry flashing over his face. "You would like to pursue him?" Yes, I answered with a firm voice. "Alex, I'm sick of running." I want to stop waiting for him to find us. For once, we have to be ahead of him. For a minute he was quiet, obviously considering the consequences. Pursuing Royce meant right into the lion's den, so I realized how risky this was. We would lose, though, if we did nothing or continued to react rather than act. Then, "What's the plan?" Alex enquired, his voice wary but intrigued. Though I hadn't yet developed a strategy, I knew where we had to start. Lila knows more than she is currently informed of. She told us about the package, but I sensed she was keeping back more. We have to face her and get the whole picture. Alex squinted. And you believe she will talk? She has to, I whispered, resolve flooding through me. She already is in this deep. She will support us if she wants out as much as we do. Alex answered slowly at first, but I could see wheels whirling in his head. At last he nodded, his countenance stiffening with will. Right now. Let's get right on. Lila was back in the safe house seated at the little table with her head in her hands. Her eyes tired, the weight of what we had gone through clearly in her posture when we arrived. She seemed to be carrying guilt, and for a time I stopped. She was not the adversary, least of all now. But we couldn't afford to tread softly around the truth; we needed answers. "Lila," I whispered, my voice firm as I went toward her. We ought to talk. Her eyes flicked with anxiety, but she did not object when I sat across from her. Alex stayed there, his arms folded and a quiet yet commanding presence. The space seemed smaller, the stress thicker than it had been. "What is it?," ask Quietly, Lila asked quietly, her voice almost above a whisper. "You know more than you have told us," I remarked plainly, keeping a close eye on her for any hint of dishonesty. "You told us about the shipment, but there is more. With Royce, there always seems more. Lila looked down to the table, her hands wriggling in her lap. She stopped talking for a long time, and I could feel my tolerance running thin. We had no time for this. "Lila," Alex remarked, his voice cutting but not nasty. "You have to tell us everything if you want to leave this alive." Her shoulders sagged, and I felt her anxiety fully weighty for the first time. She was afraid of what would happen if she told us the truth, not of Royce specifically. That did not stop us, though. Royce.... He is not only pursuing money or power, Lila remarked at last, her voice quivering slightly. "It's more than just that." He has years of planning under progress. something significant. My pulse accelerating, I leaned in closer. "What is this? What is his endgame? Lila hesitated, her eyes darting between Alex and me as though she were deciding whether or not she should.