"Co back, Daniel. You have to be strong—fight it." Alex whispered the mantra as he continued applying dication on Daniel, still trying to flush out every ounce of poison in his bloodstream. After several minutes, Daniel began jerking violently until finally, he rose up from whatever state he had been in.
With urgency in his eyes, he looked around, ready to spring into action—only to see Alex raising both hands in mock surrender.
"It’s only , Dan. I hold no grudges," Alex explained, still keeping his hands up, passing through the scrutiny of Daniel’s sharp eyes, which refused to leave his body.
Suddenly, Daniel felt an overwhelming urge to throw up. He rushed into the restroom, leaned over the bowl, and began emptying his stomach, especially a greenish liquid pouring from his mouth. He stayed there, trembling. When he finally stood up, his gaze fell to his legs—sore but neatly bandaged, his knees carefully wrapped. All those open wounds had been covered with proper care. And no one other than his number-one target on his kill list had done it.
Strange. Out of context. Unreal.
Alexander was supposed to be his enemy. But saving his life? That wasn’t sothing an enemy should ever do.
He didn’t dwell on it for long, another wave of bile rising as he staggered back to the sink, vomiting until there was nothing left.
Oh, the struggle.
Daniel felt dehydrated, drained, yet strangely free. His body no longer spun with dizziness, and his eyes were clearer than ever. Slowly, limping out of the restroom, he t Alex, who was patiently waiting for him.
"Okay now?" Alex questioned, eyes scanning him for any lingering signs of distress.
Daniel tested his body, moving his arms, stretching his legs. Nothing. He actually felt... great.
"Perfectly fine. I still don’t understand how you did it, but it worked," Daniel admitted in surprise.
But then his gaze hardened. He wanted answers—a proper explanation. Why should he trust this man? Why follow his plans when everything about him scread betrayal?
"Should I beg for a proper explanation? Why did you turn your back on , pretend to be my friend, and then leave to suffer?" Daniel demanded sharply.
"And that night—you intervened with my matter with Adrian, but then you made forget, didn’t you? Why? And how did you even do it?" He needed a detailed summary of everything. Starting now.
Alex only smiled, turning and walking away.
Daniel’s anger flared instantly. Was he walking out on a discussion again? But just as Daniel stood to lash out, Alex returned with a tray of food. On it lay a plate of nicely sauced fish and bread, with a glass of fruit juice at the corner.
"You need your full strength. You’re making a run out of here, and trust —you don’t want Adrian to et you here. If he does, you’ll never leave again," Alexander declared.
Daniel stared at the food, gulping. But pride kicked in. This was ridiculous—trying to silence him with a al?
He wasn’t going to eat.
"I am not hungry," Daniel denied, turning his head away from the mouth-watering dishes, even though his body begged otherwise.
Unfortunately, his stomach betrayed him with a loud, unforgiving rumble. Alex burst out laughing.
"Fine. You made your point—you’re not hungry after all. I’ll carry my food away then." Alex turned, but Daniel snatched the tray from him in a flash.
"What are you doing? Don’t waste food. And I’m just going to taste it, not eat—just a taste," Daniel snapped, dipping his spoon into the sauce. One scoop turned to two, then three, then more.
Alex only smirked, pulling a chair forward.
"Sit, Daniel. It’s the middle of the night—nothing will happen. The boss cos here by 7 a.m., so you’ll be gone before then," Alex assured.
Daniel didn’t answer. His mouth was too busy savoring the sauce. It was too delicious, his taste buds rejoicing with every bite.
Who on earth made this?
"You see? You liked it," Alex purred, still grinning.
Daniel frowned, trying to hide the truth. "I didn’t like it. The sauce was too salty. I only ate it to avoid wasting food," he muttered.
Alex shrugged it off. "For your information, I made the al. Take it as a form of bribery—to accept my sincere apologies."
Daniel burst into laughter, dropping the plate once he was through. After wiping his mouth, he turned to Alex.
"It’s going to take more than a plate of food to buy my forgiveness." He continued laughing. Forgive that easily? Never.
"So... where were we about that betrayal?" Daniel pressed.
Alex facepald himself. "You’re not going to drop this, are you?" he groaned.
"And you didn’t expect us to be friends from that mont I helped you. That’s not how friendship works—not in my understanding," Alex explained.
Daniel stood, stunned. Really? That was his excuse? After all the punishnt, Adrian’s disgraceful acts, the crew’s evil treatnt—and Alex even placing bets on him.
"You fucking played , Alexander. And I hate being played. That’s the one thing I don’t tolerate," Daniel warned.
Alexander’s face darkened. He paced in circles, then leaned close, gripping the back of Daniel’s chair, whispering into his ear.
"I wanted to destroy Adrian Valez. And you, Daniel Lancaster, could help with that. That’s all I wanted. You could have your revenge."
Daniel’s expression turned grim. A pawn. Nothing more than a pawn in soone else’s ga. Pathetic.
No. Not happening.
"Nope. I can’t go through this again. And speaking of which—how do you even know my full na and identity?" Daniel demanded.
Alex froze, lips parting but no words coming.
"It’s not needed, Daniel. When the ti is right, you’ll find out. But just not now," Alex finally said.
Daniel’s nerves burned. "When is the ti ever right with you? Or is it when I’m finally caught and beheaded? Is that your grand plan—to put down?"
Alex knelt before him, staring deeply into his eyes.
"You know I’m not your enemy. If I truly hated you, I would have left you to die from that scorpion sting. But I didn’t. So let’s move past this drama," Alex said firmly.
Daniel clenched his jaw. So what next? Running away from this hell—then what?
"I don’t have a ho," Daniel muttered.
Alex only smiled. "That isn’t a problem. You think I set you up, maybe. But the real question is—how did the headquarters fall to ashes?"
Daniel froze. Could it be... him? The traitor?
"No. Not . I couldn’t have co up with that grand plan. But the person who did—that person will help you on your vengeance journey. If you’re interested," Alex explained further.
"I won’t force you this ti. It’s your choice: do you want Adrian to pay for his sins, or do you want to let go? Decide here and now."
Daniel fell silent. Revenge burned in him. He craved it. But he had seen enough stories—revenge often consud people until they ended up forgotten, buried, destroyed. He had to be careful. Mindful.
Still... Alex had proven a point. Even if he was a snitch—and a snitch will always be a snitch.
"And sothing else to catch your interest," Alex said suddenly, pulling out a folded envelope. "That contract—the one binding you to Adrian. Here it is."
Daniel shot to his feet.
What?
How?
This was serious. Who was this guy? Not only did he know about the contract—he had it in his hands.
"Give it to ," Daniel demanded.
Without hesitation, Alex handed him the paper. Daniel tore it open and pulled out the bondage form.
His freedom. After so long, here it was. Adrian would no longer have power over him. He was finally free—all because of Alex.
Calm down, Daniel. Don’t trust him yet...
"I’d ask how you got this, but I don’t care. I’ll destroy it." Daniel pulled out a lighter, lit the paper, and dropped it into a container. Flas devoured it instantly.
A satisfied grin stretched across his face.
"Adrian, you lost, man..." he laughed, but the sound died as a buzzer rang out loudly.
Alex snapped toward Daniel. "Ti to move. Follow the plan. Whoever drives up to you on the road—you must charm him. That’s how this will work."
Daniel blinked. Charm him? What the hell wasn’t Alex telling him?
"What’s that noise outside? And why the sudden hurry?" Daniel asked, but Alex silenced him with a sharp look.
"Adrian Valez is back. He didn’t inform anyone. This isn’t the ti—follow ," Alex ordered. Before leaving, he pulled out a necklace.
"This necklace holds various suppressant pills. Take one once a week. With this around your neck, no one will suspect you," Alex explained, slipping the golden chain around Daniel’s neck.
A shiver ran through Daniel’s body at the cold touch of the tal. Overwheld, he had no words.
"Co on. Ti to run for it." Alex opened the window, leaping out, motioning for Daniel to follow.
Together, they sprinted into the woods.
"You see that road there?" Alex pointed to the curved path near the abandoned cabin.
"Keep going straight—you’ll find the help you need. No matter what happens, don’t stop until you reach your destination," Alex warned, waving him on.
"We’ll see each other soon. Now run! Run!"
Daniel said nothing. He only dashed forward, running for his life.
He had been running ever since he crossed paths with the Mafia—but this ti, it felt different. This was the last run.
"Almost there... I’m almost there..."
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