Main Master

D id I have something to prove to myself? Something to prove to her? Oh, there was so much I wanted Melissa to see. To feel before her life was no more. I tried weighing my wants against those programmed into me, and through all the contemplation, I came to one conclusion. Master One was right. I had sold my soul to be . The cost had been high. Too high, not that I knew that then. Recorded, yes. My bloody signature on the proverbial contract was stamped in time forever. Right on a video tape, the most damning evidence one could have. Had I known the true price I’d pay by sacrificing love, would I have still chosen my title? Chosen…myself?

“Two Masters this morning. Dead with no apparent cause.”

I glanced up from hitting the punching bag to take in the worry on Nineteen’s face. “Mistress Two?”

“We’re not sure. It’s nothing we can prove. She rarely leaves her apartment. When she does, she mostly stays quiet. Mostly, but she does seem to be saying something at random moments. She has been in the vicinity of the Masters, but from what we can see from the tapes, she doesn’t appear to trigger them in any sort of way. No whispering when she’s close to them. No hand movements or looks that we notice. This might not be related.”

“Alright. I want autopsies done immediately. Let’s rule out foul play. What about the soldiers?”

“We retired the one you requested. The rest have been keeping their distance, but they’re still in their roles.”

“Pull them off.”

“What?” Nineteen stepped closer.

“I said pull them off. They’re finished. Melissa can’t get to me anymore, and she knows it. I’m fine.”

“But the elevator. I can’t?—"

I threw Nineteen a look, slamming my fists into the bag in a quick combination. He didn’t argue as I continued to circle around and hit.

“What else, High Leader? Continue with the update.”

“All is prepared for the trial today,” he said, tight-lipped. “Master Three-sixty-one was alerted. The board members know not to be late.”

I hit the bag harder. “What of Jett?”

Nineteen raised one of his eyebrows, losing a little of his anger over me releasing the soldiers. “He lies. He clings to his supposed innocence. He cries and begs to see his mother. The guards ignore him, but they’re ready for a new assignment.”

“I bet. What else?”

I threw one last punch, walking to the treadmill.

“Mistress Ninety is still awaiting your call concerning her request for shared custody for her slave’s twin.”

“Fuck,” I ground out, pushing the button and getting in rhythm with the pace. “This is a slave market, not fucking civil court. Next?”

“I vetted your appointments for the day?—”

My hand flew up, my palm flattening towards him. “I should have called earlier. I’m cancelling. I’m not in the mood.”

Nineteen’s eyes widened. His mouth opened, only to shut.

“Alright…That’s not like you, , but…I guess that’s it.”

I increased the speed, pushing the button so hard, I was sure my finger would go through it.

“No one from the Council has reached out? I told you I’m expecting a call. They deleted a file from Shane’s computer, and I want to see it. He told me all he remembers but it’s not enough. I need that video, Nineteen.”

“No one has called the guard. I’ve made sure to route any important calls right to me, if they don’t go to you first.”

That fucking video. I knew why it existed, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to see my sins.

“I should have had Shane pull it up the moment he told me. I should have—I fucking should have just—” I stopped talking, feeling the stomping of my feet trigger the pounding in my head. There was nothing smooth about my running. I hated it as much as I hated my procrastination that night. By the time I rushed to Master One to watch the tape of Vivia, the message and videos from the Council he’d been sent were gone.

They knew I knew. And maybe that was the point. Closure? Mercy? Payment for bringing light to secret manipulations on Melissa’s part? There was no way to know, and no peace in the truth. I killed the love of my life to become , and Shane got to witness me beat her to death. That was the only thing that made sense to me. It was the only thing that explained the video. We all had our right to passage. We all were blackmailed in one way or another. That had to be mine.

But it didn’t matter. There was no doubt anymore for what I’d done. Shane saw with his own eyes. Swore it was her. He watched Vivia crying and trying to scream for help. He watched her die, and he watched me continue beating her to nothingness for minutes after. All out decimation. No holds barred. The epitome of my love for Vivia was reduced to nothing but mush and broken bone. All in fourteen fucking minutes. Those sharp edges from her beautiful face had done more than cut my hands to pieces. The shards had reached my heart and were still there. We both died that day, but only I was reborn. And all for what? For this? For power? Greed? Money? Supreme placement within the most elite circle in the world? Higher than Bram Whitlock?

Yes.

I had wanted that back in those days. And Melissa knew it. One of our first meetings revolved around conversations of the future. She’d been so…eager to get to know me better back in those days. No. Not just her. The Council would have had interest. They were planning a takeover of Whitlock long before the fortress fell. The only question was, did I know what they planned to do? Did I consent?

“You should start getting ready for the trial, . I know there’s still a little time, but the board members will want to meet with you beforehand. We all know this trial is nothing but a ruse. We know what’s going to happen. Today is crucial for the Gardens, and Mistress Two…she’s not to be trusted.”

“She’s not,” I agreed, pushing myself faster, “but she wants her son dead. She wants her entire family gone. Her husband has been calling me demanding answers. Between Keith Moore and Melissa’s punishment to stay here, he knows this is bad. But he doesn’t know just how bad. She still hasn’t told him about Jett.”

Nineteen nodded. “Dispatch has put him through to her phone numerous times. She refuses to answer.”

“As I figured.” Fire burned my lungs as sweat soaked my shirt. Had I thought Adrian would kill Melissa’s husband before today? Absolutely. That wasn’t happening, and we were almost out of time. “Let’s give it a few more days. If all is well on Melissa’s account, we’ll have Ron picked up.” I licked my lips, tasting the salt from the sweat that was running down my face. “We don’t have that sort of time for Marian. She’s not as controllable as her father, and her routine is like clockwork. She’s in Miami for a conference. I want her taken tonight while she’s still stateside. I’ll call Drayton after the trial. He should be prepared by now.”

Nineteen nodded, pushing buttons on his phone, no doubt preparing our men on the outside. I increased the speed, sprinting harder. Faster. Until I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t stop. Minutes passed while I ran as hard as I could. Fourteen minutes, to be exact. My High Leader stayed quiet as I stopped the machine and got off, scraping in any sort of oxygen I could come by. With each torturous moment that passed, Nineteen waited. Calming began to bleed back in. The numbness. The mindset.

I was the , and there was no reason now not to fully embrace it.

“I’m done. Let’s get this fucking trial over with.”

“Elec, are you sure you’re okay? You look…distant.”

“I’m good, Shane. Really. Just a lot on my mind.” I made sure my mic was off, glancing down the row of Board Members before leaning towards Master One. “Where the fuck are they? Sebastian knows we need them here.”

“I don’t know. Didn’t you send Nineteen to check on them?”

“That was nearly twenty minutes ago.” I took in the over-crowded room. “I don’t like this.”

My eyes went to Melissa as she kept glancing towards her son. I gestured for the guard standing at the door, not missing as Hale entered, sliding into a seat in the back. Vibrations buzzed against my chest, and I reached into my suit’s jacket, pulling my phone free. At Nineteen’s number, I answered.

“Well? Where the hell are they?”

“…they’re dead.”

“What?”

I kept my tone calm despite my pulse gave one hard hit to my chest.

“I have three bodies. From the looks of it, the slave died first. Bullet between the eyes. Master Rivers was lying over her. There are a few shots in his back. One to the back of his skull. And then I have a guard. Single shot. He ate that fucking barrel.” Nineteen paused. “I knew Harleston. He wouldn’t have done this. No way in hell. Something’s not right here. I’ve watched the footage already. He mentions Jett. I wrote it down, hold on.”

He paused, and I took in Hale, my mind already swarming…my stomach twisting at what I knew was about to happen. Hale loved his brother. Sebastian was everything to him. For him to be dead? He’d have to take Sebastian’s spot. He was the heir to his family now.

“Okay. Harleston walks in and says… ‘Jett has lots of tricks. Jett says goodbye. ’ And then he starts shooting. He wasn’t in his right mind, I can guarantee it. Harleston looks like he’s under a spell as he’s headed to the door. Even when Master River’s opens it, he acts like a zombie. It’s the slave he reacts to. I haven’t been able to go further back, so I don’t know what exactly happens, but not all is as it appears.”

My stare went to Jett, only to move to Melissa.Had she made sure to put the nail in the coffin?

“The boy’s guards?”

“He’s had the same ones the entire time. You know how it works in Hell Row with those on expedited trials. They haven’t left his side, nor have they interacted with anyone except themselves. Food was left for them to retrieve. Facilities and recreation are within their private quarters by the cell. They’re there in that court room with you right now. I watched the footage already. Harleston hasn’t had access to any of them. He’s taking orders from someone else.”

“Got it.” My gaze went back to Melissa. Her eyes met mine, and I didn’t break eye contact as I glared. It was her who shifted on her seat and went back to looking at Jett.

“Send me video evidence of the crime scene and a small clip of Harleston saying Jett sent him. Then get your ass down here as fast as you can.”

“Roger that, .”

I hung up, leaning towards Master One. “Rivers and the slave are dead.”

“You’re fucking joking.”

Master One’s eyes were big as he swallowed hard and sat straighter.

“I wish I was. You thought this was going to be bad before. Just wait.” My phone vibrated, and I motioned to my other members that I was ready.

Turning on my mic, I took one last look around the room before pressing my fingers into the papers before me.

“Today, we start the trial for Master B-Twenty-Two. He is accused of forceful entry, breaking into and tampering with Garden’s devices and files, attempted murder…and the ultimate murders of Master B-Three-sixty-one and slave eight-forty-two. How do you plead?”

Gasps filled the room as Masters and Mistresses turned to each other in shock. Hale glanced around the room, scanning the rows before his head snapped to me. My brow creased, and I gave him a slow shake, as if to somehow say I’m sorry. His face was dropping color by the second, and the shock was morphing to disbelief. To…homicidal rage as his gaze tore from me to go to Jett LaRoe.

“Order,” I growled, turning back to Jett’s wide, terrified eyes. “ How do you plead? ”

“N-Not guilty. I didn’t fucking kill anyone. I?—”

“Enough,” I exploded. “Let everyone be witness, Master Twenty-two pleads not guilty. Should the board present sufficient evidence, the Master before you will be sentenced to death.”

Hale stood, his eyes searching the room wildly, still looking for his brother even though he knew deep down what I spoke was the truth. My hand lifted to him, but I didn’t have to speak as I eased my hand down, and I watched him follow. It was almost poetic how aligned we were. My mind spoke to him in gestures. It weaved a wonderful web of commands he knew to follow whether he wanted to or not.

“This trial won’t take long. It is to be known that the two Masters got into a bidding war for the slave this last auction night. The first evidence I’d like to submit is on the charges of breaking into and tampering with Garden’s files. The next will be the forced entry and attempted murder for the slave mentioned. The last evidence is of the murder.”

“If you all focus on the large screen, you can see firsthand the Master head back into the pickup lobby. As you can see from the date on the top, this happened the day following the auction.” Jett eased inside, heading to the desk as he glanced around. “Here, you can see him break into the desk the guard locked the tablet into.” I paused. “Would you like to share with the Board on how you got the password to unlock the tablet?”

“No. That’s not me.”

Jett’s face was hard as he glared.

“We’ll let the Board decide that. The second set of evidence I would like to present is on the forced entry and his attack on the slave.”

I hit the button to change the footage, and Jett surged to stand. Cuffed to the desk before us, he couldn’t move but a few feet.

“This is bullshit. That shit with the tablet is a hoax. It’s not me. Any of it. Everyone knows I’m going to be someone big someday, and I’ve made it abundantly clear to anyone I’ve talked to on who I want to be. I’m being set up. Probably by the , himself. I didn’t do anything wrong. So I pushed my way into the apartment. The bitch liked it rough. She wanted me to come by. I was just doing what she wanted.”

“We’re a court, Master Twenty-two, and you have no evidence of that. Trust me, we’ve looked. As a matter of fact, the Board watched and followed you around the city as you stalked the slave in question. I have every angle. Every second up until her Master took her. After that, you had no access until you pushed your way in. Until you knocked on that door, you’d never even talked to her. She had no idea who you were.”

The guard at his side forced him to sit as the footage of him pushing his way inside played out. The attack was violent. Fast, explicit, and gruesome as he stabbed his way up her unresponsive half-nude body. When the scene ended at his speedy departure, whispers exploded in the court, and the shocked looks couldn’t be hidden as everyone’s attention was on Jett. Melissa continued to shift in her chair, growing antsier by the second. Why, I wasn’t sure. Maybe she truly did feel something for her son. Maybe she knew what was coming. Or maybe…this was playing out exactly as she wanted. The guard…the fucking guard who shot Sebastian. No way that was Jett. I pulled up the last bit of footage.

“This last evidence comes from my High Leader who was at the crime scene just this hour. I have not seen the footage, nor has anyone in this room, so I do not know what to expect. What I will say is, it may be graphic and not suitable for anyone who knew Master B-Three-sixty-one, Sebastian Rivers. He was a very dear friend of mine, and to many of us here. May he rest in peace. I will give everyone a few seconds in case you wish to leave.”

I glanced at my Board members, letting everyone settle into their decision. No one stood. No one left. Hale was wiping tears from his face, but he didn’t break. He also didn’t move. His stare was on Jett, and it wasn’t leaving.

“Alright. There are two videos. One’s of the crime scene. The other is the last words from the guard who was sent to kill them.”

Jett was staring at the large screen, his chest rising and falling in a fast pace as he continually pulled at the chains.

I hit play, watching Sebastian’s apartment come into view.

“This is the High Leader. I’m at Master Three-sixty-one’s apartment. That would be Sebastian Rivers. It is five-twenty-six PM.” The camera panned to the door. “As you can see, there was no forced entry, nor does what we saw on the video corroborate there being any. The door was opened for the guard who then pushed his way in, where he shot the slave between the eyes. Master Rivers then turned for the slave, where he was shot in the back three times, and then the back of the head.”

A few people gasped as footage of Sebastian, curled over the slave, came into view. Blood spray and brain matter was fanned on the floor around their heads, and where I couldn’t see the damage done to his face, his cheek was resting against her bloody face, giving view to dull eyes with a hole slightly in the middle, above them. My eyes closed for the briefest moment, knowing the pain he held for Maggie. Knowing how much she looked like Margaret. I knew. I somewhat related, and although I was a monster, I had been supportive of Sebastian finding relief from his pain through her. Hell, I even set up a future I knew Sebastian wouldn’t be completely in favor of. Not with Dr. Bailor involved. I wanted to sway him to choose Margaret. I had purposely put the decision out there. But for what? Nothing . Love never won in the end. Love was what we found in the middle and clung to, but it never lasted. Not in my world.

“The last clip,” I forced out.

The scene was of the guard pushing his way through. He was pulling out the gun as he spoke and pointed it at the slave.

“Jett has lots of tricks. Jett says goodbye.”

The shot had multiple people in the crowd jumping. Jett surged to his feet, shaking his head as he panted through the panic.

“I didn’t send that guard! That wasn’t me! Mom .”

He was pushed back down as Hale flew from his chair. Guards rushed towards him, but with how large Hale was, they didn’t stand a chance. He was suddenly sobbing, roaring and yelling as he fought off three guards. Then five.

“Order!” I stood, slamming the gavel down. “Order! Hale. Hale Rivers! ”

At my own roar, the new Master grew still, his eyes locked on me… waiting as I pointed .

“Sit down while we vote on sentencing. Should justice present itself, it is your call. You are now the Rivers’ heir. You are the responsible party here. You will act like it. Sit.”

He was still breathing heavily, glaring, even if it was at me. But he was walking back, moving back to his chair as I continued standing.

“There. The evidence has been presented. Members, stand. We will go down the line. Remember, a guilty verdict means you find him guilty on all accounts and are in favor of death. I will start at the end, and we’ll work our way down. I will be last.” I looked at the far end of our board setting. “What do you say, Member Five?”

“Guilty.”

Melissa tried to hold in her sob, pushing the handkerchief harder into her mouth. The room was silent as the witnesses waited.

“Member Four?”

“Guilty.”

“Member Three?”

“Guilty.”

A loud whimper left Melissa as tears poured down her face. I looked to Master One. His expression was hard. He knew what this meant. War. A war in our circle in the outside world. One that would send a ripple down the Collective High Council despite what they knew. Our beautiful, oiled machine was about to sputter to a stop as it regeared in a new direction, and although I should have feared the consequences of that, the darkest part of me was ready.

“Member Two?”

“Guilty.”

“No. No. Jett .”

“?”

The members spoke in unison. I looked at Jett. I took in Melissa and her pleading eyes. And I moved to Hale. To the man who I’d brought in to be my own protector. My closest, new confidant. A friend. A spy. I hated losing Sebastian, but I had Hale so mind-locked to me, it couldn’t have turned out any better. He’d follow my every order. He’d obey my every command. He’d bring this circle together like no one else could. I had plans for him…but that was another story.

“Guilty,” I said, firmly.

“No! No!”

I ignored Melissa’s breakdown to continue. “Master Twenty-two, you have been found guilty on all counts and have been condemned to death. You will be brought out to the execution stage where you will be beheaded in front of everyone for your crimes.” I turned to Hale. “As of this very moment, Jett LaRoe is no longer a Master of the Garden of the Gods. He now belongs to you. How would you prefer he die? By executioner or by you?”

“He’s mine?”

I paused as he stood.

“His life is, yes. How do you wish to proceed?”

Screams went up as Hale raced forward again. The guards jerked to attention but didn’t move as most looked to me. I shook my head, watching as one caught Melissa as she flew forward to make her way to Jett. He jerked against the chains, trying to run, but other than moving a few feet, he was trapped.

“It wasn’t me! I swear it wasn’t?—”

Jett barely got out the scream before Hale’s fist connected with his mouth. Jett flew back at the table from the blow, but Hale was on him, bringing the solid wood crashing down beneath them as he drew back, punching the young man’s face with everything he had.

The blows were solid and bone-crushing as he tried driving his hit through his face. Muffled screams were cut off by Hale’s fist, and blood was already beginning to pool on the small area of the floor underneath Jett LaRoe’s head as it continually snapped back from the power, knocking against the concrete. With every impact of Hale’s deadly blows, the floor itself seemed to shake. Melissa’s screams were echoing through the room as the guards worked on removing her fighting frame, but they were having a hard time as she twisted and clawed at every part of them she could reach.

“You killed my brother.” Hale grabbed some of the loose chain from one of Jett’s arms, wrapping it around his neck to pull on like a necklace. “Now I’m going to kill you. My brother .”

A deep purple took over Jett’s semi-conscious face as Hale tightened the chain until the surrounding skin was sickeningly bulging around the sides. Blood vessels were rupturing in the young man’s eyes, turning the white completely red as he continued crushing his windpipe and trying to decapitate him with the chain.

“My brother! M-My?—”

Hale’s yells merged with Mistress Two’s as they finally managed to get her through the threshold of the main doors. Jett’s eyes were still opened, but the life behind them was gone as Hale kept putting all of his strength into tightening the chain. I stepped back, grasping to Master One’s shoulder as I passed by. Melissa’s screams were fading as I walked over and stood behind Hale, but they didn’t stop.

“He’s gone. Hale.”

“Seb—” He reared back, smashing his bloody knuckles once more on Jett’s unrecognizable face. “He’s dead. My brother. He’s—I can’t. I can’t do this .”

I helped Hale stand, turning him to face me. “You can do this. You were raised to take the lead if you had to. We never thought the day would come, but it has. Look into my eyes. You have me. One day at a time. The Gardens are here for you. We’re all here. What happened to Sebastian was a tragedy. It should have never taken place.”

“How did it happen, Elec? How!”

It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. I went to try to calm him, the words not coming as I realized…silence. Had they calmed Melissa? Had she given up the mask of distraught mother and headed for her apartment?”

The buzzing from my phone had me waving over Shane as I turned back to Hale.

“Listen to me, I have to finish here. I want you to go with Master One. Shane will get you a drink until I can talk more. We’ll find out exactly what happened. We’ll get to the bottom of it, okay? You have my word.”

Hale sobbed, looking over as Shane approached. I pulled out my phone, swallowing hard as I took in the subject line to the email that had come through.

I believe you wanted this.

“?”

I shoved my phone in my pocket, trying to keep the shocked expression from my face. Had I thought they’d answer my petition? Had I prayed?

“Take Hale to his new apartment and sit with him until I can make it over there. I….” My hand flattened over the outside of my jacket where my phone rested. My heart was racing. I could barely feel my legs due to the adrenaline. Shane went between looking where I held over my phone to my face. He wasn’t stupid. He knew something wasn’t right, and I was pissed that I wasn’t hiding it better. I felt nervous. Sick. Impatient with rage despite I hadn’t seen what I was sure was waiting for me.

“Let’s go.” Shane’s hand came to Hale’s back to lead him away, but his eyes didn’t stop searching the emotions that wouldn’t stop overwhelming me. “You’ll join us shortly?”

“Yeah. This shouldn’t take long.”

He nodded, turning them and continuing to look back as they and the rest of the crowd headed for the main doors. The moment they were through, I spun for the back exit, met with startled guards as their attention shot to me.

My pace was fast, and I was already pulling up my phone. Before I could click on the email, buzzing took over. The anonymous number had me holding tighter to my cell as I answered it.

“This is the .”

A pause, but not because of the caller. The Collective High Council’s calls were always delayed.

“Quite the trial. Pity we lost Sebastian Rivers. I have to admit, I didn’t expect that.”

The voice was familiar, even with the distortion masking their true tone, but I had no idea who it was. I’d had plenty of meetings with the Council, but the robes and hoods they wore hid their identity, and for good cause. They could be any of our fathers, our bosses, or our biggest enemies. To know was to die. To try to find out was a death sentence one didn’t want to face.

“Sebastian Rivers might not have agreed with some of our ways, but he was a good man. He was trustworthy of our secrets.”

“He was. What of his brother? Can he step up and fill Sebastian’s shoes?”

I kept my pace slow, knowing better than to lie. This Council member was wanting me to vouch for him, and if Hale couldn’t deliver, it wouldn’t look good coming from the .

“I believe so. He takes direction very well. He listens to me.”

“But he hasn’t always. You got to him, just as Melissa taught you to do.”

I nodded despite he couldn’t see me. Or maybe he could. “I did. I didn’t have a choice. You see what’s happening. My training detected this long before I realized what Melissa was doing. I knew, even if I didn’t consciously recognize the dangers. My training is superb.” I narrowed my eyes, knowing what they must be thinking. “Me being isn’t a mistake. Melissa’s crossed the line. I never will.”

“The Council doesn’t make mistakes, but some are certainly questioning our decisions.

“I understand that. You all feel betrayed. I feel betrayed . What Mistress Two did as a teacher and as a doctor was unethical. As a friend and a fellow circle member, the manipulation is unforgiveable. She broke every law there is. That doesn’t mean I will.”

“It doesn’t mean you won’t.”

“I won’t. I’ve given my word. I died for this position. I’ve… killed to be who I am today.” My chest cramped, and I slowed, pushing the button for the private elevator. “Was it you who sent the email?”

“We all sacrifice something in our journey to our appointed positions, , whether we want to or not.”

My brow creased. “Is that what I did? Did I sacrifice her for this? Did I…Did I know what I was doing?”

Silence. I stepped onto the elevator, hitting my floor.

“I only know what’s in your record, but you don’t want that answer. Only one person knows the truth, and can you really trust anything she says?”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

“No.” He made a sound as if he agreed. “A question,” I paused. “I was made aware the video mentions the name Corbin Frasier. Mistress Two told me he was a filmmaker. College-age, back in those days. She hinted at killing him after he blackmailed her over filming me…killing Vivia. Is she telling the truth?”

The elevator dinged, and I surged past the doors, heading for my apartment.

“Yes and no. Corbin was the film maker, but he was not college-age. He was Council-potential, attending your rights of passage. He died shortly after that night, but only because he failed his initiation. He was there, just as other Council members.”

“Were you there?”

A pause. “No. I’m new. But I am aware of your history, and I have seen the video.”

“And this footage is of my rights of passage, correct?”

“It is.”

“So…I sacrificed her to become who I am?”

“The Council was there, , but your sacrifice was your own. If you gave Vivia for this position, or Melissa offered her up without your knowledge, we don’t know.”

I could barely catch my breath. Why were my eyes burning? The emotions. There were too many. Ones I shouldn’t have been feeling. “So, Master One was correct.” I cleared my throat. “I can’t remember Vivia’s death. I can’t remember anything but coming to. Was the memory-wipe part of my passage? Was it to make me into who I needed to become? Is that normal? I have a right to know.”

“That is not normal practice for a passage or a . You give and you get. Freely. From what I saw, the Council attended long enough to see the deed done. You’ll get no answers watching that video. I would suggest not doing it. There’s nothing to gain by what you’ll see.”

“Then why let me watch it?”

He let out a deep breath. “Being a is the hardest position anyone in our circle can be tasked with. It carries a responsibility and weight like no one can imagine. You paid your price to become . You have a right to see how.”

I rounded the corner, slowing as I took in my guards, sprawled on the floor. Blood pooled behind their heads, and their guns were still within reach of their collapsed bodies. I spun in a circle, turning my attention to my door.

“…Thank you for this. I should go.”

“.”

His tone was thicker. More demanding as it pulled me from the sudden need to barge into my apartment. With the guards having the card for emergency purposes, no one would have needed my fingerprint to enter. And someone was definitely in there. Someone who could make my guards blow out their brains. That shouldn’t have happened after their new training, but it had.

“Yes?”

“You’d be smart to call in the guard right now and follow protocol…but injustice and grief can sometimes blind us to the rules we’re so inclined to follow. That doesn’t mean either will go without consequence.” His tone wavered between curious and cautious. “She’s waiting for you. We’ll be watching.”

We’ll? Had I thought he was alone? I should have known better.

“No one is going to stop this, are they?”

“That depends. Do we need to rescue you?”

I knew how this worked. The risks were my own. No one had swept in and saved Bram Whitlock. No one was coming to save me either. What happened in the Gardens, stayed in the Gardens .

“Absolutely not. I don’t need rescuing, and if I do, I don’t deserve to be the . I will die in this position.”

“I believe you will. Before that may happen, answer this question. What means more to you in this moment? Revenge or loyalty? Love…or duty?”

I took a step forward. Another. The door was drawing me in like a magnet. Melissa was inside. In my domain. Waiting. For me. The words that left me were not Elec Wexler’s. Maybe he truly didn’t exist anymore.

“I was made to be the . This is my position.”

“So you’re choosing loyalty and duty?”

“No. To choose is to put a noose around my neck. I said I’m the . That comes with a price I haven’t paid yet. I have no recollection in choosing a sacrifice for my rights of passage, but I’m about to give you one. One that I’ll never forget.”