No More Waiting, She Chooses Love



Stuck in a deadlock with several cars barricading us, Jefferson and I were going nowhere.

Even if we had the guts to try and run away, safety was still a long shot, and our chances to get away were pretty low. Jefferson was spot on; with Ernest reassigned, nabbing me had become significantly easier.

Without Ernest's skills, Jefferson was at a disadvantage in keeping me safe.

Clearly, I was still Brown's target.

As the group approached our car, I turned to Jefferson, "I'll go with them. Don't do anything rash, just message Ernest."

"No way!" Jefferson's sense of duty had him instantly rejecting the idea.

"Now that Conrad's been taken by Brown and Ernest's out of the picture, if you get caught too, we're all done for. Brown will have us at his mercy," | tried to make Jefferson see reason.

He looked at me, and I smiled, unafraid, "We've already discussed this. If this is Dustin's trap, I'll be fine. So, don't worry about me."

"But what if it's not him!" Jefferson seemed unwilling to accept the possibility of Dustin being the mastermind.

"Even better," I countered, "You could alert him to rescue me. That would be our chance to test him. If he shows up and saves us, then it's clear he's not behind this. But if he doesn't, and Brown only targets others while sparing me, then we'll know Dustin's the one pulling the strings."

Before Jefferson could respond, the group forcefully opened the car door, ready to grab me. I snapped, "I'll come willingly."

Hearing this, they glanced at Jefferson, and I quickly added, "He's not involved."

"We're taking everyone," the leader declared.

"Then you'll be carrying my corpse," I retorted, pressing a small knife I'd snagged from the hotel against my neck, prepared for the worst.

My threat worked. They hesitated, not daring to make a move.

One of them stepped away to make a call. Returning, he nodded and said,

Fine, drop the knife, and

can go."

Ο

"He leaves first, then I drop the knife," I negotiated as I stepped out of the car.

Jefferson looked at me, a mix of worry and tension in his eyes, but heeded my silent plea and walked away.

Watching Jefferson disappear into the distance, I dropped the knife on the ground.

I was taken to Brown's stronghold,

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be

was leisurely sipping teet

under a patio umbrella, feeding the

fish,

enjoying his ease.

"I'm here now. Can you let the others go?" I hadn't seen Ernest's car upon arrival.

Either Ernest hadn't made it here, or he was sent somewhere else.

"Why would I do that? We're just about ready for a game of poker," Brown joked, a dark humor in his tone.

But I knew he was applying pressure, signaling that he had the others.

"Want to join the game? Be my guest," I hinted at wanting to see the others.

Brown caught on to my intent but merely scoffed, "What's the rush?"

His evasiveness made me uneasy, "What are you planning?" "You'll find out soon enough," he teased, prolonging the suspense.

Seeing no point in further

conversation, I chose silence, letting Brown ramble on. Even as he fed the fish, he teased, "You like feeding fish, right? Give it a try. My fish are quite obedient, no less than anyone else's."

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"Anyone else?" The ambiguity of his words left me pondering his true intentions.