Russian Roulette /̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿
CHAPTER 14
“Ten minutes, huh.”
Vicente repeated the words in an emotionless tone. He seemed to consider it briefly before responding with ease.
“Ten minutes. That sounds fair.”
A filthy grin flashed across Javier’s face.
Tessa shut her eyes tightly before reopening them.
She had always known that infiltrating this world meant enduring any kind of filth. But she never imagined she would have to endure this.
Was Vicente really going to hand her over to him?
There was no reason to believe he wouldn’t.
Between them, as Tessa trembled in silence, the conversation continued.
“With a face like that, she could be put to better use. Why do you send her out to do grunt work?”
“Because she’s competent.”
“Then I should see for myself just how competent she is.”
Just as he reached to grab a fistful of Tessa’s hair, Vicente, who had been leaning lazily against the backrest, suddenly shifted forward. His fingers laced together as he rested his elbows on his knees.
His black eyes, still hollow and unreadable, caught the dim light.
“Before that, how about a little game?”
“A game?”
“You offered ten minutes. I’ll raise the stakes—let’s wager an entire day. If you win, I will host you with the utmost hospitality for a full twenty-four hours. But if I win, I get to decide how to use those ten minutes.”
Javier nearly burst into laughter. Did he just hear Vicente Zermo say the word ‘hospitality’?
So much arrogance, yet now that he was being cornered, was he getting scared?
His eyes flickered back to Tessa.
A whole day to do whatever he pleased with that pretty little subordinate of his. Why would he refuse? Even if he lost, he would only be giving up ten minutes.
“Fine. I accept your game.”
Vicente held out his hand, and his assistant promptly placed something small and silver into his palm.
A ten-dozen coin, glinting under the light.
“I’ll flip the coin. If it lands on heads, you win. If it lands on tails, I win.”
“Then I’ll be the one to toss the coin.”
Javier’s voice was sharp with suspicion. He didn’t trust Vicente not to cheat.
Vicente, unfazed, simply tossed him the coin.
“Let’s settle this in one round.”
“Don’t try to take it back later.”
Ironically, it was Javier who was skilled at sleight of hand. He scoffed inwardly at Vicente, mocking him for gambling his subordinate’s fate on a mere coin flip. But regardless, he already felt victorious.
The coin spun through the air and landed on the velvet-covered table.
Tails.
Javier stared at it in disbelief.
He had used a trick that should have ensured the coin landed on heads. How the hell did this happen?
Something had to be wrong.
Gritting his teeth, he glared at Vicente.
“My fingers slipped. Let me go again.”
“As you wish.”
Vicente, resting his chin on one hand, agreed without hesitation.
Javier flipped the coin again.
Tails.
That bastard did something to the coin!
Growing increasingly frustrated, Javier snatched another coin from one of his men and tossed it himself.
Tails.
“You’re pulling some kind of trick on me—!”
“I think I’ve given you more than enough chances.”
“This is a scam! You insignificant little bastard—you think you can humiliate me twice?!”
Javier snarled, then pulled out the gun he had concealed behind his back, pressing it against Vicente’s forehead.
Tessa, having surrendered her gun upon entering the VIP room, only had the knife strapped to her calf. Slowly, she moved her hand down, readying herself to strike Javier if necessary.
Then—she froze.
Her eyes flickered to a window in the room.
Through the glass, she caught sight of someone in another building across the way.
A civilian wouldn’t have noticed him. But she wasn’t a civilian.
Her gaze locked onto Alex.
He was watching them.
It wasn’t unexpected—Vicente could have tipped him off, or perhaps the Intelligence Bureau had already anticipated that dangerous men would be gathering in the capital.
Either way, his presence was a relief.
If Alex was here, it meant backup was already in place.
More than that, just knowing that he was nearby was enough to steady her.
She didn’t let her eyes linger for long, quickly looking away so as not to give anything away.
Meanwhile, Vicente remained seated, gazing up at Javier.
There was a real chance that if Javier lost his temper, he would pull the trigger.
And yet, Vicente remained unshaken.
Not even remotely disturbed by the barrel aimed at his forehead.
“Losing your temper won’t change the outcome of the game.”
“You rigged that coin! I know it! You think you can make a fool out of me with your dirty little scam?!”
“You think running a business in my backyard isn’t dirty?”
Javier’s hand trembled with rage. Tessa braced herself, convinced that he was about to pull the trigger.
If necessary, she would have to take him down alongside Vicente’s men.
But Vicente didn’t seem to view the situation as particularly threatening. Instead, he dismissed his now-useless assistant.
“Step outside through the back door, Ricky.”
“What kind of trick is this?”
“I’m just sending out an innocent secretary. No need to overreact.”
The assistant hesitated before quickly exiting the VIP room.
Now, only five people remained inside: Vicente, Javier, his three subordinates, and Tessa.
The odds were bad. A large table separated them, limiting movement, and it wasn’t even certain whether Javier’s men had been fully disarmed upon entry.
Tessa calculated her options, mapping out possible routes.
Then, her eyes flicked toward where Alex was stationed.
He was still there. Watching.
Despite the clear tension inside the room, he casually sipped his tea, exuding an air of nonchalance.
Then—
“Ten minutes.”
Vicente’s smooth voice sliced through the suffocating atmosphere.
“As per our agreement, I decide how to use those ten minutes. And I believe that should be more than enough time.”
“What the hell are you—”
Snap.
The sharp sound of Vicente’s fingers echoed through the room.
And then—
Javier’s gun suddenly lifted from his grip, floating into the air.
Javier stared up at the weapon in dumbfounded shock.
His men were no different. They, too, found themselves completely unarmed, their weapons wrenched away from them by some unseen force.
A fraction of a second later, the sharp writing utensils resting on the desk shot forward like bullets.
Javier’s men collapsed, unmoving.
They hadn’t even had the chance to scream.
Cold sweat beaded on Javier’s forehead as he stumbled back.
“You…!”
“Mr. Javier.”
Vicente lit a cigarette, his voice light and casual.
“Who was it that said this meeting would end in your favor?”
“You bastard! There’s no way—you’re not a Sentinel!”
“True. My abilities are rather… difficult to categorize.”
Vicente exhaled a plume of smoke, the heavy, bitter scent filling the air. It was the distinct aroma of the cigarettes he always smoked.
“I prefer letting my subordinates handle the simple matters. Because, well—” he gestured lazily toward the scene before him, “—this happens when I personally get involved.”
He snuffed out the cigarette in the ashtray, its glowing tip dulling into cold, lifeless ash.
He felt much the same way.
Then, he rose from his seat and slowly walked toward Javier.
“You were the one trying to plant your little rats in my backyard.”
“Stop!”
“You were also the one desperate enough to come crawling here the moment I summoned you.”
“Stay away from me!”
“And yet, you have the audacity to act as though you’re the one in control. Are you truly incapable of grasping the situation, Mr. Javier?”
Javier was too fixated on Vicente to notice that Tessa had silently moved.
She now stood behind him, the dagger she had hidden at her ankle clutched in her grip.
“I was willing to let you go with just a warning,” Vicente murmured. “So long as you knew your place.”
“You… you bastard…!”
“But unfortunately for you—”
Vicente’s gaze flickered past Javier, landing on Tessa.
“—I don’t take kindly to those who try to touch what’s mine.”
His voice was smooth, almost indifferent.
Then, he gave the order.
“Tessa, kill him.”
She did not hesitate.
With practiced ease, she slit Javier’s throat.
He crumpled to the floor in a pool of his own blood, his body convulsing for a brief moment before going still.
The filthy scum’s demise lay at her feet.
Tessa met Vicente’s gaze, blood splattered across her cheek and the pristine white collar of her shirt.
There was no time to dwell on his powers.
Javier still had men outside.
And once they realized their leader had been executed, they wouldn’t simply let this go.
“What are your orders?” she asked.
Vicente tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
“Now, that’s the question, isn’t it?”
For a fleeting moment, Tessa felt an odd shift in the air.
Something about the way he spoke…
It almost felt as if he were referring to her.
As if he were pondering what to do with her now that she had witnessed his abilities firsthand.
Then—
A sudden burst of gunfire rang out, followed by the terrified screams of civilians just outside the room.
Tessa’s instincts took over, and she turned sharply toward the window.
Alex was gone.
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