RURO Chapter 23

Russian Roulette /̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿

CHAPTER 23

 

What did he just say?

Tessa stared at him in shock as the elevator came to a halt.

The moment they reached the top of the high-rise hotel, Vicente finally let her go. She was free, yet she still felt like she was trapped in his grasp.

Vicente stepped out first. Tessa followed in silence, trailing behind him like a well-trained dog—just as she always had.

His bedroom was exactly as she remembered it.

The view of Saint Leroi’s nightscape stretched endlessly beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. The vastness of the space made her feel small.

And then there was the bed.

Just seeing it again was enough to bring back memories, and she quickly averted her gaze.

She still needed guiding. That hadn’t changed. But she didn’t want to do that tonight.

Not yet… She could still endure.

Vicente gestured toward her.

“Sit, Tessa.”

He pointed to the large sofa.

In the past, the only place she had been allowed to occupy in this room was the bed. Now, Vicente had expanded her territory.

As Tessa cautiously took a seat, he walked over to a cabinet.

There was an array of liquor displayed on the shelves. Was he planning to drink even more?

Thankfully, her worries were unfounded. The bottle he picked up didn’t seem to be alcohol. She wasn’t sure what it was.

Vicente returned with a glass filled with a clear liquid and sat down across from her.

To her surprise, the drink wasn’t for him.

He extended the glass toward her.

“Drink.”

Tessa hesitated for a moment before taking the glass. She knew better than to keep him waiting—he hated indecision.

But she couldn’t just drink something without knowing what it was. Of course, she doubted he would poison her, but still…

“What is this?”

“What, are you scared I’ll kill you?”

Once again, he had read her thoughts. How did he do that every single time?

When she didn’t answer, Vicente let out a scoff.

“You really think I’d poison you?”

“That’s not what I—”

“Tessa. You’ve been around me long enough to know better. When I want someone dead, I don’t resort to cheap tricks like poison. I know much more effective ways. And I certainly wouldn’t want my bedroom reeking of a corpse.”

“I wasn’t doubting you. I just wanted to know what this is.”

“It helps with hangovers. Drink it. Not that I care whether you spend the whole night writhing in pain.”

Tessa didn’t want to feel worse than she already did. Without further argument, she drank.

It had no scent, no taste.

Vicente watched her the entire time. He rested his chin on his hand, studying her intently.

Then, he suddenly spoke.

“Why did you drink so much?”

He was referring to what had happened at the casino.

It was true that she had drunk more than usual.

“A person as cautious as you—who won’t even take a drink from me without questioning it—was more than happy to accept whatever Carmen poured for you.”

She had assumed he was busy playing cards, but apparently, he had been watching her the whole time.

Why?

“If I conducted myself improperly—”

“I’ll decide if there’s anything to reprimand after hearing your answer.”

Vicente’s voice was calm, but firm.

“So tell me, Tessa. What made you let your guard down?”

There were plenty of reasons why she had felt more at ease.

The security there was tight. She knew Carmen wouldn’t harm her—after all, she was someone Vicente had personally brought in.

But more than anything, the reason she had felt safe… was him.

She had been within his line of sight the entire time.

Vicente Zermo was a terrifying, merciless man. But ironically, when she was by his side, she could lower her guard against outside threats.

Did I come to realize that in this filthy, dangerous world… the safest place is next to him?

But Tessa had no desire to admit—let alone say out loud—that she had felt safe by Vicente’s side.

“I think I got caught up in the atmosphere,” she said instead. “And Carmen didn’t seem like a dangerous person.”

“You don’t even know what kind of person Espinosa really is.”

“Well… When you do this kind of work, you develop a sense for people. I’ve relied on mine for a long time.”

The leather of the sofa creaked as Vicente shifted, leaning back against the cushions. He still looked as arrogant as ever when he spoke again.

“Then tell me, Tessa. What does your ‘sense’ say about me?”

Tessa tightened her grip on the empty glass, her gaze sharpening.

Is this another trap?

It didn’t matter. No matter how she answered, the truth remained the same.

“You’re a dangerous man.”

The underworld of Saint Leroi was twisted and lawless, a place where the rules of the outside world simply didn’t apply.

Anyone who wandered in unprepared would be dragged under in an instant.

The only reason Vicente’s presence felt safe was because she was currently trapped in this world.

But one day, she would leave.

Outside his domain, Vicente would always be a wildfire—one that would devour everything in its path if it spread too far.

“Even if you’re my Guide, that won’t change.”

“Do you resent that?”

Do you resent the fact that I’m your Guide?

That’s what he was really asking.

She could have lied, if she wanted to appease him.

But Tessa was too tired for that.

“Yes. I resent it.”

He might not like her answer.

He might even be offended.

No one spoke to Vicente Zermo so bluntly.

But his reaction was unexpected.

He didn’t seem displeased. If anything, he looked… satisfied.

Instead, he simply seemed to lose interest in their conversation.

“Sleep in my bed.”

He watched her reaction, then gave a sharp, cool smile.

“I’m not asking you to sleep with me, so don’t get nervous.”

“I’d rather sleep in my own quarters.”

“It’s too much trouble to take you back.”

He stood up, already making his way toward the door without a hint of hesitation.

“I’ll be out for the night. Do what you want—sleep, shower, doesn’t matter to me.”

With that, the door clicked shut behind him.

Tessa stared at it for a long moment before finally sighing.

Really, whether it was her quarters or his bedroom… there wasn’t much difference.

Within this city, no matter where she went, she would still be in his grasp.

She would never get used to this room.

It was nothing like a place meant for rest—it was cold, impersonal. It felt more like an office that just happened to have a bed in it.

Did Vicente actually sleep in a place like this?

Stubbornly, she lay down without removing a single layer of clothing. She even left her holster strapped securely to her shoulder.

Would Vicente mock her for this? Probably.

Lying on her side, she could see the dazzling cityscape of Saint Leroi stretching before her.

It was a city of indulgence, glittering and vibrant—but beneath its beauty was something dark and suffocating, like sinking into the depths of the sea.

Unconsciously, she gripped the sheets in her hands.

There was no way she would be able to sleep.

How had she ended up in this situation?

Everything around her felt like a carefully constructed play, designed specifically to break her down.

If she kept staring at the city lights, she might lose herself in them completely.

Tessa shut her eyes.

She forced herself to sleep.

Tomorrow, the sun will rise again.

That was the hope she had clung to all her life.

And tonight, she had to endure once more.

* * *

Vicente rarely slept.

There was no particular reason.

At some point, he had simply stopped feeling drowsy. Even when he did close his eyes, he would wake moments later.

Perhaps it was just another side effect.

Not that it mattered anymore.

After leaving Tessa behind in his bedroom, he made his way into a darkened room.

Inside, a series of complex wires and devices awaited him, neatly arranged. A pair of headphones rested atop the equipment, waiting to be used.

Tessa hadn’t noticed the listening device carefully hidden within the inner lining of the new suit jacket he had given her.

Not that it was necessary.

After all, in Saint Leroi, his eyes and ears were everywhere.

This was nothing more than a game to him.

A challenge, for his own amusement.