RURO Chapter 28

Russian Roulette /̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿

CHAPTER 28

 

“Who do you think it was?”

“It’s hard to even guess.”

Frederick’s eyes sharpened in thought. The laid-back drifter was gone—finally, Alex thought, he looked like the seasoned Intelligence agent he really was.

Frederick knew Tessa. Not intimately, perhaps, but he did know one thing for sure—she was one of the rare few with unwavering loyalty. Tessa had brushed death more than once, and even when handed the most dangerous missions, she had never once complained.

And now, she had fallen into Vicente’s arms?

Frederick couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Who had fallen first? Even if, as a last possible scenario, Tessa—hardened and jaded—had chosen Vicente, it still didn’t make sense.

She must’ve been working as “Vicente’s dog.”
And Vicente Zermo, who didn’t even treat his own subordinates as people—was now supposedly in love with her?

If so, there was only one conclusion Frederick could reach.

“That bastard knows who Tessa really is. He’s playing with her—to mock the Agency.”

“That’s not far off from what we think too.”

“But Tessa? What the hell did we put her through for her to come unhinged like this?”

“It’s time she retired.”

Despite the cold statement, Frederick didn’t so much as flinch. He knew. All agents were disposable. When they were worn out, they either returned to civilian life… or died with their gears run down.

That was the final stop for those who served the Agency.

“But if she’s going to retire, she should at least leave from our side.”

“…I think I understand now why you came to me.”

“There’s no need to pull her out just yet. But you understand what I mean when I say to keep an eye on her, right?”

Frederick nodded. Given the kinds of missions he’d carried out before, the message wasn’t hard to grasp.

“Go help her come to her senses. If anyone’s going to truly look out for Tessa, it’s us. No one else. Even if she ends up finding someone who says they love her—Vicente Zermo isn’t that person.”

Frederick read the urgency in Alex’s expression. He looked desperate. Understandably so—Alex had been close to Tessa.

“You care about her.”

Alex didn’t answer for a few seconds. Then a faint smile finally touched his lips.

“I do. She trained with me. We came up together.”

So they were training partners—that explained the closeness between them.

The smile faded. In a low voice, Alex gave his final order.

“Remind her who’s really on her side.”

* * *

Tessa lay trembling on the bed, discarded like a candy wrapper emptied of its contents. Unlike her—bare and vulnerable—Vicente had already returned to his flawless, put-together self.

“Tessa.”

He called her name as he straightened his clothes by the bed. Tessa stared into space, clutching the bedsheet tightly. She was hanging on to the last shred of reason—doing her best not to climb onto Vicente and strangle him.

Just leave. Please, just go.

But there was no way Vicente would care about her wrecked state. He leaned down and looked into her face. The face she had once feared now only felt revolting.

“Are you crying?”

He even had the nerve to wipe away her tears. Tessa used every ounce of strength not to swat his hand away. Maybe he sensed how much she was holding back, because he smiled as though he found it amusing.

“Why are you crying? I gave you the Guiding you wanted.”

He spoke softly, then easily lifted her into his arms. She no longer had the energy to ask what he intended to do. He carried her into the bathroom, where moisture still clung to the surfaces.

Vicente gently lowered her into the tub and pulled the lever. Warm water spilled over her body.

“Wash up. Rest for today.”

He acted like he was rewarding her for something. Tessa couldn’t even react. Vicente kindly pulled the curtain closed—then left the room completely.

As soon as she heard the bedroom door shut, Tessa reached for the soap and began scrubbing herself. She rubbed especially hard over the places he had touched. Thanks to the water flowing down her body, she didn’t even realize she was crying.

What does Alex think of me now? Why didn’t he hang up?
He should have. If he truly cared, he should’ve hung up that call!

Then again, maybe he was too stunned to even think of it. But wasn’t it Alex who told her to get closer to Vicente in the first place? He knew Guiding would happen.

So what right did he have to be shocked?

He had to have known something like this could happen.

“I told him everything,” she muttered to herself, as if defending her own actions.

“I explained what kind of situation I was in. I told him everything.”

Her skin began to turn red from the harsh scrubbing. Instead of feeling clean, the stinging only brought everything back more vividly.

Did he think I was dirty?

Why… why did Alex listen to the whole thing?

Tessa wanted to shut her eyes tight. No matter how many awful things she endured, she had always been able to bear them because she had somewhere to return to. She wasn’t alone—her comrades were waiting for her.

She had clung to that one thought to survive.

Vicente had seen right through her. That was why he had called Alex. To make her “wake up,” so to speak.

But why go that far?

Why save me at all? Why give me Guiding? Why make an exception for me and show this ridiculous possessiveness?

He must’ve just gotten a kick out of it.

He was probably amused that he ended up being her one and only Guide. He’d said as much from the beginning.

Beg me for a kiss.

So in the end, Tessa was nothing more than a new toy.
How amusing it must’ve been—to see an agent sent to spy on him begging to be fucked.

Of course he wouldn’t want to let that go.

If she wanted to survive this hell, she had to hope that he would eventually get tired of her. But the problem was, that wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

Alex will understand.

He’ll know I wasn’t crying because I wanted it.

Tessa turned off the water, comforting herself with that belief. If she didn’t hold on to it, she really might lose her mind. And if that happened, she’d be discarded in an instant.

She dried herself, got dressed, and stepped out of the bedroom. Instead of taking the elevator, she chose the emergency stairs—she didn’t want to run into anyone. Not like this.

She descended several flights before finally reaching the lobby. Passing through the revolving door, she exited the hotel.

She walked. And walked. Hours slipped by as she moved through the city, and eventually, the cozy home she stayed in came into view.

She unlocked the door and latched it out of habit, even though she knew it was pointless.

After hanging up her jacket, she crawled into bed. Sleep would’ve been nice, but it didn’t come.

Staring at the wall, Tessa wondered: why did Vicente give her time off? Was it supposed to be some kind of mercy? Or did he just want her to wallow in misery for a day?

He was not a man who could ever truly be gentle.

He could fake tenderness, but never become genuinely kind.
If he had been soft in any way, he could never have conquered the underworld.

Vicente enjoyed seeing her broken.

The thought of him imagining her curled up like this made it unbearable to stay in bed.

Tessa got out, changed clothes, and picked out the best outfit she had—a coral-colored blouse and a deep wine-red skirt.
She let her hair down and looked in the mirror. She looked more like a normal person than before.

Just like that, she stepped out of the house.

She wanted an experience that would let her forget reality, even for a little while. She couldn’t keep hiding in bed, trembling. Vicente had given her a day off—so she had every right to spend it in her own way.