“Damn them,” Rion mutters under his breath, turning away from the package as though the very sight of it offends him.
Anna’s hand finds mine, her fingers intertwining with mine in a comforting gesture. Her touch is warm and steady, a reminder of the trust we’ve built between us.
The package feels heavier than it should, the weight of its contents seeming to grow in my hands. My fingers skim over the cardboard, searching for any hint of where it might have come from. But there’s nothing. No return address, no courier mark, just the faint scent of the drugs inside that makes my stomach churn.
“Is there anything on it?” Blaze asks, his voice tense and uneasy.
“Nothing,” I reply, frustrated. “Not a damn thing.”
Felix steps closer, inspecting the package with a sharp eye. “There has to be something. They wouldn’t just send this without a reason.”
“Wait,” Griffyn says, pointing to a small slip of paper tucked under one of the folds of the packaging. “What’s this?”
I carefully extract the note, unfolding it to reveal a single line of text. The words are simple, but they feel like a slap in the face: Deliver the goods to the address below.
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter, crumpling the note in my hand.
“What is it?” Anna asks.
“They’re testing me, seeing if I’m loyal enough to do their dirty work,” I say, my voice low and controlled.
“Let me guess,” Rion says, crossing his arms. “They want you to deliver the drugs.”
“Looks like it,” I confirm, anger simmering beneath my skin. “They’re using me as a drug mule.”
“Unbelievable,” Anna breathes out, her eyes wide with shock.
“Are you really surprised?” I snap, tossing the note onto the table. “These people don’t care about loyalty or trust – they only care about power, and they’ll use anyone and anything they can to get it.”
“Still,” Blaze says, shaking his head. “This is low, even for them.”
“Like Aksel said, it’s a test,” Felix interjects. “They want to see if Aksel will follow their orders blindly before they bring him in more.”
“Or see if he’s willing to betray us,” Griffyn adds darkly.
I glare at the crumpled note, my mind racing with thoughts of retaliation and escape. But the truth is, I don’t know what to do.
“Whatever they want,” I say through gritted teeth, “it won’t be as simple as just delivering these drugs.”
My fingers trace the edge of the package, my thoughts a whirlwind of frustration and confusion. The room feels heavy with tension as if the very air is thick with unspoken fears and doubts. I can’t help but feel the weight of their eyes on me, silently questioning what our next move should be.
“Are you going to do it?” Anna asks, her eyes searching mine for any sign of wavering. “Deliver these drugs?”
“Absolutely not,” Griffyn interjects before I can respond, his gaze darkening with anger. “This is a trap, Aksel, plain and simple. We shouldn’t even be considering it.”
“Griffyn’s right,” Felix adds, his hazel-green eyes flashing with concern. “Those drugs can be used against Anna, Griffyn, and Rion, and we can’t risk that. There has to be another way.”
I take a deep breath, trying to quiet the storm inside me. They’re right – delivering the wev would put not only Anna but all of us in danger. But at the same time, this could be our onlychance to get a lead on the Garmentas and bring down their entire drug ring from the root.
“I need to think,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “We can’t just put these drugs out into the world, but we need this lead if we want to end their drug trade once and for all.”
“It’s terrifying to think that anyone could have this stuff,” Anna says, her hands clenched into fists by her sides.
Rion and Griffyn agree.
“Whatever we decide,” I say firmly, meeting each of their gazes in turn, “we need to be careful. The Garmentas are masters of manipulation and deceit, and they’ll use everything in their power to bend us to their will.”
“Then we’ll just have to be smarter than them,” Blaze says forcefully, his determination clear in every line of his body. “We won’t let them win, Aksel. We’ll bring them down. Together.”
