The choice
501 Words
Mia didn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the silver key glinting in the half light. Alexander's words that waiting until the last minute could be dangerous echoed in her mind.
By sunrise, she'd made her decision.
It wasn't bravery. It wasn't even trust. It was survival.
She dressed in her warmest coat, tucked the key and the envelope into her bag, and caught the early train uptown. The ride was long enough to make her wonder if she was making the biggest mistake of her life... or the smartest.
Alexander's building was impossible to miss. Black glass, thirty floors high, guarded by a lobby that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel. The guard took one at her and called upstairs without asking for her name.
"Mr Kane will see you," holding the elevator door open.
When she stepped out onto the top floor, the elevator opened directly into his penthouse.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city skyline like a painting. The air smelled faintly of cedar and something darker like smoke from a fire that had been put out hours ago.
Alexander stood near the windows, his back to her. "You came," he said without turning.
"I'm not agreeing to anything yet," she said quickly.
He turned then, and for a moment his expression was unreadable. Then he smiled slowly, deliberately, like he'd just won a game only he understood.
"Good. I prefer a challenge."
She swallowed hard. Why me? You could have anyone.
"Not anyone, he said, "he said. " I need someone who can keep secrets, someone with nothing left to lose."
Her pulse kicked. Secrets about what?
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he crossed to the kitchen, poured two glasses of water, and set one in front of her. Drink.
You're pale.
She didn't touch it. "What aren't you telling me?"
She studied her for a long moment, then said quietly," There are people watching me.
People who want what I have. You. Would be useful in making them believe I'm untouchable.
"And in exchange?"
"You'll never worry about rent again."
Mia stared at him, torn between fear and the desperate ache in her chest for stability. But beneath it all, there was something else, something she didn't want to admit even to herself.
Interest.
She set her bag down and pulled out the key.
"If I say yes. What happens next?"
Alexander's gaze darkened. "Then, Mia Clarke, your life stops being your own."
Before she could respond, the intercom on the wall buzzed. Alexander crossed the room and pressed a button.
A voice crackled through, low and urgent: Sir,
we have a problem. They know she's here.
Alexander's expression sharpened, and for the first time, she saw something in his eyes that chilled her more than his confidence ever had fear.
Mia's skin prickled.
"Who are they?" she asked, but Alexander was already moving.
He grabbed her arm not hard, but firm enough to make her follow. "Come with me now."
- Writer
