I'll kill her!
1104 Words
Evelina held the black briefcase tightly against her chest. She was already tired from carrying it, even though Cassiel had only just handed it to her minutes ago.
His warning rang in her ears.
"I’ll make you disappear so silently… that even your own shadow wouldn't even notice."
The way he said those words, with that blank expression and voice colder than the wind outside… it didn’t feel like a threat. It felt like a promise. A dark promise.
She walked out of his office on shaky legs, her heels clicking gently against the marble floor as she headed to the elevator. People passed her but none of them looked her way as if they knew to stay away.
The elevator ride down felt endless. Her reflection showed a nervous girl with wide eyes and stiff arms.
When the doors finally opened, she stepped outside and walked to the black car waiting for her. Aiden was there, his arms crossed, with an unreadable expression on his face. He didn’t speak, he just nodded once at the driver and the car started moving.
Evelina didn’t ask any questions, she just stared out the window as the city blurred past.
Minutes later, the car stopped but Aiden didn’t get down with her. He turned slightly and said, "Go to the alley up ahead. He’s waiting. Give him the briefcase. He’ll give you another one. Do not stay longer than a minute. Don’t talk. And whatever you do…" his eyes locked onto hers, "don’t open anything."
Evelina nodded and stepped out.
The air outside felt different. It was still daytime, but the alley she walked into looked dark and a little scary.
The buildings on both sides leaned too close, forming only a tiny path. She spotted a man waiting at the far end, barely moving. He wore a long coat and a cap pulled low over his face. She immediately guessed it was the man she was supposed to meet.
Evelina walked up to him, handed over the briefcase silently, and waited as he placed another one at her feet. This one was older with worn out corners and a scratched handle.
She quickly picked it up and turned without looking back.
The ride back was quiet. She sat in the backseat again, clutching the second case tightly. Her fingers trembled, no matter how much she tried to control them.
As soon as she arrived back in the building, she took the elevator alone. She knew she should take it straight to Cassiel’s office and wait for him to return.
That was what she was supposed to do.
She placed the case on his desk and stared at it. There was something... wrong about it. It smelled faintly like metal and something else ....old paper? No, something worse.
She bit her bottom lip, fingers brushing the latch. She knew she shouldn’t and that he had warned her.
But her curiosity screamed louder than her fear and moreover Cassiel wasn’t here, no one was.
He wouldn’t know if she just took a quick look just for a second and just to be sure she wasn’t part of something… illegal.
Her curiosity won.
She unlatched the case.
Click.
Click.
The case creaked open and her blood went cold.
There were several thick stacks of money inside, but not clean bills. Some were stained, torn and red blotches marked the edges. At first she thought it was ink, but her stomach twisted at the truth...It was blood!
Small labelled white bags were tucked beside the cash and they were neatly packed. Drugs!
Her eyes widened.
And on top of it all, there was a black envelope. She reached for it without thinking and opened it quickly.
There was a photo of a man inside. Half of his face was beaten, and swollen beyond recognition. His eyes were shut, lips split and the back of the photo had something written in red ink.
"Traitor."
Evelina stared.
She was holding evidence, or proof, or maybe a warning. She didn’t know anymore.
What kind of man was Cassiel?
No — what was he?
Footsteps echoed down the hallway
“You shouldn’t be handling this through her,” Aiden was saying.
“She followed orders,” Cassiel replied calmly. “She didn’t ask questions. That’s what I need.”
"She's smart... I'm sure she noticed something," Aiden hissed. " This isn’t just smuggling anymore, Cassiel, this is murder-level exposure!"
" I don’t care."
" She’s just a secretary—"
" She’s not just anything," Cassiel said coldly. "She either learns to live with what she sees... or she doesn’t live at all."
Evelina snapped the briefcase shut and stood, heart slamming against her ribs.
"She’s a girl, Cassiel. You’re testing her too early."
"I needed to see if she can be trusted."
Their voices were getting closer.
Evelina shut the case fast and stepped back, but she knew it was too late.
The door opened and Cassiel’s eyes landed on her immediately. He paused in front of her, his eyes resting on her face like he was looking through her. She just stood there like a deer in headlights, her throat went dry, and her legs felt stiff.
“I… I brought it back,” she said quickly. “The man gave it to me. I didn’t… I didn’t ask questions.”
Her voice trembled. She looked at both of them, then rushed out before they could say anything.
She didn’t look back.
Cassiel watched her go, but his face didn’t move.
Aiden stood beside him. “Can we trust her?”
Cassiel didn’t answer at once, his eyes were still on the door. Then slowly, he smiled but not kindly...not even close.
“If we can’t,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “I’ll kill her myself."
Evelina sat at her desk, her heart still racing. She couldn’t hear everything now. The door was too thick and their voices were hushed. But once in a while, she caught something.
“…shipment confirmed…”
“…they moved too soon…”
“…should’ve killed him last week…”
She didn’t want to hear more. She didn’t want to know more.
She had seen enough but deep down, even as fear prickled her skin, another emotion slowly bloomed inside her.
Curiosity.
She wanted to know more.
She wanted to understand why Cassiel was like this. How a man so cold could speak in such calm tones while handling things so bloody.
Who was he, really? And why did part of her want to get closer even when everything inside her screamed to run?
- Writer
