The Devil’s Witness

CHAPTER II: The deal

Lucas’ POV

I didn’t open the door, I couldn’t, my life was in my hands.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

I stood in the middle of my apartment, staring at the wooden barrier between me and the man who had murdered Daniel Russo knowing he could just break it down.

Dorian Voss waited on the other side like he had all night.

“You have ten seconds,” he said.

“For what?” I asked with a trembling voice.

“To decide whether you want to hear the rest of my offer.”

I almost laughed, the audacity of this man was unbelievable.

“You broke into my life after killing someone” I said shakily.

“I didn’t break into your life.”

“You tracked me home.”

“Yes” he answered at once.

“That isn’t better.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

I tightened my grip around my phone thinking to call the police.

“Why should I believe anything you say?” I ask him.

“You shouldn’t.”

The answer caught me off guard.

Dorian continued, “That’s why you’re going to verify everything yourself.”

I slowly approached the door but didn’t unlock it.

“What exactly do you want me to verify?”

“Who ordered Daniel Russo’s death.”

I frowned, this man was a joke if he thought I’d literally involve myself in a murder case I witnessed.

“You don’t know?”

“No.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t care what you believe” His voice remained infuriatingly calm.

“I know Daniel was given a target, I know he was supposed to meet someone tonight, I know the order came through an anonymous channel, I was told to eliminate him before he could talk.”

“And you did?”

“Yes” The bluntness of his answer made my stomach twist.

“You’re admitting it?”

“You watched me.”

I had no response to that.

Dorian’s voice lowered. “Someone wanted Daniel dead badly enough to hide behind an anonymous order. I want to know who.”

“Why do you care?” I asked him while getting a little relaxed, after all I liked gossip.

“Because whoever gave the order knew things they shouldn’t have known.”

I stared at the door.

“What things?”

“Daniel’s location, his movements and his contacts.”

He paused suddenly..

“And my involvement.” He said finally and that caught my attention.

“What do you mean?”

“If the person who sent the order knew I would be the one to carry it out, then they know how the organization operates.”

“Maybe they’re inside it.”

“They are” The certainty in his voice unsettled me.

It was like he was insinuating that someone wanted him dead or something worse.

“You already know that?”

“I know enough to suspect it.”

“And you want me to find them?” I asked again.

“Yes.”

“This is insane” I shook my head.

“Probably.”

“You’re asking an investigative journalist to investigate a murder committed by a criminal organization, a murder I witnessed?”

“I’m asking an investigative journalist to investigate something he’s already been investigating.”

My blood ran cold. Dorian knew about me and my work.

“How much do you know about me?”

“Enough.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

I stepped away from the door.

There was something deeply unsettling about realizing that Dorian had probably known my name long before tonight.

Why wasn’t I a target already?

My phone buzzed again.

This time, it was Noah.

Noah Bennett had been my best friend since university and the only person who knew how deep I’d gone into my investigation of the Black Vipers.

I answered, I needed to.

“Lucas?”

“Hey.”

“Where the hell are you?”

“Home.”

“You sound weird.”

“I’ve had a long night.”

“No kidding. Your editor called me because you weren’t answering.”

I closed my eyes, of course he had.

My editor, Gideon Shaw, was a pushy man you could never satisfy.

Noah was the human equivalent of a security alarm, he was annoying, persistent, and impossible to ignore.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re lying.”

I glanced toward the door, Dorian hadn’t moved.

“Can I call you back?”

“No.”

“Noah, please”

“Lucas, you disappeared after leaving the office. Your phone went straight to voicemail twice, Gideon is threatening to fire you, and now you’re whispering like you’re hiding a body.”

I looked at the door, If only he knew.

“I’ll explain tomorrow.”

There was silence.

Then Noah said, “You’re not alone, are you?”

My throat tightened.

“Goodnight, Noah.” I ended the call.

When I looked back at the door, Dorian said, “He seems protective.”

“He’s my friend.”

“He shouldn’t know I’m here.”

“He doesn’t.”

“Good.”

Something about the way he said it made me uneasy.

I unlocked the door and opened it only a few inches.

Dorian stood in the hallway looking exactly as he had in the alley.

Black coat, dark hair, cold expression except now I could see him clearly and he was younger than I expected, probably in his late twenties.

His face was sharp, composed, almost too controlled, there was nothing visibly threatening about him and that was probably what made him dangerous.

He looked like someone who never needed to raise his voice to get what he wanted.

His eyes settled on mine.

“You’re going to let me in?”

“No.”

One eyebrow lifted.

“You just opened the door.”

“I changed my mind.”

For the first time, something almost resembling amusement crossed his face.

“You’re difficult.”

“You killed a man in front of me, I’m allowed to be difficult.”

His expression hardened hearing that.

“Fair.”

I hated that answer.

I hated even more that I was beginning to understand why people listened when Dorian Voss spoke.

He didn’t need intimidation, he just spoke as though every decision had already been made.

“What’s the deal?” I asked.

“You investigate Daniel’s murder.”

“And?”

“You tell me everything you find.”

“In exchange for?”

“Your life.”

I stared at him.

“That isn’t a deal, that’s blackmail.” I screamed.

“It’s both.”

I should have shut the door.

Instead, I asked, “What happens if I refuse?”

Dorian looked at me for a long moment.

“You’re an intelligent man, Lucas.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It is.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then he said, “If you refuse, I walk away.”

I blinked.

“You’re letting me go?”

“I said I would walk away.”

“And then?”

“Then whoever sent me after Daniel will eventually realize you witnessed the murder.” My stomach tightened.

“So you’re saying someone else will come for me.”

“I’m saying I won’t be the one you need to worry about.”

That was somehow worse so I opened the door wider and Dorian stepped inside.

I immediately regretted it.

He looked around my apartment, taking in the books stacked beside the couch, the papers scattered across my desk, and the wall covered with photographs and notes.

His eyes stopped on one photograph.

A Black Vipers associate, then another and another.

“You’ve been investigating us for a while.”

“Don’t sound flattered.”

“I’m not.”

He walked toward the wall.

I moved between him and the photographs.

“I want terms.”

Dorian looked at me.

“Go ahead.”

“I work alone” I started

“No” he answered bluntly.

“I decide what information is relevant” I bargained.

“No.”

“You don’t follow me” I insisted.

“No.”

I glared at him.

“You’re terrible at negotiations.” I screamed at him.

“You’re terrible at making reasonable demands.”

“Then what exactly am I getting?”

“Access.”

“To what?”

“People, records, locations.”

I hesitated. “And protection?”

Dorian nodded.

“From the Black Vipers?” I asked to be sure.

“From everyone” He reassured while I studied his face.

“You’d protect me?”

“If you’re working for me, yes.”

“And if I stop?”

“Then the deal ends.” He answered simply, coldly and temporarily.

Exactly what I wanted so I held out my hand for a handshake.

Dorian looked at it before taking it with a firm grip.

“Deal.”

The moment our hands separated, I felt something I couldn’t explain.

Not attraction, not trust, nothing that simple. Just the uncomfortable certainty that I had made a decision that would change my life.

Dorian turned toward the door.

“Tomorrow morning, you’ll receive a file.”

“What’s in it?” I asked with a naive tone.

“Everything we know about Daniel.”

“And what don’t you know?”

“The person who ordered the murder. Are you slow?”

I watched him leave but before stepping into the hallway, he looked back.

“One more thing.”

“What?” I asked rudely.

“Don’t investigate Mara.”

I frowned “Why?”

Dorian’s expression became unreadable. “Because she’s my sister.”

Then he walked away.

I closed the door.

For the first time that night, it was like I’d understood the real problem.

I hadn’t just agreed to investigate a murder, I’d agreed to step inside the Black Vipers.

And Dorian Voss had just given me a warning about the one person I wasn’t supposed to investigate.