Beneath the Surface of Safety

Previously

…Another beat of silence. Then, “Thank you, Mr. Mercer. We’ll look into it immediately.” I hung up, a knot of tension still coiled in my stomach. I had played my hand, a dangerous gamble. I had used Rostova, just as the Broker had used me. But perhaps, just perhaps, this was a way out. A way to neutralize the threat without fully revealing the monster within. The Broker’s game had begun. And I was determined to win, no matter the cost. The quiet life I’d built was teetering on the brink, and I was ready to pull it back from the edge, even if it meant drowning in the darkness to do it.