XavierI walked into the bank, my shoes patting softly against the hard floor. There were no customers and very few tellers behind the counter. This entire setup looked like a bank struggling to still stay in business, but with the way these tellers were dressed, I was certain something else was going on under this facade. I casually tapped the microphone in my ear“Good morning, welcome.” One of the tellers greeted warmly. Her breathy voice tickled my ears as she spoke slowly, like she was watching her words. “Good morning..” I said back, leaning against the counter and adjusting my collar. “How may I be of help to you?” She asked, her face stern and calculated, like my presence wasn’t welcomed. “Uhmm..” I cleared my throat and looked around, trying to make sure Eliot doesn’t waltz into this place, “I am an auditor, Mark Evans…” I said with precision. “And I’m here to run a little survey on internal transactions, state orders..” my lips curved up a smile and I made sure not to

Damian Officer Ruth didn’t waste a second before she pressed her thumb against the intercom on the wall, her voice getting firmer with each word like our lives depended on that very moment and honestly it did. “All available units, when I say all I mean all, to front hall. Now!” She ordered, her eyes never leaving the folders splayed across the table. The sound echoed down the corridor, and I felt my stomach tighten, my fingers drumming once against the edge of the table before I forced them to stay still, trying not to look as tensed as I felt. I used to be known as the war god but it seemed like I’d fallen short of the name. I watched as she stood up and gathered the file into her arm with a quick, practiced motion, and then she jerked her chin toward the door. “You two, come with me we’ve got no time to waste.” She said and Victor and I followed immediately, my boots squeaking faintly against the floor carpet. Victor was moving in that quiet and deliberate way he always do

Victor Officer Martins drove with both hands in the fastest way possible, never tapping the wheel and never even checking the rearview more than once every block. It was the kind of steady that makes me trust a person even if I didn’t get to know them. I sat beside him in the passengers seat and while he drove, I kept my eyes fixed on the street signs. I wasn’t used to being in the passengers seat so despite all the chaos I was enjoying the view. My right hand stayed resting on my knee only because I needed something to stop it from curling into a fist every time I thought about the possibility of Eliot successfully leaving the country. What if we’re too late? What if he had our plans all figured out before we even began? These thoughts clung to me like a plague that would kill me. Preston’s place was tucked off in a private estate, the house behind a high hedge and a driveway that curved like it was trying to hide the house, and I already knew the shape of this stop

Damian Weeks later, we were all seated in a courtroom. It smelled like old wood and coffee gone cold, and I sat three rows back with my hands clasped too tight in my lap, my thumb pressing into the knuckle of my index finger until it hurt. Because, if I didn’t do something with my hands I’d start drumming them on the bench and Ruth would shoot me a look from the prosecutor’s table. Beside me was Mila, Victor, Eliana and all the others patiently waiting for Eliot’s downfall. Eliot stood in a suit that cost more than my car, his shoulders straight, his jaw set like he still thought he could talk his way out of it and an hour later when the judge read, “guilty on all counts offense including, laundering, possession of drugs with intent,” he didn’t flinch. He just turned his head, found me in the crowd and held my gaze for a second too long before the officers took his elbows. He had a look that said “you won this round,”and I hated that it still got under my skin but he was hop