They Should Have Died

Accepting the Offer

No one spoke for a few seconds after Vincent’s last message appeared on Reyn’s phone screen.

Only the sound of rain outside the apartment and the faint hum of electricity from the laptop filled the room.

Logan was still staring at the photo on the phone screen.

A picture of their apartment.

And a blurred figure on the rooftop of the building across the street holding a long rifle.

For some reason… the longer Logan looked at it, the more he felt like the man was actually watching them right now.

“It’s a trap,” Reyn muttered finally as he dropped his phone onto the table.

Alexa crossed her arms over her chest.

“Or maybe it’s a warning.”

“From a mafia?” Reyn gave a short, humorless laugh. “Come on, Alexa.”

“But he’s right about Damian.”

The room fell silent again.

Logan slowly lifted his gaze. “How dangerous is this Damian guy?”

Reyn rubbed his face roughly before leaning against the kitchen counter. “Like a monster.”

That short answer immediately made the atmosphere feel colder.

“I’m serious,” Reyn continued quietly. “That guy has never failed to kill his target. There are even rumors he can shoot someone from nearly two kilometers away without missing.”

Logan frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“A lot of things in our lives stopped making sense the moment we came out of that river,” Reyn shot back.

Logan fell silent for a moment. “Is Damian also someone reborn like us? From the River?”

“I think so,” Reyn replied.

Alexa walked toward the apartment window and slightly pulled the curtain aside.

The street below looked empty. But that feeling of being watched was still there.

“I don’t like saying this,” Alexa said quietly. “But we might actually need help.”

Reyn turned sharply. “You want to accept Vincent’s offer?”

“I want to hear what he actually wants first.”

“And if it’s a trap?”

Alexa looked at Reyn for a few seconds before replying softly, “If Damian has really found this place… then we don’t have much time left. This apartment is no longer safe.”

Silence.

Logan looked between them.

For the first time since meeting Reyn and Alexa, he realized they were just as scared as he was.

They were just better at hiding it.

“I’ll go,” Logan said finally.

Reyn clicked his tongue. “You don’t even know Vincent Moreau.”

“And I don’t know anyone who’s trying to kill me either,” Logan replied calmly. “But if someone is really hunting me… I at least want to know why.”

Alexa slowly nodded.

Reyn only let out a long breath before grabbing his black hoodie from the sofa.

“I really hate this decision.”

***

Hotel Elysium stood tall in the center of the city.

The black glass skyscraper glowed among the sea of night lights. Luxury cars filled the front area, while several men in formal suits stood near the entrance with eyes too sharp for regular security guards.

Logan stepped out of Reyn’s old car, silently staring at the building.

“This place looks too fancy for a mafia,” he muttered.

“Vincent likes to stay clean. He even hides behind his CEO status at Moreau Group,” Reyn replied flatly while slamming the car door shut. “That’s what makes people forget how dirty he really is.”

Alexa stood beside them, scanning the surroundings. Her eyes moved quickly across every corner of the street.

“There are six cameras at the lobby entrance,” she said quietly. “And four armed men inside.”

Logan turned to her. “You can tell just by listening?”

Alexa nodded slightly. “I can hear their heartbeats.”

Reyn shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Still want to go in?”

Alexa didn’t answer. She simply walked toward the entrance.

Logan and Reyn followed behind her.

***

The interior of Hotel Elysium was far more luxurious than Logan expected.

Large crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Soft piano music played from a corner of the room. Everyone inside looked calm, elegant, and lost in their own worlds.

No one would ever guess a mafia ran operations from a place like this.

A woman in a black dress approached them a few seconds after they entered.

“Mr. Moreau has been waiting,” she said politely.

Reyn clicked his tongue. “Of course he’s already expecting us.”

Without much explanation, the woman led them toward a private elevator at the back of the hotel.

The higher the elevator went, the more uncomfortable Logan felt. His chest felt strange since entering the building, like something was waiting for him far ahead.

DING.

The elevator doors opened on the top floor.

The room was spacious. Silent. And only one man stood near a large window overlooking the city.

Vincent Moreau.

The man slowly turned around.

A perfectly tailored black suit wrapped his body neatly. His hair was styled flawlessly. His face was calm.

But his eyes were different.

Sharp. Calculated. As if he was reading everyone’s thoughts in the room.

“Finally,” Vincent said softly. “I was starting to think you’d keep hiding.”

“We only came to hear your explanation,” Reyn said coldly.

Vincent smiled faintly. “Of course.”

He walked toward a glass table in the center of the room and poured drinks into several glasses without rushing.

“You don’t need to be so tense,” he said.

“You sent a threatening message to our apartment,” Reyn shot back. “You expect us to be relaxed?”

“That wasn’t a threat.” Vincent lifted his glass slightly. “It was a warning.”

His gaze finally landed on Logan.

And for the first time since entering the room, Logan felt a chill run down his spine. This was his first time dealing with a cold-blooded mafia boss.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you.”

Logan frowned. “What do you mean?”

Vincent didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he threw a black folder onto the table.

“I want to show you something.”

Alexa opened the folder first.

Several photos were inside.

Photos of dead bodies. Crime scenes. People with gunshot wounds to the chest. And they all shared one thing in common.

The River of the Dead.

“These people…” Logan muttered.

“They’re survivors of the river, just like you,” Vincent said casually. “Or at least… they tried to survive after it.”

The room immediately felt colder.

“You’ve been investigating us?” Alexa asked.

“I’m protecting people like you.”

Reyn gave a dry laugh. “By sending hitmen?”

“Damian Cross isn’t mine.”

The smile on Reyn’s face slowly disappeared.

Vincent continued calmly, “Damian works for people far more dangerous than a mafia like us.”

Logan stared at Vincent without blinking.

Something about the way the man spoke felt off.

Too calm. Too certain. And that alone raised suspicion.

“Why is he hunting us?” Logan asked.

“Because your existence is considered a problem.”

“A problem for who?”

Vincent looked out at the night city through the large window before answering quietly.

“For the people who have been hiding the secrets of that river.”

Silence.

Alexa narrowed her eyes slightly. “You know something about the river?”

“I know more than you think.” Vincent stepped closer. “And you haven’t even seen the true limits of what it can do yet.”

Logan tensed immediately.

“Develop what exactly?”

Vincent smiled faintly. “You’ll find out sooner or later.”

That answer only made Logan more uneasy.

Reyn crossed his arms. “Get to the point. What do you want?”

“I want to recruit you.”

Vincent’s answer sounded too simple.

“We’re not mercenaries,” Reyn said coldly.

“No.” Vincent shook his head slightly. “You’re far more valuable than that.”

He picked up a thin tablet from the table and turned it on.

Data immediately appeared.

Bank accounts. Photos of officials. Illegal transactions. And… classified documents.

“These people,” Vincent said slowly, “steal government money, sell state data, run human trafficking operations, and still live comfortably because the law can never touch them.”

He swiped the tablet, showing more images.

“They buy judges. They buy police. And when someone tries to fight back… they silence them.”

Logan watched the screen in silence.

“So… I built an organization to take them down.”

“That sounds too noble for a mafia,” Reyn muttered.

Vincent chuckled softly. “Maybe.”

He looked at them one by one. “But I can give you something you’ve never had before.”

“And what’s that?” Logan asked.

“A place to survive.”

Silence filled the room again.

Logan didn’t know why… but a small part of him started to understand Vincent’s words.

They were being hunted.

And for the first time since coming out of that river, Logan realized a normal life might never be possible again.

Vincent continued in a calm voice.

“I can give you new identities. Money. Protection. Even a safe place to hide from that hunter.” He paused, looking at Logan, Alexa, and Reyn in turn. “As long as you’re willing to work with me to complete every mission.”

Logan stayed silent.

Because deep inside… a small part of him was starting to be tempted to believe it.

***