𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

𝟑𝟔 | 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐥

In front of us stood the renovated city bank building with the best security system in the area. No wonder Lucifer O'Donnell decided to save his blood money there. The money I was about to steal now. Well, I don't think stealing was the right word. I planned to open my locked account, to which my parents had been sending me money from my birth. Basically, I wasn't going to do anything wrong – just to take what belonged to me.

The journey to Mina's headquarters was not the shortest, and with the killers behind us, we needed to be inconspicuous. And since my companion refused to give up Leo's car (because of some bond or something), a few changes had to be made. For what we needed a proper bundle of cash.

Otto was walking back and forth in front of the bank entrance while I was about to lose my shit.

"Can you stop that?" I growled at my friend, who raised his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I'm sorry, but I'm nervous. I don't think it will work," he apologized and admitted his doubts. Unlike him, I stood upright with confidence, even though it was just pretending. Inside me, there was a spider spinning a web of many uncertainties.

"If it doesn't work out," I said firmly, "we'll go with Plan B." The words I've said were addressed to my friend, but deep down I knew they actually meant for me, supposed to encourage me. It's ridiculous how scared we are when we have something to lose.

"What's Plan B?" Otto raised a thick eyebrow questioningly. I have been looking forward to his reaction when I'll tell him what I came up with. "I hope you're not planning to rob the bank," he asked horrified, and I had to laugh. "No La Casa de Papel, copy that?"

"What do you think of me, Wilder?"

"Only the best," he assured me, still with a frightened look on his face.

"You and your hacking skills," I said, poking him in the chest, "are Plan B." Otto's eyes widened with uncertainty, but also curiosity. First, he looked at my finger, which was still touching his jacket, and then he looked at me. I felt like he was trying to find an answer to whether I was serious.

"I'm not playing with you," I said, adding my whole hand to my finger. When my palm touched a friend's body, a pleasant warmth flowed through my blood. "I believe you. I believe in you, Otto Wilder. Actually... you're the only person I can trust now," I admitted, letting him cover my hand with his. I felt protected as if I had something that shielded me like Otto's long fingers were protecting my hand.

"I thought you believed yourself first and foremost, Ria O'Donnell," Otto said between grimaces. I lifted my chin. Do you still believe in yourself, Ria?

I swallowed dryly, knowing the answer.

You have to, we're just getting started, an inner voice was talking to me. I was surprised when Otto said the same sentence aloud. After a long time, my mouth curled into a sincere smile. He smiled too.