For The Truth

Chapter 10- Threats

Now that I knew the Secret, there was only one thing to do: tell it. The more people that knew about it, the better.

It wouldn't be easy taking down the TKA, so I couldn't do it alone. That prompted the question "who can I trust?"

Obviously not the person who's pointing a gun at me.

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My hand inches towards my still-concealed pistol. I don't want to use it, but it seems like I'm going to have to.

I pull the gun out and hold it close to my thigh. Then I spin around.

"Bil." I smile. "It's so lovely to see you."

He shifts the barrel so it's staring between my eyes.

"What did you learn?" His voice is rougher than I remember it to be. I suppose that Vanessa was right when she said that not everything is the same in parallel worlds.

"You must be impatient, to cut to the chase like that. Not even time for formalities." I cluck my tongue at him.

Though I'm keeping up a carefree attitude, my internal feelings are anything but. My hands shake, and my blood, rich with adrenaline, courses through my veins at an impossibly high rate.

"I suppose you could say that I am an impatient man, Maxx. My men will be here any second, and if you won't give up your knowledge now, they'll deal with you," Bil sneers.

"It's bad form to kill someone that you need information from," I point out. Hey, if it saves my life I'm fine with it.

Bil's expression doesn't change, but he lets out a small grunt. "Try me."

I open my mouth to respond, but a slight sound behind my attacker catches my attention. He hears it too and spins around.

Vanessa stands in the doorway, her body rigid as she assesses the situation.

"Get out," I mouth to her as subtly as possible. She shakes her head.

Bil must have noticed our exchange, because he hits a button and the glass door slams shut. Vanessa is now trapped inside.

"No!" I shout, lunging for her. Bil blocks me and grabs her, pointing his gun at her throat.

"Perhaps this will give you some motivation to tell us the Secret," he smirks. I aim at his chest.

"Make one move and I will kill you." My voice is filled with determined anger, like a snake ready to strike.

Bil laughs and pulls Vanessa in front of him. "You shoot, she gets hit. Your problem. I've got nothing to lose." He's right. We can't kill each other, but Vanessa is the unlucky one in the middle.

His finger hovers over the trigger. Every single one of my senses screams for me to fire now, before it's too late. But I know I can't. I lower my gun.

"Maxx," Vanessa says, her voice oddly even. I look at her. There is no trace of fear in her eyes, which surprises me. "Did the Secret reveal itself to you?"

"Yes," I whisper. She smiles.

"I knew it would."

I'm snapped back to attention when Bil speaks. "I'll give you three seconds to answer this question: who dealt the damage?"

I stand there, mute. I'm not sure why he needs to know the Secret, but it can't be good if he has to threaten me to find out.

"One." I refuse to say anything. "Two." His finger moves closer to firing. "Three." The trigger is pulled... Almost.