Chapter 10 - The Other Side of the Mirror

 

The city was a wet blur through the windshield.

Sienna kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting lightly on the envelope beside her. The weight of it felt heavier than the money inside. She had driven this route a dozen times before, but tonight the silence between her and the man on the other end of the earpiece felt different.

“Tell me it’s done,” the voice said.

“It’s done,” she replied. “He showed up. On time. Calm.”

“And?”

Sienna hesitated. “Different. He’s not scared anymore.”

The voice was low and even, a sound trained to remove emotion. “That was expected. Fear has an expiration date.”

“He looked at me like he already knew something,” she said.

“He always knows something. The question is what he plans to do with it.”

Sienna swallowed. Her throat felt dry. “You said he was supposed to stay quiet.”

“And he did,” the voice replied. “Until now.”

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “What do you want me to do?”

There was a pause, then another voice joined the line. It was deeper, older, one she recognized instantly.

“You don’t do anything,” the new voice said. “You just listen.”

Her stomach knotted. “Sir.”

“We have reason to believe Dwayne’s planning a move,” the man said. “Someone saw his car earlier this week near your old apartment complex. He’s not as subtle as he thinks.”

Sienna’s pulse quickened. “He’s trying to find me?”

“He’s not alone either,” the man continued. “Our team picked up interference on the surveillance feed tonight. Another signal. Someone nearby.”

She froze. “You mean someone was at the trail?”

“Yes. Male, mid-thirties, African American, heavy build. We traced his car back to Dwayne’s address.”

Marcus.

Sienna’s hands went cold.

“So what do you want me to do?” she asked again, her voice smaller now.

“Nothing,” the man said. “He made the first move. Let him believe he’s ahead. The more confident he gets, the easier it will be to pull him back under.”

Sienna stared at the raindrops sliding down the windshield. “He’s not the same. You can’t keep treating him like...”

“Like what?”

She hesitated. “Like a subject.”

The voice didn’t respond right away. When it did, it was sharp and deliberate. “That’s exactly what he is.”

Sienna looked away, jaw tight. “He’s not one of your experiments. He’s—”

“Do not finish that sentence.”

Her chest tightened.

“You were assigned to him for one reason,” the man continued. “Containment. If he starts asking questions, we control the narrative. If he gets too close, we cut the line. You knew that when you signed on.”

“I know,” she said quietly.

“Good. Then remember it.”

The line went silent for a few seconds. Only the sound of the rain filled the car.

Then the first voice returned. “Did he give you the usual?”

“Yes.” She glanced at the envelope. “Same amount.”

“Drop it at the site. We’ll handle the rest.”

The call ended.

Sienna sat there for a long moment, the hum of the rain pressing against the car.

She finally picked up the envelope, running her thumb along the edge. It wasn’t the first time she had delivered money for them, but tonight it felt different.

He had looked at her differently. Not broken. Not desperate. Just awake.

And that scared her more than anything.

She started the car and pulled onto the main road. Her headlights cut through the rain in pale streaks.

Every streetlight she passed reflected in her mirrors like an eye watching from above.

They were always watching.

The people she worked for did not make mistakes. If they knew Marcus was there, then they also knew what came next.

Which meant she had a choice to make.

She could do nothing, follow orders, and let them handle Dwayne.

Or she could break the rule she swore she never would.

Warn him.

Her hands trembled on the wheel.

By the time she reached the drop site, her decision still wasn’t made.

But her gut already knew the answer.

Because if they were watching Dwayne tonight, they were watching her too.

And in their eyes, loyalty only mattered until it stopped being useful.