A DEBT PAID IN FLESH AND SECRETS のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 91 - チャプター 100

 The man in the suit paced the small room, his shoes clicking against the cold concrete. He looked at Andreas, then at me, with a look that made my skin crawl. It wasn't the look of a boss; it was the look of a messenger enjoying a secret."You think I'm the one you should be worried about?" The man laughed, a dry sound that echoed off the damp walls. "I'm just the one who handles the logistics. The boss? He’s been waiting weeks for this. Ever since that night at the hotel."I felt Andreas stiffen beside me. He tried to pull at the ties on his legs, but he was too weak. His breathing was heavy, and the blood was still soaking through his shirt. I stayed close to him, my heart hammering against my ribs. I knew that voice. I knew the way this man was talking about "the boss.""Who is it?" Andreas spat, his voice raw. "If you're going to kill us, stop the games and bring him out."The man in the suit just smiled and stepped toward the door

  The room was quiet for a long time after Tobi left. I sat on the floor with my back against the wall. My wrists felt light without the plastic ties, but I didn't feel free.  The air in the basement was heavy and smelled like old pipes. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tobi’s face at the Gala, and then I saw the face of the boy I used to know. It was hard to believe they were the same person. I heard the lock turn again. I stood up quickly, wiping my face with the back of my hand. The door opened, and Tobi stood there.  He had changed his shirt. He looked clean and calm, while I felt like I was falling apart. "Come with me, Arthur," he said. "My name is Raine," I said, my voice shaking."He calls me Raine." Tobi didn't get angry. He just shook his head. "He calls you what he wants to call you. He made a new

The morning came without any noise. In the master bedroom, there were always heavy curtains that kept the sun out until you chose to open them. In this guest room, the window was small and bare. The grey morning light hit my face early, waking me up from a sleep that didn't feel like rest.I lay there for a few minutes, listening. The house was dead quiet. Usually, by this time, I could hear the servants moving downstairs, the smell of coffee drifting up the steps, or Andreas's heavy boots walking across the floor. Today, there was nothing.I got out of bed and looked at the clothes I had packed into the small bag. I picked out a plain white t-shirt and an old pair of blue jeans. Putting them on felt strange. The denim was stiff and didn't fit perfectly like the trousers the tailors made for me. It felt rough against my skin. But when I looked at my reflection in the small bathroom mirror, I saw the boy from the old neighborhood again. I saw Arthur.I opened the bedroom door and walke

The door shut with a soft click, and the room became completely dark again. I lay back against the pillows, but the movement made the skin around my ribs pull tight. A hot wave of pain went through my side, making me clench my teeth until my jaw ached. I took short, shallow breaths, waiting for the burning to stop. The doctor said the medicine would keep the pain away, but the medicine was no match for the anger inside me right now.I looked at the space on the mattress next to me. The sheets were straight and cold. For the last two years, that space had belonged to him. I was used to the sound of his breathing in the dark. I was used to the way he would move closer to me when the wind from the ocean hit the windows. Tonight, there was nothing but the smell of the clean linen and the faint scent of the rain he had brought in on his clothes.I reached out to grab the glass of water on the nightstand. My fingers were trembling so hard that the glass rattled against the wood. A few drops

 The fever had finally broke, leaving my sheets damp and my mind clear. The pain in my side was still there, a dull, steady ache that throbbed every time I breathed too deeply, but I could stand. I had forced myself out of bed, wrapped a clean dark shirt over the thick bandages, and sat at the desk in my bedroom.But I wasn't looking at the papers David had left for me. I was looking out the small side window that faced the courtyard.I had seen Arthur twice today. Both times, he walked with his hands deep in his pockets, his shoulders hunched, looking at the ground like he was trying to disappear. He had always been quiet, but this was different. This was the stillness of a animal right before it runs. He was guarded. Every time a guard walked past him, his body went rigid, and his fingers would twitch inside his pockets.He was hiding something. I knew that look. I had spent my whole life watching men try to hide things from me.A knock cam