Chapter 8 - The Rat
The victory was short-lived. Gabriel burst into the makeshift gym, his face pale.
"Boss. We found the rat," Gabriel said, tossing a burner phone onto the table. "It was Paulie. He’s been feeding the Morettis our locations. He thought you were too crippled to retaliate."
Sebastian’s arms tightened around Claire for a fraction of a second before he gently let her go. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by an arctic chill.
"Bring him to me," Sebastian commanded softly.
Claire stepped back, grabbing her bag. "I should leave the room."
"No," Sebastian said, not looking at her. "Stay."
"Sebastian, I don't want to see this."
"You need to see who I am, Claire," he said, turning his chair to face the door. "You are fixing a monster. You should know exactly what you're letting loose on the world."
Two guards dragged Paulie, a bruised and sobbing lieutenant, into the room. Paulie fell to his knees in front of the wheelchair. "Boss, I'm sorry! They threatened my wife!"
Sebastian looked down at the traitor. "You sold my life for yours, Paulie. In our world, that has a price."
May you like
Sebastian drew a suppressed pistol from his jacket. Claire squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. A soft thwip echoed in the concrete room, followed by a heavy thud.
When Claire opened her eyes, Paulie was dead on the floor. Sebastian sat in his chair, his face entirely unreadable. "Clean it up," he told Gabriel.
