Create A Surreptitious Move

04 || A deal with the devil

His eyes fick up to mine, his jaw clenches and his body is tense. He lets out a breath before relaxing a bit.

"I have a proposition for you."

I don't hide the shock on my face. "A proposition?" That's oddly not what I was expecting.

"Think of it as a mutual deal of sorts. You see, I have a liar in my midst and I really don't take well to those as you've seen for yourself. There is only one thing I hate more than a liar and that's an unloyal traitor. The thing is I can't seem to find this secret spilling traitor, everytime I get a lead it's a dead end or it vanishes because they know that I'm on to them. Whatever I do they always seem to be a step ahead."

"That sucks." I say. I don't really care, that seems like a him problem. "I don't see what this has to do with me."

"I figured I needed a different tactic, which is where you come in. You're going to catch the mole."

My eyes widen in shock before I burst into a fit of laughter.

At first I think he's joking, when I realise he probably isn't it makes it even funnier because he's definitely lost his mind.

"You're insane, like psychopath level insane."

"I know." He says seriously and I look at him in astonishment, at least he's self aware.

"What the hell do you want me to do? If you can't figure it out and you know these people how do you expect me to?"

"I want you to befriend them, get them to tell you their deepest darkest secrets. Manipulate them into thinking you care. I want you to look into each and every single one of them and not trust a soul. I need you to be unbiased and not feel anything towards anyone, at all. You need to do it discreetly, surreptitiously, no one is to know a thing. Can you do that?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Why not? Are you fucking serious?" I ask my anger surfacing. "You expect me to willingly get involved with a bunch of murderers, find out which murderer is a double crossing another murderer and turn them in to the murder with the highest murdering murder count."

"I get the sense you don't like murders."

"Who does?"

"Now I do urge you to tell me when I said you would willingly get involved."

I open my mouth to speak but stop to think.

He never once said willingly.

"I will offer you something though." He says. "If you successfully give me the name of the traitor with evidence and I think your evidence is viable I'll let you go, simple as that. You'll be free to live your life as far away from me as you please on the contion that you say silent about my...buisness."

"I had freedom before you bulldozed into my life, what am I getting as compensation?" Damn that was bold.

"How does a million dollars sound?" A million dollars, I could by a full library and so much more. Frinkles could keep the fairy lights on all day, I could expand my bakery. A million dollars is so much money.

"It sounds insulting." I say. "I have a feeling you'll lose a hell of a lot more than that if I don't catch your traitor."

We're sat in a multi-billion (if not more) dollar mansion. Sure a million is a fucking lot of money but am I prepared to risk my life for it? No.... well maybe, I could be cohersed.

Either way I don't have a choice but I want to see just how much he needs me.

He rolls his eyes. "30 million dollars." That amount of money is overwhelming and I would have no clue what to do with it.