Quoted By:
“Maybe it’s none of your business,” he said, trying to sound tough, but there was a crack in his voice—a small one, but enough for me to notice.
I stood up, slowly, letting the silence stretch between us. The room seemed to grow smaller as I walked around my desk, my heels clicking softly on the floor. When I was close enough, I placed a hand on his arm, my touch light, almost casual.
“Or maybe it is,” I whispered, leaning in just enough that he could catch a whiff of my perfume, something sweet and intoxicating. “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of this, do you? Tell me what I want to know, and maybe we can both walk away from this unscathed.”
He stiffened, but his resolve was crumbling, I could see it in his eyes. Men like him, tough on the outside, always had a weak spot. You just had to know where to push.
“Alright,” he finally muttered, his voice low, defeated. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”
He gave me the name, the one I needed, and a little more—enough to piece together the puzzle. The coal, the sudden appearance, it all made sense now. I smiled, a slow, satisfied curve of my lips as I watched him leave, the door closing softly behind him.
The night was still thick with fog, but I had what I came for. Another cigarette, another drink, and I’d be ready to take on whatever came next. The game was always the same, and I always knew how to play it.
