“Give me the drive,” demanded Roman.
It wasn’t a threat. He didn’t raise his voice in the slightest.
Still, there was a deadly tension that accompanied those four simple words.
“And if we don’t?” asked Ripley.
“Then things get unnecessarily complicated,” said Roman.
“Complicated is something we know,” laughed Ripley. “We’re used to it by now.”
“Nevertheless,” Roman said, shaking his head. “You’ll only get one chance at this.”
He held out his hand, palm open. His arm was steady.
“Our agreement was clear. Donovan falls. Everything else stays buried.”
Theo stepped forward, clearing his throat.
“And if I’ve already copied everything?”
“You have,” Roman said, without missing a beat.
They stared at each other for a few long seconds, during which nothing was said. But at the same, the silence said everything.
“Possession is different from potential,” said Roman, “but it’s also non-negotiable. Hand me the drive, and this ends here. Before it becomes… something else.”
At this point, Colson moved in. He stepped toe to toe with his ex-protégé, staring the man down without a hint of fear.
“This is it, then,” he growled firmly. “No more messages. No more visits.”
“No messages,” Roman repeated. “No visits. My people are satisfied.”
“And no one comes looking for us,” Ripley added from behind them. “Ever.”
Begrudgingly, Roman shifted his gaze to the big fighter. Very slowly, he nodded.
“Ever.”
Theo tilted his head, slightly. “Because if they do…”
Roman flinched, visibly. He regained control a few seconds later, by adjusting the cuff of his outstretched sleeve.
Nothing else needed to be said. Theo reached into hispocket and produced the tiny drive. The moment he’d placed it into Roman’s hand, his fingers closed around it.
“Very good,” he said simply. “We’re done here, then.”
“We’re done everywhere,” Colson reiterated. “Remember that.”
Roman paused, looking back at him one last time. His eyes shifted to each of us in turn, before finally lingering on me.
“Your restraint was noted,” he said, tipping his chin.
Then he left, walking casually away.
We watched him go, disappearing past the swarm of reporters and photographers that were making their way inside again. Sirens blared, somewhere in the distance. They grew louder. Closer.
“Ah, they’re here,” said Theo. “About damn time.”
