THE BETRAYER'S GAME

Lines of Deceit

Dante looked conflicted, glancing at each of us before speaking again. "He's planning something big. He wants to get to Dominic's fortune."

Blade crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, we already knew that, Dante. Carlito's not exactly subtle about his targets."

Eli nodded, rolling his eyes. "Right? It's like he wants to give us a heads-up or something. But we can't let him get to Dominic first. That guy is the father of Coolio's girlfriend, and we can't afford to let anyone get hurt."

Scarlett leaned against the wall, her expression casual and indifferent. "Honestly, I don't care who Dominic or the chick is. I just want to get paid. But if it means taking out Carlito, I'm all for it."

Vinny looked at her nodding.

Dante straightened up, his expression shifting from concern to annoyance. "You really think this is a joke? This is serious business. If Carlito knows we're onto him, it could blow up in our faces. You guys might think you're invincible, but this isn't some game."

"Look, we're not afraid of him, besides he already knows," Zane shot back, his tone defiant. 

"We've dealt with worse. Besides, if we know he's coming for Dominic, we need to act first."

Dante's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "You don't get it. You think you can just waltz in and save the day? This isn't about being heroes; it's about survival. I'm not risking my neck for someone I don't even know."

Eli stepped forward, frustration bubbling up. "Who even asked you at the first place. Dominic might not be our friend, but his daughter is with Coolio, and if Carlito gets to him first, she's going to be in danger too."

Vinny crossed her arms, her demeanor still aloof. "I mean, I get it. But at the end of the day, if you're not in this for the money, what's the point? We're not here to save strangers."

"Shut up!" We all yelled eventually shutting him up.

Dante's gaze hardened. "That's exactly the problem. You're all too self-absorbed to see the bigger picture. If Carlito succeeds, it won't just be Dominic who pays the price. This could give him a greater chance of rescuing the Don and I have no interest in being caught in the crossfire of your reckless decisions."

I stepped in, trying to mediate. "We understand the risks, but we can't just ignore them. If you won't help us contact Dominic, at least tell us what you know about Carlito's plan."

Dante sighed, clearly frustrated. "I don't know anything concrete. Just rumors. But I can tell you this: he's not just targeting Dominic for kicks. There's something bigger at play, something involving the people close to him. If you get involved, you could end up over your heads."

"That's fine with me," Leo replied, his confidence unwavering. "We'll deal with it as it comes."

Scarlett pushed herself off the wall, glancing at Leo. "As long as the pay's decent, I'm in. You guys can be the heroes, and I'll just take the reward."

Dante shook his head, a mix of anger and disbelief etched on his face. "You really think this is just about money? You're all so naïve. Fine. Do what you want. But don't expect me to come to your rescue when things go south."

Eli shot Dante a challenging look. "We didn't ask you to be our hero. Just remember, this isn't just about you anymore. We're not going to let Carlito hurt anyone, even if it means doing it without your help."

With that, the tension in the room thickened. Dante turned on his heel, clearly done with the conversation, while the rest of us exchanged glances, determined to figure out our next move. Whether we were heroes or mercenaries didn't matter; we had to protect Dominic and prevent Carlito from making his next move.