In Too Deep

Twenty Three

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There were times in life when you think that the world was laughing at you as it basked in all the pain, stress, and frustration you're experiencing.

"Do you know this man?" Ben asked for the fifth time as he stood in front of Nova in the empty alley, where he had pulled her into, and a place he deemed appropriate for their conversation. A conversation Nova started to feel was more of a confrontation or an interrogation.

She couldn't glance at him, not really. Her eyes were glued to the picture she was holding in her trembling hands while doing the best she could to stay calm and portray an air of mild curiosity. Realizing she had been holding onto the picture without a proper response, she passed it back to him.

"No, I don't think I know him, sorry." How many lies did she need to say?

Ben didn't collect the picture. Didn't even look down at it. He was looking at her with a slight tilt of his head. "Are you sure? Look again." There was something about his persistence that had the hairs rising at the back of her neck.

Thinking through her options at lightning speed, she replied, "I'm sure," she denied again. "Who is he? Someone we went to school with?" There was a chance Vicious would have snorted if he had heard her lame attempt at not recognizing him, but he wouldn't think it lame if he knew the Feds had his picture and were onto him. Possibly her as well.

Why was Ben showing her a picture of Vicious? What could possibly make him pick her out of the thousands of people living in the city?

He smiled, taking the picture back into his hand. "How about now?" He took out another photo and turned it for Nova to see.

Her breath came a little faster now as they edged closer to the heart as she looked down at the second picture. If there was a door to hell, she had accidentally stepped into it because this was what she would imagine hell would look like. This, she believed, would be her torment eternally, finding out that she worked for a gang. And even though there could not be a valid proof, this picture certainly would raise red flags.

Ben was watching her closely with a coolly, unreadable expression on his face. The picture was good quality, so there was no reason to deny that wasn't her talking to Vicious. The two of them were inches apart, and anyone who saw this picture would know the two knew each other. There was no way around this. No way to deny what she was seeing.

That day wasn't a blur on her mind. It was the day Vicious had cornered Nova outside the grocery store. He had been waiting for her. They ended up having another argument in the parking lot about the importance of stalking.

"Yeah." She nodded her head vigorously. "I remember that day. He told me his name was Connor. I paid for his groceries because he forgot his wallet. Why do you have a picture of us?" Confusion masked on her face as she glanced up at Ben, who seemed to be the only one visibly relaxed.

"Are you sure you don't know him?"

"Ben, if I knew him, I would tell you."

He didn't seem to be convinced. "You're not in any trouble, are you? Whatever it is, I can get you out of it. You have to trust me." He took her left arm in a hold and soothingly rubbed his thumb. "Tell me if you know anything. Please."

"Now, Nova, did you speak to anyone about me?" His voice, as it always did, entranced her for a moment, even in this dark moment. It wrapped itself around her in a vice and demanded a response. A response that she wouldn't give willingly. Telling Vicious about Ben would be admittance to what he was accusing her of, and she had no idea what he would do to Ben. She had no idea how he would react to any of it, to be honest.