And When The Walls Come Down

Premeditated

Oslo was as good as dead.

We'd lost a good part of our hostages.

And I knew things were only going to get worse from here on out.

///

"Well? Aren't you going to offer me the same deal you've been offering the others?" I asked, leaning back in my seat and putting my feet up on the desk before me. Berlin bit his finger, looking at me with a small smile. Despite his relaxed posture I could see how tense his stare was. I didn't envy him in the slightest, I knew the kind of weight he was carrying over his shoulders being the leader of the group. Especially right now.

"I didn't think I'd need to." He played along, letting out a soft sigh as he rolled his neck, "But tell me, what would you choose? A million euros, or your freedom?"

I cocked my head, pretending to give it some thought. "To be honest, freedom is starting to sound pretty tempting as of right now."

Berlin's mouth thinned and he clenched his jaw. "I'm not surprised. You were always one to run away when things got hard, or when you didn't get your way."

I stiffened, dropping my feet from the desk as I sat up to face him properly. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, keeping my tone even, though inside, I was starting to seethe.

"I think you know perfectly well what I mean Lux, don't act stupid." He was staring at me, waiting for me to react.

I took a deep breath, calming myself.  If he wanted a fight, he'd have to look elsewhere, I didn't have to justify any of my actions to him, especially not now. Instead, I smirked, flipping my hair over my shoulder and placing my hand underneath my jaw as I leaned over the desk, moving closer into his space. He curled his lip, before straightening up in his seat and scooting forward.

"What did your little girlfriend choose then?" I mocked, knowing full well what she'd told him.

A muscle in his jaw ticked, but I kept my face carefully blank, blinking innocently at him.

"She chose to stay with me, of course."

I smiled. Still such a terrible liar, he was.

"Of course." I nodded as I slithered off the desk and stood up, stretching lightly before turning to face him again. "You need to do something about Arturo, because if you don't, I will." With those parting words, I walked out of the office leaving him to his thoughts.

///

I watched as Nairobi drew the line in chalk. The silence was tense, everyone looking at each other nervously, the same thoughts running through their minds no doubt, was it really going to be this easy? Money, or freedom? Which would they choose?

I watched as the hostages began to cross the line, one by one, their steps unsteady, but Mercedes, the teacher, and the one in charge of all her students, looked up briefly, towards where Ariadna was standing next to Berlin.

Ariadna subtly shook her head in warning, her wide eyes betraying her worry and fear, and I narrowed my eyes, biting my lip to stop the hiss that wanted to escape my lips. Berlin had told her something, then. This was going to be a problem.

As much as it hurt me, whatever this thing with Ariadna had with Berlin, I was not going to let it get in the way of the plan.

It seemed as though Ariadna and I would soon be having a little chat, just between us girls.

///

"What's going on?" I asked, taking  a seat at the table, looking at Berlin with furrowed eyebrows.