Chapter 197: Caught Like A Rat

The office door was wide open, enough for the hallway light to cut a sharp line across the floor.Victoria filled the frame completely. She wore a black halter-neck dress that clung to her body like a second skin. The deep V plunged between her heavy breasts, the fabric stretched tight over her narrow waist and wide hips.

Her long blonde hair fell loose over her shoulders, framing a face that showed no emotion, her sunglasses made it impossible to see any anyway.

Behind her, Dahlia stood in the hallway. She wore a tight white dress that hugged her body and let out a bit of her toned thighs and flat stomach.

The room felt smaller now. The air had turned thick, heavy with the smell of Victoria’s sharp perfume. Every sound felt louder, even the faint noise of the overhead bulb could be hear.

Nash kept his hands loose at his sides, faking a calm face. There it was, the worst case scenario. There was a deep silence, but in his head, it was the rush hour.

What to do? How to act? Should he play dumb? Pretend he wanted to see her? How long has she been there? If she had eard Lina, it was already over.

It was a catastrophe, simple as that, but it wasn’t a nightmare or a movie, he didn’t have time to think or consider how Lina fucked them by ignoring her task.

Every second counted, and a response arriving a second too late would doom him.

Lina pressed against his arm. The girl who should have been at the door to warn them that winter was coming trembled slightly.

Not from cold, but from fear. They were fucked, they were fucked just like in these movies where the couple of spies got caught, before being tortured and disappear from the underground.

Her breathing came fast and shallow, she didn’t speak, didn’t move. She just held on tighter.

Victoria stayed in the doorway, blocking the only exit.

Dahlia shifted her weight.

Blaze? She thought.

Then, she looked at Lina, her head tilting just a fraction.

Who is she?

"Cat got your tongue?" Victoria spoke again.

Nash took a small breath. He could feel Lina’s nails digging into his arm. He could feel the weight of Dahlia’s stare from the hallway. He could feel the seconds ticking.

And then he smiled.

"I came to talk," he said. "We didn’t have time to discuss after yesterday’s match, and I think I got something interesting."

Victoria didn’t move. Behind the sunglasses, her eyes were impossible to read, but the slight tilt of her head said she was listening.

"So you want to talk," she said, "in my office, with the door closed, while I’m not here. Tell me, do I look like an idiot to you?"

Nash held her gaze.

"You’d be an idiot not to listen to what I’ve got."

Lina’s nails dug deeper into his arm. Her breathing stopped for a second. She looked up at him with wide, desperate eyes.

Dahlia shifted in the hallway.

Victoria’s frown deepened, just a fraction, but Nash saw it.

"I also needed to be sure no one else heard," he said. "Especially Jinzo."

Victoria’s fingers twitched against her crossed arms. There it was, another reaction, it was what he was after.

Every eyes was on him, anything could fuck up all his work. If Victoria focused on Lina and noticed her panic, it was over.

He had to keep going like this, talk, talk more, talk about anything, don’t hesitate for a second, get all their attention at all cost.

Seeing her triggers would have been so useful, but he had to make it without them.

So fake it, till you make it.

"After yesterday’s match, something happened. My relationship with Jinzo is buried. And this time, no matter what kind of speech or team expedition we do, it won’t change. His relationship with Jaz too."

Victoria exhaled softly.

"Hmph. I figured that much. Jaz was going to fall eventually."

Nash’s eyes narrowed. She had reacted again, just as he wanted, but what she said... figured? She had figured Jaz would fall for him? But then... Wouldn’t that mean...

She knew. She knew it was going to happen, but even more, she might have predicted what happened in the locker room.

It even made sense.

The pieces clicked together like a perfect assist.

She’d postponed the team debrief. During the afternoon, he had noticed too late a message from her to the whole team, about the debrief being postponed for today.

He had thought nothing of it, he had complete immunity after all, but now with this new information, it took a whole new meaning.

The delay wasn’t a coincidence, it was a gift for him.

She’d cleared the locker room, given him the time and space. Given him the girls... Given him Jaz.

On purpose.

Nash’s pulse hammered in his throat. If she knew about the locker room, but didn’t knew exactly what he’d done to Jaz while Jinzo watched, then it was a big situation that he could use.

Hide the truth behind a bigger truth, keep going till you’ve made it.

He stepped forward, closing the gap until only a few inches separated them.

"You knew," he said. "You knew she’d leave him for a better man. You made sure it happened. You postponed the debrief so I’d have the locker room to myself. You wanted Jinzo broken. Am I wrong?"

Dahlia and Lina swallowed. Did this guy had a death wish?

Victoria slid her sunglasses off slowly. Azure eyes locked on his. Finally he could see them, and, oh boy, she wasn’t happy.

She stepped forward too, heels clicking once. Now they stood so close her heavy breasts nearly brushed his chest.

She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze; at 191 cm he towered over her, but their breaths mingled anyway in the narrow space between them.

"Careful, Blaze. You’re in my office. Caught red-handed, rifling through my things with your little girlfriend trembling like a rat. And now you’re accusing me of... what? Orchestrating your conquests?"

Her eyes widened slightly, not a surprised look, but rather an intimidation attempt.

"You’re the one who fucked her. You took her virginity right there, didn’t you? Didn’t care that she belonged to Jinzo. Didn’t care that he’d know. You destroyed their relationship. Not me. So don’t try to be too smart."

The tension coiled tight enough, Dahlia and Lina felt like they’d have to intervene at any moment.

But what would they do? They just wished they could disappear from here.

In opposite, Nash was exactly where he wanted to be, how he wanted it to go.

There, he had already opened a door, and he would use it to open another one.

He smiled.

"You’re right," he said softly. "I did. And I’d do it again. But thank you, Victoria. You gave me the opening. You handed me Jaz on a silver platter. Now I feel like I owe you one."

He leaned in a fraction closer, voice dropping. "And that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m going out of my way to help you."

Victoria’s frown deepened, a tiny crack in her cool mask. Her blue eyes narrowed, searching his face for the trick.

But Nash didn’t give her time to find one. He kept going.

"Look at it this way: we’re sitting on a powder keg. Jinzo is one wrong word away from exploding. And if he does, it won’t just be him. The boys are already on edge, Mac, Drex, Lar.... whoever are those three others. They follow his lead. One spark, and the whole team fractures. Blacklist falls apart. Everything we built, gone. We have three girls with me, good luck playing with a team of four. You can say bye to your job in Breakball."

Victoria’s lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t move back, but her shoulders tensed.

Now that was strange. That was more reaction in a second than from the beginning, was that something he said?

Dahlia, still near the door, shifted her weight again, eyes wide. She looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare. She might know, he might have unknowingly touched a cord.

He needed to try that again.

He kept his gaze locked on Victoria’s.

"You know I’m right. Jinzo’s not just hurt, he’s humiliated. He’s got nothing left to lose. If he snaps, he drags everyone down with him. The team, the sponsors, the Underleague shot we finally have... all of it."

He observed attentively Victoria’s reaction.

Anything would do, all that mattered was to confirm this was the start of something bothering her.

The end might be the hidden secret.

She exhaled. Her chest rose and fell a little faster now.

Could he consider that a good reaction? Could he use this argument now?

Yes. That was it. The Underleague mention had landed twice now. Something there bothered her. The clue might be there.

Victoria suddenly straightened. Her voice came out sharply.

"Jinzo can throw his tantrum. If anyone wants to be dead weight, I’ll cut them loose without blinking. Among my ten employees, only one is irreplaceable. That’s why I gave him too much power."

She leaned in closer, close enough that her breath brushed his lips, her tits almost pressing against his chest. Her voice dropped to a murmur, low and venomous.

"And maybe that was a mistake."

Her eyes burned into his.

"I have no problem getting my hands dirty, Nash. You have no idea how little that means to me. As long as I get what I want, I could do literally anything."

Lina whimpered softly behind him, her body shaking so hard her skirt rustled. Dahlia’s face went pale, hand hovering near the door handle like she might need to run.

Nash felt the shift, the bad ending was rushing in. If he let her keep talking, she’d circle back to the fact he was spying.

She’d pin him, he’d lose the quest.

He had to act quickly, and he possessed exactly one last trump card.

"That’s exactly why I’m here," he said, voice calm, almost casual. "That’s why I want to keep going down this path."

He let the words hang for a beat.

"Victoria, you and me, let’s destroy the team from the inside."