The Night Silas Chose Not to Draw a Gun

Chapter 10 - The Night Silas Chose Not to Draw a Gun

Silas had a pistol under his jacket.

Liz knew because his hand moved toward it.

Then stopped.

She saw the decision happen.

Old Silas.

New Silas.

One second between them.

He lowered his hand.

“Leon.”

Already moving.

Leon approached the two false agents through the dining room with the restaurant manager beside him.

Public.

Cameras.

Witnesses.

No weapons drawn.

“Gentlemen,” Leon said. “May I see the warrant?”

The first man smiled.

“We need to speak privately.”

“Warrant.”

The second man’s eyes remained on Liz.

Silas stepped slightly into the line of sight.

Not in front of her.

Beside her.

Progress.

Julian leaned close.

“Kessler’s people won’t do anything in front of guests.”

“You sure?” Liz whispered.

“No.”

“Comforting.”

The fake agent produced a document.

Leon took it.

Read.

Then laughed.

“Wrong federal district code.”

The man’s expression changed.

Leon handed it back.

“Leave.”

“You are obstructing—”

“Actual FBI is seven minutes away.”

Julian raised an eyebrow.

“Are they?”

Leon glanced back.

“Mara likes me.”

“Who is Mara?”

“Long story.”

The contractors left.

Silas did not follow.

That was the important part.

His whole body wanted to.

Liz could feel it.

Instead he called actual law enforcement.

Then corporate counsel.

Then the restaurant’s insurer.

Boring choices.

Healthy choices.

She had never found boring so attractive.

At 3:00 a.m., the dining room was finally empty.

Julian had disappeared again after giving a statement to an actual agent through counsel.

Leon remained with investigators.

Liz stood at the bar drinking water.

Silas came beside her.

“You should go home.”

“That sounds like an order.”

“A suggestion.”

“Better.”

He looked tired.

“What?”

Liz studied him.

“You almost pulled a gun.”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Silas looked toward table fourteen.

“Because you were watching.”

Her chest tightened.

“Wrong answer.”

He frowned.

“Why?”

“You need to make better choices when I am not watching.”

Silas absorbed that.

Then nodded.

“Fair.”

She hated how much she liked the nod.

Silas looked at her.

“You read people like contracts.”

“People hide more in the footnotes.”

“Where do I hide?”

“Silence.”

The word landed.

“What do you think silence means?”

“In you?”

“Yes.”

Liz considered him.

“Sometimes control.”

He waited.

“Sometimes fear.”

His eyes changed.

“Sometimes desire.”

There.

She had said it.

The room became very quiet.

Silas’s voice dropped.

“And now?”

Liz looked at his mouth.

Then hated herself for doing it.

“Now I think you’re waiting for me to decide whether being attracted to you makes me foolish.”

Silas did not move.

“Does it?”

“Probably.”

He almost smiled.

Liz continued.

“You watched me on cameras.”

“Yes.”

“You withheld what you knew about my parents.”

“Yes.”

“You shot my father in circumstances that are still not clear.”

His expression tightened.

“Yes.”

“You run businesses tied to things I want no part of.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re standing too close.”

Silas stepped back immediately.

The loss of heat between them felt ridiculous.

Liz looked at him.

“I didn’t say move.”

His eyes became very still.

“Liz.”

“What?”

“You enjoy changing rules in the middle.”

“I’m not one of your contracts.”

“No.”

“Good.”

She stepped closer.

Not touching.

“I don’t know if I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Also wrong answer.”

Silas exhaled.

“I want you to.”

“Better.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

“Best so far.”

He smiled.

Slowly.

Then Leon appeared in the doorway.

Of course.

“Sorry.”

Neither believed him.

“What?” Silas asked.

“We found Kessler.”

“Where?”

“Security camera at Union Station.”

“Leaving?”

“Arriving.”

Silas’s face hardened.

“When?”

“Forty minutes ago.”

Liz frowned.

“If he just arrived, who accessed my apartment?”

Leon looked at her.

“Someone else.”

The moment between her and Silas vanished.

Leon continued.

“Also, Mara verified the actual Northstar access logs.”

Julian had been right.

His credentials were stolen.

“By who?” Silas asked.

Leon hesitated.

“James Vance.”

Silas closed his eyes.

His cousin.

Luca’s son.

CFO.

The man who signed hidden debt against the restaurant.

Liz leaned against the bar.

“Your family needs fewer employees.”

Silas almost laughed.

Leon did not.

“James used Northstar to pull Liz’s file the day she was hired.”

Silas looked at him.

“Why?”

“We found an email.”

“To Luca?”

“No.”

“Then?”

Leon held out his phone.

The email was sent to someone using a private encrypted address.

Attached: Liz’s employment application.

Message:

NORA’S DAUGHTER IS HERE. DO WE MOVE NOW?

The reply contained only three words.

LET SILAS NOTICE HER.

Liz stared.

The plan had not been to remove her.

It had been to place her in Silas’s line of sight.

To let attraction grow.

To let the one rule he never broke become the weakness everyone could see.

She looked at Silas.

His face had gone cold.

Liz understood before he said it.

Someone had not merely discovered their attraction.

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Someone had been waiting for it.

And perhaps, from the beginning, Liz had been hired because Silas Vance was expected to fall for her.