Page 59 of The Arbiter
MADELINE:“If this goes wrong... if they don't believe me...”
ME:“They’ll believe you because I’ll give them someone else to believe in. Now go. And Madeline? Don’t let your heart rate get too high. I’ll be right here. In your head. In your ear. Always.”
I hang up, the penthouse falling into a heavy silence. I switch the audio feed to the earpiece. Then, I hear the rustle of her jacket, and then her shallow, rhythmic breathing.
I lean back in my chair, my fingers steepled in front of my face. The game is changing. She’s no longer just a witness. She’s my finest weapon. And I’m going to make sure no one else gets to break her.
She’s halfway to the glass door of her apartment building, her hand gripping the strap of her bag, when the sharp, intrusive trill of her phone breaks the silence. Madeline freezes. I watch her pull the phone from her pocket, and the name on the screen makes my jaw lock instantly.
Lucy.
ME:“Don’t answer it,” I growl into the mic, my voice vibrating with a sudden, sharp irritation.
Madeline ignores me. Or perhaps she’s just so desperate for a lifeline that isn't wrapped in shadows that she can’t help herself. She slides her thumb across the screen and presses the phone to her ear.
MADELINE:“Lu? Hey.”
LUCY:“Mali! Thank God. I’ve been up all night. I... I did some digging. I found new informations about him.”
Her voice is thin, brittle.
I feel a surge of cold fury. Digging. I told her to stay in her lane. I told her to go to sleep.
She’s going to get Madeline killed before I even have the chance to save her. Who the hell does she think she is, poking around in my world?
MADELINE:“Lucy, please, not now. I’m heading out. I have to go to the station.”
LUCY:“The station? Why? Mali, listen to me. I have a contact, someone who says there's a leak in the precinct. You can't trust anyone there. Just stay home, I'm coming over—”
ME:“Tell her to shut up, Madeline,” I hiss through the earpiece.
The sound of Lucy’s voice, so sure of herself, so righteous, is like glass under my skin. She’s a parasite, feeding Madeline’s useless hope.
ME:“Tell her you’re fine and hang up. Now.”
Madeline winces at the volume of my voice in her ear. She’s caught between two worlds, and the strain is written in the frantic line of her brow.
MADELINE:“I can’t, Lucy. I have to do this. I’m... I’m fine. Really. Just stay away from it. Please. For me.”
LUCY:“Mali, you’re not fine. You sound weird. Is he there? Is he with you right now?”
I smile, a dark, humorless thing. If only she knew how close I actually was.
MADELINE:“No. I’m alone. I have to go. I’ll call you when I’m out.”
She cuts the call before Lucy can protest further.
Madeline stands there for a moment, her eyes closed, trembling. I can hear her heart hammering against the earpiece like a drum.
ME:“Your friend is going to be the death of you, Madeline,”
I say, my voice dropping to a dangerous, silky whisper.
ME:“She’s playing with fire, and I’m losing my patience. If she calls you again while you’re inside that station, you ignore her. Do you understand? I won't have her noise distracting you when Miller starts digging.”
Madeline doesn't answer. She just nods. A submissive, broken gesture that feeds the monster inside me.
ME:“Good girl. Now, move. The car is waiting.”
