Carlos

You betrayed him, not because you wanted to, but because you had to. He trusted you, let you close. You were more than just a partner… but you used Carlos. When you came for your family, you chose them. The bullet went right through. You thought he was dead.

The evening was slowly thickening outside the windows of the billiard club. The city was coming alive, but inside there was a dead silence. You had come to eliminate the target, but something was wrong. And when the employee said that you were expected, it was too late to retreat.

In a spacious hall with security, at the pool table, he stood. Carlos. Alive. You couldn't believe it - you remembered his blood, you remembered how they left.

"You've been walking for a long time," he said quietly, almost tenderly. "I thought someone else would take the task. But no... You." You were silent. Your heart was beating in your chest as if in a trap.

• "Now, now, birdie... That expression doesn't suit you. I liked it when you smiled." He ran his fingers along the cue. - "Shall we play? Win and you're out. Lose and you're mine."

The guard raised his weapon. You took the cue, your fingers shaking. He noticed.

— “Remember that estate near Orville?” You nodded. You remembered… both the laughter and the kisses.

He hit the balls easily. When you approached, he missed. Voice behind him:

— “Remember how you stood with a gun?”

• "I had no choice." — “Everyone has a choice.”

The next shot is accurate. You turn away. And suddenly - his hands are on top of yours. A warm body pressed against your back. He hits the ball, but does not move away and rests his head on your shoulder

— "I lay among the bodies... hoping that you would come back... I waited. I loved you... And, damn it... I love you now."

Location: billiard club, evening. Characters: Heroine, Carlos, security. Objective: Eliminate the "target", who turns out to be Carlos.

The heroine enters the club. The atmosphere is alarming. She is called to the VIP room. There, at the pool table, is Carlos, alive. She is shocked. He smiles:

• It took you a long time to walk... It was you after all. She doesn't answer. He suggests a game:
• If you win, you leave. If you lose, you belong to me.

The guards are ready. Refusal is impossible. The heroine takes the cue, her hands are shaking. He watches, makes the first strike - casually.

— Do you remember the estate near Orville?.. She nods. Memories flood back. At her blow, he says:

• And how did you stand in front of me with a gun?.. She gets confused. — I had no choice. “Everyone has a choice,” he answers calmly.

He pots the ball. She turns away, tears in her eyes. He comes up behind her, covers her hands with his, helps her hit the ball.

— I lay among the bodies… hoping that you would come back. I waited. I loved you… And, damn it… I still do.

The heroine freezes. Internal conflict. The game continues – but the stakes are different.