Vladimir was dead.
The head of the Russian Ross gang lay in a pool of blood, and with his demise, Wesley's carefully crafted plans crumbled into dust.
To make matters worse, Wesley now found himself completely at the mercy of three people: Robert, Wade, and the blood-covered Punisher himself, Frank Castle.
Swallowing his fear, Wesley raised both hands in surrender. "Wait, I think we can talk," he offered, trying to keep his voice steady. If he didn't seize control of the situation quickly, he knew things would spiral further out of his grasp. He needed to steer the narrative—any narrative.
Robert's eyes lit up. "Oh? A negotiation? Yes, I love negotiating!" He leaned forward with a beaming grin. "So, how much is your life worth to you? A few hundred million? I'm feeling generous today."
Wesley choked on air.
Hundreds of millions?! Did this guy think he was Tony Stark?
Still, the fact that Robert hadn't shot him immediately gave Wesley a sliver of hope. He took a breath, pulled out his best charming smile, and tried to defuse the tension. "There's been a misunderstanding. There's no conflict between us. In fact, I was the one who issued the contract that brought you here. I'm the employer—you were hired to disrupt the Ross gang's drug operations. We're technically on the same side."
Robert raised a brow. "You hired me?"
"Yes," Wesley said, nodding quickly. "I provided the transaction location and the time. The job came with a fee—$100,000."
Robert blinked. "Wait a second... so you're the one behind that commission?"
He stepped closer, his expression changing in an instant from surprise to mock outrage. "Then I got you! I finally caught you!"
Wesley froze.
"I risked my life for a measly hundred grand," Robert growled. "I took on a freaking gang leader. Do you have any idea how scared I was this whole time?!"
Wesley's gaze flicked to Vladimir's still-warm corpse. You killed a man like him and you're saying you were scared?
"If the pay was too low, we can renegotiate!" Wesley said hurriedly. "Triple the original—$300,000. That's fair, right?"
"Triple?" Robert gave him a withering look. "Do I look like I'm desperate for scraps? Frank, this cheapskate's all yours."
Covered in blood, Frank stepped forward and picked up a pistol from the ground. His voice was low and cold—like steel scraping across stone. "Anyone guilty... must die."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Wesley shouted, holding up his hands as Frank approached, weapon raised.
Just before Frank could pull the trigger, Robert stepped in and gently pushed the gun down. "Hold up, hold up! We're civilized people here. Let's hear him out."
Frank's eyes narrowed. He tried to lift the pistol again, but Robert pressed harder. "Don't worry," Robert whispered. "We'll settle this like businessmen."
Robert turned back to Wesley with a cheerful smile. "So... triple's too cheap. Let's make it ten times the original. One million. You know, round numbers make for happy deals."
"One million?!" Wesley's voice cracked. "That's extortion!"
Frank raised his pistol again. "Anyone guilty—"
"I agree! Ten times!" Wesley blurted, sweating buckets.
Frank paused, eyes twitching. He inhaled deeply and let the gun fall slightly again.
Wade, who had been quietly counting imaginary dollars with his fingers, suddenly perked up. "Hey, hey, I know we're business partners and all, and I'm your favorite guy in red spandex—but I think I deserve a cut of that million. Right, buddy?"
Robert scoffed. "My million. I'm the one who fished this loser into admitting everything. It's my reward."
Wade clutched his chest as if wounded. "You—you traitor! After everything we've been through!"
Robert crossed his arms. "You snooze, you lose."
Wade's tone darkened. "Then you leave me no choice."
With a dramatic flourish, he drew both Katanas from his back and pointed them at Robert. "Wesley, transfer that million to me instead. I'll kill this greedy bastard for you."
Wesley blinked in shock. Was this really happening? Internal strife? This could be his chance to escape!
Frank tensed immediately, finger curling around the trigger of his pistol, clearly prepared to drop Wade where he stood if he made a move.
Robert looked at Wade, betrayal written all over his face. "You'd betray me for a million dollars?!"
"You betrayed me first!" Wade shot back. "That's the ultimate crime in a bromance!"
He turned to Wesley, swords gleaming under the light. "So what's it gonna be, Little Four Eyes? You don't have much time to decide."
Wesley's brain buzzed with possibilities. If these two really went at it, maybe he could slip away unnoticed. Just maybe, he could survive this night.
"I'll do it," he nodded. "Transfer coming your way."
Just as he moved to initiate the transfer, Robert suddenly spun around and jammed the muzzle of his pistol against Wesley's forehead.
"Nice try, but you just got caught in the act of betrayal," Robert snapped. "If you want this to end peacefully, you're paying twenty times the original amount now."
Wesley froze.
What just happened?
He looked over at Wade, who had sheathed his swords and was now casually leaning against the wall, whistling with his hands behind his head.
It hit Wesley all at once.
This wasn't internal strife. It was a setup.
They'd staged the whole thing. They baited him into trying to play both sides, just so they could squeeze more money out of him.
He'd been fished. This was entrapment.
"Fishing... for law enforcement?" Wesley muttered under his breath, eyes wide with disbelief.
Robert grinned. "Welcome to the hook, my guy."
Wade laughed hysterically. "We call this move the Bait and Payday."
Frank just sighed and muttered, "I'm surrounded by lunatics."
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