Jace fixes me with that cold, unblinking stare. “I don’t think you’re here to help at all. You expect me to believe it’s just a coincidence you ended up in the exact same prison as us? Out of all the places in the state? I don’t buy it, Carrie.”
My cheeks flush. I want to argue, but his suspicion slices through me. Before I can find words, Nico leans against the bookshelf, crossing his arms, tattoos rippling on his forearms.
“You’re not exactly a prison person, Carrie,” he says, voice low, like he’s talking to me alone. “You sleep with a three-foot plushie in your bed.”
My head snaps toward him, surprise and embarrassment tangling inside me. “How do you even know that?”
He just grins, lazy and dark, eyes flicking down my body before coming back to my face. “You told me once. Night you cried on my shoulder after Jinn took off for three days. You think I forgot?”
Heat creeps up my neck. I remember that night, but barely—the feel of his arms, his breath on my hair, the way I let myself unravel just long enough to beg for comfort. The way I felt safe, just for a few hours.
Jace leans in, cutting through the tension. “This isn’t a game. People don’t just end up in places like this, not with everything that went down. You’re not here to help, Carrie. Who are you working for?”
Levi’s eyes narrow, dark and protective. “Is someone leaning on you? Are you in trouble, Carrie?”
Their suspicion, the heat in the room, it’s overwhelming. I can feel my hands shaking in my lap. The air between us is electric and suffocating, their bodies crowding me in, their gazes stripping me bare.
I swallow, mouth suddenly dry. Part of me wants to confess everything, just blurt it out and let the chips fall. Another part wants to run. But I can’t do either—not yet. Not with all three of them so close, every memory and touch and promise tangled in the air between us.
My eyes flick from Jace to Nico to Levi. They know me in ways that no one else does—my secrets, my weaknesses, even the soft, silly things I’ve tried to hide.
“I’m not—” My voice breaks. I have to start over. “I’m not here to hurt you. I swear. But you have to let me explain. Just…give me a minute.”
Jace doesn’t let up. He leans forward, his voice low and cold. “If you were so into Jinn, why are you here? Why do you want to help us now?”
Levi’s arms are crossed, muscles flexing under his sleeves. “Yeah, why stick your neck out for the rest of us? What’s in it for you, Carrie?”
Nico’s smile is slow, lazy, but there’s nothing amused in his eyes. “It can’t just be for the sex.” His gaze drops, hot and heavy, raking over me in a way that makes my breath hitch. “No matter how much you pretend it is.”
I bristle, instinctively pulling my knees closer together, feeling their eyes on every inch of me. “I’m not pretendinganything,” I snap, more defensive than I mean to sound. “And I’m not here for Jinn. I’m here for—” I cut myself off, the words stuck somewhere between my throat and my heart.
Rain lashes the windows harder, thunder rolling over us, closer now. The storm outside rattles the glass and sets my nerves on edge, making every word, every glance, feel even more intimate. Every breath feels louder, hotter, in this cocoon of dust and secrets.
Jace’s eyes narrow, never leaving my face. “You say you’re not working for the ATF, but you act like someone who’s always looking over their shoulder. We all see it. If you’re not here for Jinn, and it’s not just for us…what is it?”
Levi’s voice is gentler, but there’s a current of suspicion beneath it. “We’re risking everything by trusting you. You get that, right? Every day you walk in here, it could be a setup.”
Nico moves closer, the chair creaking under his weight, and I’m suddenly aware of how much space he takes up, how the room feels different when he’s near. “You want us to believe this is all just bad luck? Come on, Carrie. You’re smarter than that.”
My heart hammers. The words catch in my throat, but I can’t keep them in. “You don’t know what it’s been like for me,” I say, struggling to steady my voice. “After Jinn…after everything fell apart. I didn’t have anywhere to go. No one to trust. I just wanted to survive.”
Lightning flashes outside, painting the walls in quick, ghostly white. For a second, I see all three of them looking at me—hungry, hurt, suspicious. The heat in the room is impossible to ignore, my whole body thrumming with nerves and something darker.
Jace doesn’t blink. “You say you’re not here for him. But you loved him, Carrie. You were willing to do anything for him. How do we know you’re not just doing the same for someone else now?”
The accusation stings. I swallow, blinking hard. “You think I’m lying? That I’m using you?” My voice is brittle, angry, but also pleading.
Nico’s gaze softens, just a hint. “You gotta admit, sweetheart, the timing looks bad. All this trouble, and then you, right in the middle of it.”
Levi shifts, closer now, his hand brushing mine on the table. “Tell us the truth. Are you working with someone? Are we just marks to you?”
The way they’re all looking at me—crowding me, questioning me, wanting me to confess, wanting to touch me, to claim me, to believe me—makes my head spin. The pressure, the longing, and the suspicion all swirl together, making my skin burn.
“I’m not using you,” I whisper, but my words come out uncertain, and I see the flicker of doubt in their eyes.
Another thunderclap shakes the windows, making me jump. The lights flicker again. It’s so quiet, except for the storm and the thudding of my own heart. Every nerve in my body is strung tight, and I can feel the heat of their bodies, the way they look at me like they can see straight through all my excuses.
Jace’s voice drops even lower, almost gentle but no less intense. “We want to believe you, Carrie. But you have to give us a reason.”
