Johnnydusts himself off with practiced indifference. She tries to lunge at him again, but the handcuff jerks her back. Still, she doesn't cower. She squares her shoulders, breathing hard, and her expression shifts, from rage to something colder.
I should grab some popcorn, because shit’s about to go down.
“Johnny,” she says sweetly. Too sweetly. “Why am I chained to the bed?”
“Because I need to talk to you, Honey,” he says easily. “And I don’t trust you not to run.”
“So, talk,” she growls, arms crossing tight over her chest.
“Fine. Here’s the deal,” he starts, stepping just out of her reach. “I need a favor. In return, I protect you from your walking dumpster fire of an ex.”
Her brows shoot up. “Who says he’s my ex?”
“I do!”
“That’s not your call, Johnny!”
Christ. They’re like two lit matches arguing over who struck first.
“Aro,” I cut in, hoping to deescalate.
Her gaze flicks to me, and turns sharp.
“Andyou,” she starts. “You brought me tohim? Do you even know what you’ve done?”
“I saved your life,Lina.” Two can play the blame game.
She flinches.
“Well,thisjust got interesting,” Johnny says, clearly amused. “Let’s move this along. Lina, you’re free to go anywhere inside the penthouse, but you’re not allowed to leave. Not yet. The elevator’s locked to my biometrics. Try it and you’re wastingyour time. We’ll talk more later.”
He tosses something to me on his way out. A small silver key. I catch it without thinking. Then, he’s gone. I close the bedroom door behind him and turn to face her. The key’s still warm in my palm.
Her voice barely rises above a whisper. “You know?”
I cross my arms. “Yeah. He told me.”
Her jaw tightens. “You think I lied to you.”
“Iknowyou lied to me,” I say, voice low. “For a year. You told me your sister was the one in hiding. That you were just the lookout.”
“Ihadto lie,” she snaps. “You think I wanted to? I was in Witness Protection. Istillam, technically, but after the last time my identity got out, I stopped trusting anyone. Not even the system. You weren’t supposed to know. No one was.”
I let out a breath and drag a hand down my face. “I get it. I really do. It’s just… hard. We’ve been through hell together. And now, I feel like I don’t even know who you are.”
Her voice softens. “Youdoknow me. You’ve seen me at my worst. You’ve protected me. Fought for me. None of that was a lie.”
I want to believe her. Ido. But my chest is tight, and everything feels cracked open.
“I know you’re right. I guess I just need a minute to wrap my head around it,” I say. “And... what do I even call you now? Aro? Lina?”
She gives me a sad smile. “I’ll always be Aro to you.”
A pause hangs between us.
“Now,” she says, more forcefully, “tell me why the hell you brought me toJohnny.”
“I didn’t know you two had history,” I admit. “I did him afavor a while back and he owed me. I know he’s connected to the Underground. Has resources we don’t. When I asked for help, he agreed.”
