“Okay,” I hesitate, thinking of information. “My favourite colour is purple”
A grin fills his face. “Really, because I happen to like purple too.”
“And I have a German Shepherd.”
“What?!” he says in a mock excited voice. “I love German Shepherds.”
I can’t help but let out a giggle. “I like movies, specifically the traditional romantic kind.”
“I’m always telling people how much I love a good romance.”
I shake my head at his predictable response. “Okay, I get it, you love everything I say.”
He smiles. “Genuinely though, I do enjoy knowing more about you.”
I smile, letting my walls drop just a sliver. “Okay, well, tell me about you then. Do you have any family waiting for you to get out?”
“I have a brother… he kind of sucks, and he’s the reason I’m in here, so I’m planning my revenge.”
I snort, unsure if he’s joking. “Let’s hear it then.”
“Well… I’m gonna start with his dick,” Adrian says, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I think I’ll pay a hooker to bite it off.”
“Of course,” I reply, raising a brow.
“Then I’ll go for his money. I’m still thinking of a way to steal his bank information.”
“Should be easy enough,” I tease.
“Then I’ll probably kill him,” he adds, “for making me spend so long in here when I could’ve been living my life.”
“And what would you be doing if you weren’t?” I ask, curiosity lacing my words.
“Oh, I dunno… probably at the clubs, getting my dick sucked.”
I tense, the cuffs digging into my ankles as I wrap my body around itself.
“What, you don’t like that?” He smirks. “You can have a turn once we get you out of those.”
I glare, disgusted. “Aw, just when I was starting to think you weren’t disgusting.”
“I’m joking. I’m joking.” He laughs, a low, dangerous sound that makes my chest tighten. “And I’m all you have in here. So I think you should tell me something a little more personal.”
I don’t know if it’s the shock from finally having my feet on the ground or just feeling some sort of connection to Adrian, but I need to make the most of the time I have, fully aware, in case they drug me again.
My chest tightens, my lungs pulling in more air than necessary, and I can’t ignore how fast my heart is racing thinking about Elijah and Enzo.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself against the dull ache in my heart, thinking about the life I will never get to have again. I mean, I hated parts of it, sure, but I love the people I live with, and even though the thought of Elijah fills me with anger and disgust, I still love him. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to stop.
“I have a brother,” I say finally. “He’s the only family I have. We’re close.”
Adrian doesn’t move. He just watches me, unblinking. Almost weighing every word I say, measuring it against the person he thinks I am—or maybe the person he knows I am. My gaze slides up from the floor, and he’s staring right into me, like he’s trying to read my soul. The intensity is unbearable.
“I miss him,” I add, softer this time, barely above a whisper. “And… it sucks that I’ll probably never see him again. Or… he might watch me die.”
He tilts his head slightly, as if considering something.
“I think you’re putting too much weight on how valuable your life is,” he says, almost teasingly, but there’s a hard edge to it. “You don’t have to die, Ace. Have you considered bargaining with Nikolai? I think he likes you more than you give him credit for.”
