“I love steak,” I told him as I turned it and looked at all sides. “I’m just wondering if it’s drugged or poisoned.”
His voice was cold when he said, “I would never contaminate your food, Luna. If I wanted to drug you, I’d stab a needle into your throat again. And if I wanted to kill you, I would pull out my gun and do it. Poison takes too long, and I wouldn’t make you suffer like that.”
Weirdly enough, I believed him. Shoving the meat into my mouth, I tried to chew it slowly becausegood god,this was thebest fucking steak I’d ever had in my life. But it actually took me about three or four bites before my stomach was satisfied enough to allow me to enjoy it.
“Do you like it?”
I glanced up over at him. His expression was inscrutable, and he sat so still he could’ve been made of stone. But I thought I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes before it was gone, like shutters had been pulled down to hide his thoughts from me. “It’s really good. Thank you.”
His shoulders relaxed, and he crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly content to sit quietly and watch me eat. When I was finished, I pushed the plate and half empty glass away and leaned back with a sigh, mimicking his pose. I had to admit, having a set of steel bars between us made me much gutsier than I normally felt when he was in the same room with me. “So, now what?”
He tilted his head. “Now I want you to tell me what happened between you and Gino that made you so desperate to get away from him you didn’t even stop for shoes.”
I frowned. My head had been a little muddled, but I specifically remember telling him that Gino had come in with a gun and that I’d bit him. “I already told you.”
“You told me an abbreviated version. I want the entire story.”
I lifted my chin. “Let me out of here, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
His eyes burned holes in my skull. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Then I’m not going to tell you.” I held his stare. He could try to intimidate me all he wanted to, but I wasn’t going to just sit inhere and let him pull all the strings. He narrowed his eyes on me, and I let my gaze wander over the artwork on the walls, changing the subject. “What’s with the drawings?”
Apparently, he had no qualms telling me whatever the hell I wanted to know. Without taking his eyes from me, he said, “You’re a beautiful subject. I like to draw you.”
I pulled my legs in, crossing them in front of me and leaning forward. “You get that it’s creepy to have so many drawings of me, right?”
“Why?”
“Why?” I repeated. “Because it is.”
He cocked his head. “It took me a few times to get the shape of your face right.” Looking around at the artwork on the walls, he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m still not completely happy with them, but I’ll get it.”
“Tristan, these drawings are amazing. Creepy, but amazing. They don’t even look like drawings. They look like photos.” The compliments burst from me before I could stop them. But it was true. He truly had a gift.
“Are you finished eating?”
I looked down at my empty plate and panicked. I didn’t want to be left alone again. Trying to keep the desperation out of my voice, I said, “Yes, thank you. But why don’t you stay and talk to me for a while?”
“About what?”
“Well, I don’t know anything about you.”
“You know more than a lot of people.”
“What does that mean?”
Instead of answering me, he rose from his position on the floor like a jungle cat, full of strength and grace that I would never possess. I stiffened when he pulled the handcuffs out of his back pocket and approached the door to the cell.
“Hands, please.”
“Tristan, seriously. You don’t have to do that. I swear I won’t try to run off. Or touch you.” I scooted back into the corner furthest from the door. “See? I’ll stay right here.”
He watched me warily, but didn’t put the cuffs away.
“Please. I swear.” The first step to escaping was to get him to trust me.
I didn’t think it was going to work, but then he put the cuffs back in his pocket and unlocked the cell door. Without taking his eyes from me, he came in and removed the empty plate, setting it outside the door and leaving the water. Then he turned and his eyes roamed over my face before dropping down to my body and back, darkening with something I couldn’t name. After a moment, he closed and locked the door, closing himself inside with me.
