Deck doesn’t react to his taunts. He just asks, “Why are you calling?”
Silence. Then…
“I miss you, Elijah.”
Eli lets out a sound that barely escapes him: a choked gasp that turns into a sob. I swallow hard, fighting the urge to tear the world apart for him. I grab his hand, and Finn wraps himself around Eli from behind, anchoring him.
“You don’t get to say that,” Deck says, his voice colder now, taking back control of the conversation.
“I love him.”
“No,” Deck snaps, sharp and unyielding. “You owned him.”
The silence that follows feels dangerous, but then Adrian laughs, low and cold. “Tell me, Mr. Palmer. Has he told you everything?”
Eli closes his eyes as shame settles over his face, exactly as Adrian intended.
“Mmm,” Adrian continues. “I imagine he left out the parts that make him difficult to love.”
My jaw locks, and a growl builds in my throat. When Eli tries to pull his hand away, I don’t let him. I hold on tighter, lifting his hand to my lips to press a kiss across his bruised knuckles.I’m here. I’m not leaving.
“Careful,” Deck warns over the line.
Adrian ignores him completely. “You sound a little… emotional, Mr. Palmer.” Then his voice shifts, turning softer, almost gentle. “Tell me, Elijah.”
A pause.
“Is he still sleeping in the bed with you?”
The room stops, and my blood runs cold as Eli stops breathing.
Finn looks up at me in shock. Adrian didn’t guess. He’s been watching us.
I stand up so quickly the bed shifts beneath us. “Where are you?” My voice drops into a low, lethal threat.
Adrian ignores me. “Still hiding, Elijah?”
Silence.
“Still pretending someone is going to save you?”
“Stop,” Eli whispers, his voice cracking, barely audible. But Adrian hears it, and he enjoys every second.
“Three years, Elijah.” His voice drops lower. “And you’re still the same.”
Tears stream down Eli’s face, and Finn pulls him closer against his chest.
“You know what?” Adrian whispers. “I’ll come for you soon, sweetheart. You know I always keep my promises.”
The line goes dead.
Silence fills the room. Nobody moves. Nobody breathes.
Then Eli breaks. Sobs tear out of his chest, and Finn holds him tight, tears falling from his own eyes.
I stare at the phone’s empty screen.
“Deck,” my voice is rough, barely recognizable. “Please tell me you got him.”
