Emotion swells in my chest. “I’m…I’m sorry about your friend.”
He inclines his head once in acknowledgment.
I hesitate, then ask the question that’s been burning in me since he said it. “So why didn’t you kill me?” I whisper. “Or sell me?”
Rook’s lips press together briefly. He steps back, creating distance again—reclaiming control. “Because,” he says, turning away, “you seemed like a genuinely good person.” He pauses,glancing over his shoulder at me one last time. “A breath of fresh air,” he adds quietly, “when all I deal with is pollution.”
And then he walks back toward the gallery lights, leaving me standing there with my heart racing and my hands trembling.
Chapter ten
JUDE GRAVES
I wake up in pieces. A pulse in my jaw, fire in my ribs, and cold iron digging into my wrists. I don’t open my eyes right away. I can’t. The effort feels expensive, like I won’t have enough left to survive it.
Chains rattle when I breathe too deeply, so all of my breaths have been shallow and unsatisfying. I know I'm not free anymore, not really. Memories flash, leaking back in glitches. Black boots and hands on my arms. The smell of shitty cologne and gun oil. Alexei’s men appearing suddenly.
I didn’t fight them.
That’s the part that makes my stomach turn now. I didn’t fight or run. I just stood there while they closed in. Nolan hesitated.I remember that clearly. He stood off to the side, jaw tight, eyes darting anywhere but my face. He knew. He fucking knew what Alexei would do to me. I saw it written all over him—self-preservation wrapped up in a shitty thousand-dollar suit.
He could’ve said something. He didn’t.
But Adriana did. “No,” she said. “Don’t take him. Alexei doesn’t need to do this. This is unnecessary. He’ll do whatever he wantswithoutthis.”
One of the men laughed so loudly that it was insulting. “It’s not your call, baby.”
She moved toward me then, hand reaching out like she might actually grab me and pull me back. For a second, I thought she might try. And why did it make me feel even fucking worse? Knowingmy own abuserdidn’t want to watch me go through this?
Alexei’s amused voice came through the phone. “Bring him to me.” That was it. No discussion or mercy. They dragged me out, fingers iron-tight around my arms, my feet barely touching the floor as they shoved me into a black SUV. The door slammed, and darkness swallowed me whole.
I don’t remember much of the drive, but I remember the arrival. I remember being hauled out, down stairs, through a door that locked behind us. I remember Alexei standing there, calmly looking at me. I remember the first punch. Then the second. Then losing count.
Pain comes back before vision. My body reminds me where I am long before my mind catches up. Every breath hurts. My wrists burn where the chains dig in, skin raw.
I open my eyes.
Concrete ceiling with flickering fluorescents. There are no windows or clocks. No sound except my breathing and the distant drip of something that’s pissing me the fuck off. I don’t know if it’s night or day. I don’t know how long I’ve been here.I only know that time doesn’t work right in places like this. It stops meaning anything. So I don’t let myself think. I go somewhere else instead.
I float just above my body, watching it from a distance like it belongs to someone I used to know. The pain dulls when I do that. This isn’t happening tome. It’s happening to a version of me I’ve already lost.
Time only exists when they let it. That’s how I know it’s been more than a day. It’s so dark in here that I can’t see anything at all. Not even my own fucking nose. They’ve given me heroin twice. Not enough to satisfy me completely—just enough to make the ache sharper when it’s gone. Just enough to keep me alive and pliable.
The first time, my hands were still chained. One of Alexei’s men knelt in front of me, tying off my arm. I didn’t look at him. I stared at the wall and waited for the burn, the rush, and the quiet. The second time came later. This time, his men threw my heroin at me like I was some sad, despicable fucking creature.
I only know the third time doesn’t come. Instead, footsteps echo down the stairs. As much as I hate it, my body tightens, muscles screaming in warning. My heart starts to race, fast and stupid, like it still thinks escape is an option.
Run away,the damn thing whispers.
I can't, you stupid shit,my brain snaps back.
The door opens, and blinding light floods in. I hiss and squeeze my eyes shut, chains clanking as I instinctively pull back. Rough hands grab my shoulders, forcing me upright.
Alexei walks in, smug as hell. “You’re still breathing,” he says mildly, like he’s commenting something as trivial as the weather. “Good.”
I don’t answer. My mouth is dry, and my tongue feels heavy and useless. Blood crusts at the corner of my lips. I don’t remember when that happened either.
He circles me slowly, his boots scuffing is the only sound. “You know,” he continues, “most men don’t last this long without begging.” He stops in front of me, tilting his head to study my face. “I was worried you’d disappoint me.”