Nikolai was always watching, pushing me to carve out my own path when a birthright would have sufficed for others. This is why I was still clawing my way here, even though he was my uncle.
“Yes, Uncle,” I said. “Understood.”
“Good.” There was a pause. “Preparations for extraction may begin. I trust you have planned accordingly.”
I let out a slow breath. Preparations were the one constant in this place, the only thing keeping me sane. For months, I had mapped, calculated, bribed and manipulated every angle I could reach. The breakout hadalways been the plan, but I had to earn it. I had to prove I belonged in the game before I could step into it anywhere else.
“Consider your talents needed elsewhere,” Nikolai added, voice sharp but a fraction warmer. “Puerto Rico will be your first. Make it work. Fail, and there is no second chance.”
I didn’t answer immediately. The weight of it wasn’t frightening — it was exhilarating. Everything in me had been waiting for the chance to leave these walls, to claim something that was mine, to turn years of preparation into action.
But Nikolai was right: failure wasn’t an option. Not for him, not for me. Not for anyone who relied on me being as ruthless as I could be.
“Understood,” I finally said, tightening my grip on the receiver. My jaw ached, and I welcomed the sensation. Pain was a reminder I was alive.
“Good.” The line went dead before I could add anything else. A heavy silence settled into the office, filled with anticipation and the awareness of how everything I did from this moment on would shape my future self.
Outside, the prison was still buzzing with noise. Puerto Rico was waiting. My captaincy was waiting. I was determined to prove I had earned it.
Chapter 13
Addy
May 16th
Hi Sasha,
You really enjoy telling me what I’m doing, don’t you? It’s impressive. Bold, even. Slightly incorrect, but I admire the confidence.
I won’t pretend I don’t feel the pull. I just don’t agree with your interpretation of it. You think it means ownership. I think it means curiosity — and I’ve always been curious about things I’m not supposed to touch.
Who says you interest me enough to Google you? Don’t flatter yourself. If I wanted a face, I could have one in about three clicks, and I haven’t. I prefer you like this — disembodied, inconvenient, slightly smug. A voice I get to invent. A presence only existing when I decide to sit down and write.
You say I wouldn’t write this way to just anyone. I’m not pretending this could be anyone. I’m saying it doesn’thave to be you. There’s a difference. I stay because I want to, not because I’m caught.
You keep telling me to take my time like you’re unaffected. But you wouldn’t be writing like this if you were. You wouldn’t be watching this closely.
Still not yours.
Convince yourself otherwise if you need to.
— Addy
Chapter 14
Addy
“Princess!Ifyoukeepgoing like this, you’re going to pull my arm out of its socket! Can we please not?” I implored the one-hundred-pound Saint Bernard as she trudged mercilessly along to … well, wherever she wanted, I suppose.
She hadn’t asked me, and I certainly wasn’t in a position to make her listen to me.
I shouldn’t have accepted the request from her owner, but times were hard and they paid well. Considering this furry giant’s behavior, it wasn’t difficult to guess why he paid so much more than the going rate.
Princess didn’t give a single flying fuck that my whole right arm was burning from trying to hold onto her leash, nor that I’d almost tripped and face-planted multiple times.
Didn’t so much as turn her head.
“Great. You’re a dog’s accessory. How much lower can you sink?” I muttered under my breath, attempting to keep pace with Princess while simultaneously trying not to get us killed by traffic.