After almost six months of writing letters and texting, I knew her well enough to realize she wasn’t the kind of person to ask for help outright. She defaulted to jokes and made herself palatable rather than admitting how close she was to the edge.
I could almost taste the shape of her smile in her words: the practiced lightness; the way she kept moving so no one would notice how tired she was. This part didn’t bother me. What settled heavily in my chest was what lurked beneath.
No landing spot.
My jaw tightened before I was consciously aware of it, a slow pressure working its way into my temples and the back of my neck.
I shifted on the bunk, my spine stiffening and my shoulders going rigid. It was the familiar sensation of my body bracing itself around a decision that hadn’t fully surfaced yet but which was already inevitable.
I’ve seen what happens to people who float for too long. They didn’t remain unmarked, nor did they get to choose what finally claimed them. Eventually, anything offering certainty felt like safety, no matter the cost.
I dragged my thumb slowly over the screen, over her name, just pressing hard enough to ground myself in the fact that she was in fact real. Addy. My little devil.
I let her have the last word, let her believe I was merely giving her space. I wasn’t going to open the door to a conversation that would only be a charade of negotiation.
This wasn’t something to be discussed.
She was unclaimed, and the world didn’t hesitate with people like that.
The thought of someone else noticing her vulnerability before I could close the gap made my stomach tighten, a feeling I didn’t question. It wasn’t jealousy as people usually describe it.
It was a possessive instinct, another form of attention, and I had been paying attention to her for longer than anyone else.
I wanted her more than I’d wanted anything in years. This realization did not come with heat or panic; it arrived fully formed and solid, reshaping everything around it.
Desire like this wasn’t loud. It altered the architecture of your life without asking permission.
I wanted her almost as much as I wanted freedom. The difference was that freedom was an idea.
Addy was not.
I stood and paced the length of the cell, my hands flexing at my sides, my shoulders tight as if there was a weight there I needed to account for.
Kyrill quirked a questioning brow in my direction, but I waved him off. The space felt even smaller now, not because it was closing in, but because time had started to press forward.
I didn’t see her life as chaotic or irresponsible. What I saw was erosion. The slow removal of walls until there was nothing left to keep her from whoever decided to reach for her next.
I couldn’t allow it to happen, and yet I couldn’t have planned it better myself. My little devil was already part of my plans, but now, with her having nowhere else togo, the choice was even clearer and more indisputable. She would simply come with me.
It didn’t require justification. This wasn’t about coercion or holding her captive. It was merely a case of preventing something valuable from being left exposed.
I wasn’t going to tell her I’d be coming. I didn’t soften it with reassurance or ask for permission I didn’t intend to wait for.
Instead, I sat back down and set things in motion to accelerate the timeline. The confirmations started rolling in, and as the puzzle pieces slotted into place, my pulse steadied and my breathing evened out.
That was how I knew the decision was right.
Freedom had always been coming but now I was going to come for her, too.
Chapter 21
Sasha
Bythetimeitstarted, most of the work was already behind us. It was just after dinner and the guards would be switching shifts soon, so most of them were mentally already clocked out. Perfect for our endeavor.
Hunter had laid the foundation many months ago, working quietly and methodically in a way only he could. It was why I had been adamant he was the right person for this job. There were no dramatic breaches, no obvious fingerprints.
My brother made small, cumulative adjustments to systems no one questioned as long as they kept working. Camera loops weren’t miracles but you had to exploit them patiently, and there was no one more patient than Hunter. Except maybe me.