Addy exhaled, too loud, but she turned it into a laugh mid-breath. “Thanks! Appreciate it. Truly.”
I felt something like pride lodge beneath my ribs and spread like warm honey.
Not because she had lied well — she really hadn’t — but because she had stood there and chose not to crumble. She could’ve run, could’ve screamed or even collapsed under the pressure of it.
Instead she trusted herself, and perhaps, in some reckless, unspoken way, she trusted me to only become a monster if I absolutely had to.
Obsession tightened in my chest until it felt almost painful, coiling deeper, darker.
My little devil was clever in her own chaotic way, untamed and untrained, yes, but also unafraid.
She had just shielded a stranger from my darker side. For her, I stayed hidden, suppressing the primal urge to protect what was mine regardless of the consequences.
I pressed back further into the shadows. My hand flexed, itching to pull her against me, just to feel her weight for a second. These possessive, stupidly protective thoughts hit me like a sledgehammer. She had no idea what I’d do if someone else looked at her, touched her or hurt her.
Mrs. Mendoza shuffled down the hallway and Addy exhaled in relief.
I let out a low chuckle, just loud enough for her to hear. The chaos she created was perfect fodder for the dark, possessive and obsessive side of my nature I thought had only existed in prison.
Addy didn’t look back, and this little act of rebellion made me giddy, bordering on insanity.
I had to get her out of here. Right the fuck now. She wasn’t in immediate danger, but she simply belonged somewhere else — somewhere far, far away from here. She had felt like she didn’t have anywhere to go, so surely she would learn to be happy at my side.
“Well,” I drawled, stepping out of the shadows and striding down the hall until my chest was just a breath away from her back. “That certainly was interesting.”
“Was it?” It was barely more than a whisper, but I could tell there was an underlying thrill, a dangerous excitement whispering, “You want more.”
I slunk to her side, slinging my arm over her shoulder and pressing her against me. My thumb brushed her collarbone every so often as I pulled her towards me, making sure she stayed close.
When we’d finally taken the last flight of stairs, I could feel the pulse of elation in my chest. Kyrill was waiting for us, the SUV a local ally had provided was hunched like a black shark at the curb, its engine purring low.
My best friend was perched behind the wheel with his arms crossed and his eyes scanning the block; he was always on the lookout for potential threats. He was terrifyingly efficient and undoubtedly on edge since we were running behind schedule.
Addy slowed down when she saw him and asked in a shaky voice, “Who is that?”
“Our backup.” I smirked, not breaking stride, my thumb brushing steadily over her skin. “That’s Kyrill, my second-in-command. He was in Blackwood with me and he’ll be with us.”
She stopped and watched him with furrowed brows. “Second-in-command? And what exactly would he be in command of?”
I huffed a laugh. “Baby, you didn’t think you were running off with some lowlife criminal, now, did you?”
“Hadn’t really thought about it, but now you mention it, that's probably the scenario I would’ve come up with.”
“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I assure you, we’ve got big plans. Once we get out of this godforsaken place, that is.”
“Do you trust him?” She nodded towards Kyrill.
“With my life.”
“Alright then.”
Addy started moving again, and a thrill zapped through me. She trusted me to keep her safe.
No one could have warned me how good this would feel or how addictive it would be.
Kyrill scanned us with intense scrutiny, as if cataloging potential threats and obstacles, as well as the newest addition to our traveling party.
He rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.