guess I owe that to her.
The main door slams shut and a loud, heavy clank echoes through the room. I inhale and hold it, unable to expel it because my lungs have stopped functioning.
That smell.
My stomach churns and my heart climbs in tempo, slamming against my ribs with the weight of a sledgehammer behind it. I keep my eyes closed as the sound of a shoe scuffing the concrete reverberates around the room, around my skull.
For days I’ve pictured this moment in my head. In detail, I’ve imagined what I’d say to him, but now the moment has arrived I’m not ready.
“You’re still here,” I mutter, letting my head fall back against the wall, my eyes still closed.
I look like death. That much I know. My hair is tangled and dry, my skin oily with sweat, and my clothes are covered in mud and dirt from the night I tried to escape and he caught me. The look of absolute disappointment and desperation on his face when he realised I didn’t want to stay with him…it haunts me. Every time I close my eyes I see that night…I see the way his brows pulled together when I told him I loved him or when I begged him to put a bullet through my head. Those are the scenes that contribute to my lack of sleep.
“You think I’d leave you behind?”
Honestly, I don’t know what I think anymore—especially when it comes to Kaden Sario, the only man who can both love and hate you in the same minute.
I smirk, despite myself. “Don’t get too attached to me, Kaden. I’m sure someone somewhere is polishing a bullet with my name on it.”
He chuckles under his breath like I told the joke of the year. “Your death isn’t an option for me, Nine.”
My lips tremble at the mention of my name. Why does it sound so respectful, so promising, coming from his lips? I open my eyes and all of my organs clench at the sight of him. My tired gaze rakes over his dark, beautiful hair, olive skin, black eyes, and full lips. His crisp grey button-up shirt clings nicely to his torso, his black slacks sitting perfectly on his hips. His appearance is enough to breathe life into me, to fill me with a new kind of energy…or at least, I’m sure it would if I wasn’t on the verge of passing out. He crouches low, gripping a thick bar in one hand.
“Why are you here?” I ask, unable to keep my voice smooth and strong.
Subtly, he flinches as my voice cracks, making my heart tumble. I love him so much…he’s the only reason I have for not wanting to die. My world I can let go of, but not him…and it doesn’t makes any sense because despite how deeply I love him and the joy his beautiful face brings me, I don’t want to see him. I’m mad at him. I’m mad at him for not shooting me when I begged him to and for not telling me he loved me when I needed it…now two lives are about to be destroyed…in one way or another.
“Where else would I be?”
“Around. Living your life. The thing that caused you the most grief is about to be executed.”
“You have caused me a lot of grief.” Kade’s full lips curve slightly. “But I’m not about to let you die.”
Why is he doing this? Why is he making it so hard for me to hate him?
“So you’ve said…What about what I want?”
His lips twitch—a subtle movement I almost miss. As soon as it happens, it disappears, hidden under a frown. “What do you want?”
Doesn’t he know? What I want is simple. What I want is the only thing that can truly bring me peace.
“I want the results to come back negative. I want them to drag me outside, put a gun to my head, and pull the tri—”
“Like I said,” he states in a cold, clipped voice, cutting me off. “Your death is not an option for me.”
I simper. Of course. I almost forgot that Kaden Sario is a Fortunate, despite how desperately I wish he wasn’t, and he doesn’t like it when someone takes his toys away. What did he refer to me as when I first came to him? A possession. A fucking possession.
“When those tests come back what you want won’t matter,” I tell him.
Kade leans in close, so close the bars of my cell press into his cheeks. His eyes