Well, I’ve officially recovered as of this morning. Or evening. The clock on the wall gives no indication of a.m. or p.m., and there are no windows. There’s just plain grey walls and matching, freezing tiles on the floor.
A cell, for all intents and purposes. It doesn’t matter if I can craft a shiv from the needle that was once feeding me life-saving fluids. Unless someone opens that door, I’m not getting out of here.
Exercise is my only form of entertainment. I’ve sweated through my hospital gown a dozen times by hour forty-eight.
The small bathroom in the corner of the room, hidden by a plastic curtain, offers little relief. The sink is barely big enough to fit my entire hand, so despite my best efforts to bathe, my hair still clings to the back of my neck.
It’s hour fifty-two when the door finally opens while I’m awake.
Teo walks in looking unfairly fresh in a shirt and jacket, as if he’s just walked straight off a runway. It makes me want to irrationally cringe away from him, as if I should care about the stark difference between us.
“Isabella,” his voice is tight and formal. His hands are clasped behind his back as he comes to a stop a few feet away. This should be good.
“You finally deemed me worthy enough to visit, did you?”
He looks at me, at where I’m half crouched on the bed, and raises a bored eyebrow. “Shall we get this over with?”
My hand tightens around the shiv I have hidden under the blanket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The part where you try to seduce me, only to put a blade against my neck,” he sighs. “You’re getting predictable.”
I scowl back. “I knew you were watching me. A little creepy, don’t you think?”
“Had to make sure you wouldn’t pull something stupid.”
“Like kidnapping me, you mean?”
“Like attempting to poison someone with an unknown substance.”
We glare at each other for a long beat before Teo sighs again. “I’m here to negotiate with you.”
“Not interested.”
Teo merely nods and turns to leave. “Then I’ll come back later.”
Shit. Wait, no.
“I want a shower,” I blurt out before he can leave.
He turns back to me. “You’re willing to give up your mother for a shower?”
“No,” I scowl back. “You’re going to let me shower.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It’s not humane to keep me here like this.”
“What part of imprisonment is so difficult for you to understand?”
I take a calming breath. “Okay then, what would it take?”
Teo walks back over to me, looking frustratingly pleased with himself. “Information.”
“I’m not going to?—”
“About your brother.”
I pause as I consider this…I’ve had over two days to think about how I can get out of here and for any of my plans to work. “What kind of information about my brother?”
