Page 46 of Kylie

“I see you made yourself at home,” he said, his tone bored.

I didn’t respond as I slowly slid down the wall, resting on my haunches. I was too weak to stand for long, but I was hoping he didn’t realize that.

He looked around again, as though admiring the space. I noticed he did not close the door. Smart man. Probably shouldn’t seal yourself into a room with a feral woman.

“I guess it could be worse,” Martin noted, stepping to the side and leaning against the wall. All he had to do was shift to the left and back one step, and he would be out of my reach. Interesting. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was scared of me.

“Worse?” I snorted. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

He smirked, his gaze swinging to the red bucket I’d been forced to use since I’d finished off all the water and protein bars they’d given me. Four and a half protein bars (half of one had been sacrificed to the ants) over eleven days wasn’t nearly enough to sustain me for any length of time, but I got the impression that was Martin’s intention.

Rather than pelt him with questions about why he was there or what he wanted, I kept my mouth shut. We spent the next few minutes in silence, a staring contest ensuing.

I hated to admit defeat, but I was the one who broke first, unable to continue staring at the man who was responsible for this.

“Can you at least tell me why I’m here?” I muttered, my gaze shifting to the floor. “Why would you bother to keep me alive for”—I flopped my hands up to signal my surroundings—“this?”

“You want the long version?”

I peered up at him and fought the urge to roll my eyes.

His response was a devious grin.

I wasn’t prone to hating people, but I truly despised this guy. He seemed to find great amusement in my discomfort.

“Are you familiar with the Adorites?” he asked after a few tense minutes of silence. “Maximillian, specifically. Or his father, Samuel?”

I tried not to react, but I was too hot, too tired, too … everything, to do a good job of concealing it. Plus, telling him that Maximillian preferred “Max” likely wasn’t going to benefit me.

So I waited. And I wasn’t disappointed.

“I thought that would be the case.”

I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t necessary. Martin evidently liked the sound of his own voice.

He shifted on his feet before crossing one ankle over the other. “Back when I was a green, wet-behind-the-ears special agent, I was assigned to a task force to take down the Adorites. In the beginning, the case was thrilling, and it gave me purpose. I felt as though I’d found exactly where I belonged, on the right side of the law, ready and willing to take down the bad guys.”

I watched him, waiting for more.

“Two years into that case, I realized just how naive I’d been.” He flashed a smile. “By then, I had a wife and a son on the way. The sex had become as repetitive and tedious as my day-to-day on the job, but I pushed through. I had a couple of CIs who helped to alleviate the monotony, gave me something to look forward to. I had a few hobbies that kept me from getting bored, a couple of side hustles.”

It was clear he wasn’t referring to being an influencer on TikTok, but I didn’t comment. I could see in his eyes that he was hoping I would probe, but I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

“You’re wondering what side hustles,” he taunted. “Well, I’ll tell you.”

I didn’t doubt that he would.

“See, I was rising in the ranks, but unfortunately, a government job doesn’t pay all that well. Not even those with the big titles. Most people go into the public sector wanting to do good deeds. I wanted that, too. But I also wanted a nice car, so rather than turn in all those ne’er-do-wells, I decided to supplement my income.”

“You blackmailed people,” I stated, hating that I could already see this ugly picture he was painting.

“You call it blackmail. I prefer to think of it as urging people to be the best they can be.” He flashed white teeth. “That was about the time I met your mother.”

My heart skipped a beat and my mouth went dry. I stared at him, clamping my lips shut, refusing to ask the questions burning on my tongue.

“Pretty little high school teacher banging her student.”

I rolled my eyes.