Page 8 of Enter if you Dare: Part Three

She glances sideways at me. “Just . . . okay?”

I shrug. “You told me to ignore it, so I will. Your business is your business. I simply want Cave back.”

She nods and turns her focus back to the road. We remain quiet for most of the trip, allowing my nerves to eat at me. By the time we reach the facility gates, sweat rings decorate the fabric under my arms and my thumbnail is bitten down too far.

Vincent is waiting at the front entrance, as he said he would be. Nixie finds a parking spot, and then we join him where he stands in a suit that is probably worth more money than I could ever imagine.

“They are expecting you. I’ll wait out here. The visitation pass only covers the two of you. I already used mine as the legal representative on file.” He looks at me specifically. “It’s one hour only. Do not antagonize the staff, don’t make any promises you can’t keep, and if they tell you to leave, you leave. I need access to stay open.”

“Understood,” I say with a nod.

He holds my gaze for a second. “You’re going to be fine.”

Nixie takes my hand, and we walk inside. The reception area is clean and quiet but has a distinct hospital smell that I don’t like. All I can think about is Cave waking up to the smell every day, and how that would make him feel after what I read in his file.

Nixie arranges for us to be signed in, and we are issued visitor passes and asked to follow a female staff member. We walk down a long corridor to a room at the end, where she asks us to wait. The room has a table and chairs, and a large window looking through to another room. The second room has some chairs in the corner and a reinforced door; my stomach churns simply looking at it.

My nausea intensifies when a man, close to Nixie’s age, walks in to meet us. He looks me over, then turns his attention to Nixie, and I see the way he looks at her—when she looks up, a hardness comes over him.

“Nixie,” he says, greeting her with a nod.

“Evan,” she casually returns.

The tension between them is undeniable. I would never ask her about her past, but I would love to know their story.

“Nice to see the front of you again,” he says, a hint of teasing in his voice. “Last time I only saw the back of you running away.”

Nixie holds his gaze. “It’s good to see you too.”

Her reaction to him is neutral, and I observe the way he watches her after not getting the response he was clearly hoping for.

“You must be Valli,” he says, turning his attention to me.

“I am.”

“He says your name a lot. It’s one of the reasons we agreed to the visitations, as it seemed like the most likely way to get a response from him.”

He pauses but I say nothing. I’m doing what Vincent asks of me because if I say what I am actually feeling, it won’t be nice.

“I need to be honest with you about what you’re walking into. He hasn’t been cooperating with the staff. While he hasn’t been violent in the last twenty-four hours, that is mainly due to us keeping interactions to a minimum. The restraints are a precaution for your safety.”

“He won’t hurt me,” I interject.

Evan looks at me skeptically. “With respect, you don’t know that. Or what he is like in this environment.”

“With respect,” I reply, “I know him better than anyone in this building.”

Evan opens his mouth, but Nixie beats him to it.

“If you actually wanted to help him, then give them five minutes without restraints and see how they interact. You’ll have your answer about what he’s like when someone he trusts is in the room. Or you can leave the restraints on and watch how that turns out.”

Evan stares at her. “If anyone gets hurt⁠—”

“No one will get hurt. You have my word.”

Evan nods. “Fine, but I will be in the room the entire time.”

“Fine,” Nixie throws back with a little attitude. She’s let her mask slip slightly, and I try to keep my smile at bay.