AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Olivia’s guarded gaze remains fixed on me as I lean against the doorframe, observing her every move. I wait, allowing the silence to stretch between us, curious to see if she’ll break first.
After a moment of contemplation, she lets out a heavy sigh, as if burdened by my mere presence. She gives me her back and takes a step toward the mattress.
Not wanting to lose her attention, I forfeit the silence first before she can sit back down. “Allowing Justine to use your phone was a welcome display of cooperation. I didn’t expect that from you, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”
She pauses, her back still turned to me, and seems to contemplate her response. “I didn’t really think I had a choice,” she finally admits, her voice tinged with resignation.
“You always have a choice, Little Raven.” My words are meant to be sincere, but they seem to echo louder within the confines of the cell than intended.
There’s a hitch in her shoulders, and her head drops ever so slightly. “Cooperate or die. That’s a hell of a choice.”
Her tone holds no malice, unlike our previous conversations. She seems dejected, which is…disappointing.
I maintain my firm tone, refusing to let her doubts undermine my authority. “Regardless, you made the right one. You have a purpose here, and until it’s been served, cooperating with me will remain the best option.”
Her head half turns back toward me, her expression the epitome of disbelief. “The best option for who? I highly doubt any of this will benefit me, in any way, in the end.”
With a calculated move, I step into the shadows of the wretched room, closing the distance between us. The proximity electrifies the air, creating an undeniable tension between us.
My body hovers mere inches from hers, and I lower my head, whispering into her ear. “For both of us. Do you grasp the gravity of what you witnessed in that alley? Those men intended to end your life, and just because they failed once doesn’t mean they won’t try again. You can despise me and resent the situation I’ve forced upon you, but make no mistake, I’m saving your life while securing what I want.”
A shudder runs through her body, betraying a mix of fear and uncertainty. Her voice trembles as she asks, “And what is it that you want?”
“That’s not for you to know,” I assert, pausing to ensure she’s listening intently. “As I mentioned earlier, your cooperation is appreciated, and you have earned yourself another luxury. However, it will need to be revealed tomorrow.”
Now that I’m confident she has grasped her situation, it’s not my intention to leave her a prisoner. For her, it may seem like a lose-lose situation, but given time, she will come to realize that I’m not the worst monster she could have been entangled with.
She lifts her head higher, our bodies still in close proximity, and her eyes flicker with renewed determination. “Who were those men in the alley?”
Her question catches me off guard, not expecting her to steer the conversation in that direction. It takes a moment for me to respond, her breath gently caressing my face as her eyes search mine, yearning for answers I’m certain she won’t find.
“They were men you’ve never heard of before,” I finally reply, staring down at her with unwavering intensity. “But rest assured, they now possess all the information they need to know about you, Olivia Danes. Just as I do. However, unlike them, I won’t use that information to end you.”
A hint of uncertainty creeps into her voice as she presses further. “How am I supposed to know that? How can I trust that if I keep cooperating that you won’t kill me anyway or hurt those that I care about?”
My gaze hardens, and I inch my face closer to hers, our breaths mingling in the tense atmosphere. “You won’t know, and you shouldn’t trust anyone other than yourself,” I declare, my voice laced with harsh reality.
She may not have wanted to hear that, but it’s the truth and I don’t often make a liar out of myself. Just because I’m keeping her alive doesn’t mean I won’t hurt her, and I won’t promise otherwise.
She finally takes a step back. “Understood.”
As she retreats, I know I’ve overstayed. Not because the raven before me no longer wishes for me to be in her presence, but because the walls and reasons I’d intentionally focused on today during my time away are beginning to falter.
I cannot care for this woman. She is a means to an end. Nothing more and plenty less. Protecting all I’ve built is the only thing I need to focus on.
Not the fact that even though she could have attempted to guilt me into a million things, given her circumstances and the passing of her mother, she hasn’t.
She’s been defiant, but she hasn’t truly fought me. I need to keep that fact far from my thoughts, because understanding why just might be the thing that gets her killed.
8
OLIVIA
Admitting defeat keeps me from sleeping well the night before, but when Justine returns the following morning with breakfast, I’m determined to remain strong. I won’t let Luca Monroe break me. I’ll play his game, and I’ll find a way to win. I have to.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Justine says cheerily as she enters my cell. I immediately notice a cart behind her, holding more than just eggs and bacon that the house cook apparently prepared this time. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts in the air, mingling with the scent of warm pastries. “I brought a few things to make your…space more friendly.” She throws a roll of toilet paper and some hand sanitizer at me. “Figured these would make you the happiest.”
Oh, how right she is. I clutch the precious items to my chest. “You’re an angel.”
