Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Dante
I don’t slow down until I’m outside.
My boots scrape the gravel with every step. And with every step, I try to erase the memory of drowning her. I drag a hand down my face and lean into the metal wall on the far side of the warehouse, forehead thudding softly against steel.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
I left that room, but that shit followed me out, crawled under my skin, and sits there like a weight.
Her choking and suffocating keeps flashing behind my eyes.
This isn’t enjoyable like the sex we have.
But she agreed to this. Sat across from me weeks ago telling me she could handle it. Told me exactly how far we could go without crossing lines we can’t uncross.
Knowing the rules doesn’t mean your body gives a damn when shit hits the fan though.
I clench my jaw hard enough it aches. I then tear off the ski mask that covers my face. It’s slightly damp from the water splashing up during her torture session.
I can’t deny that Finnic does his part well. He obeys every order with even if there is a little backtalk.
But his eyes still betray him. Most of his movements are hesitant, like something inside him is screaming even while his hands keep working.
Right now, he’s safe. But if that hesitation continues, it could become dangerous for him. For all of us.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, disrupting my chaotic thoughts.
I pull it out and swear quietly when I see the name.
I clear my throat and answer, “Yeah?”
“We’ve got movement,” he says. “Other site.”
I push off the wall and start walking again. “Talk to me.”
“Representative Armani’s daughter is breaking,” he replies. “She’s throwing information around like confetti.”
Figures. A girl like that was never built for a life like this. People raised on money fold fast once they realize no one is coming.
“And what about your current situation?” he asks.
“She’s doing well,” I insist. “Still acting out her part as planned.”
He pauses for a brief moment. I know exactly what he’s truly wondering about.
“And Mr. Lawson?”
“That’s where it gets interesting,” I admit. “He followed through, but I can tell it’s eating him alive.”
“Good,” he states. “Pressure exposes loyalty.”
I let out a humorless breath. “Or snaps it clean in half.”
“That’s the point.” he agrees.
I stop walking and stare at one of the busted windows on the warehouse. “She kept playing hard to get earlier, so I skipped the preliminaries.”
“Sounds like her,” he shoots back.
I rub at the back of my neck. “Finnic’s not an idiot, though. He’ll eventually figure out who she is.”
“I suppose we’ll see his true colors then,” he mutters.
The line goes dead before I can say anything else.
I stand there with the phone in my hand, resisting the urge to throw the damn thing against the wall. I’m not some sadist getting off on this. I do what needs to be done for the plan. I always have. That doesn’t mean I sleep easy afterward.
I turn back toward the warehouse entrance, each step seeming heavier than the last.
Finnic is stationed outside her room now, just like protocol demands.
He’s close enough to hear her breathe. And also close enough to let it get under his skin.
I stop a few feet short of the hallway when I finally make it inside.
I picture Finnic standing there, shoulders tense. He’s staring at the floor or the wall, anywhere but the door. I’m sure his head is like a war zone.
That hesitation I seen earlier creeps back into my thoughts. It’s a small problem, but a problem all the same.
And she sees it as much as I do.
She watches people the way hunters watch the trees. Plans change depending on which way the wind blows.
Finnic doesn’t stand a chance if he continues to spend alone time with her, but sadly, he has to if it means we’ll see his true loyalty.
I exhale through my nose and step through the doorway into the hall.
“Has she come to yet?”
He snaps to attention, then shakes his head. “No. She’s still out from the sedative I gave her after you left.”
I lean my shoulder into the wall beside him. “Good.”
Silence settles between us. I let it sit for a moment before breaking it.
“You handled yourself well,” I admit. “I could see you wrestling that hero instinct of yours.”
His brow lifts slightly. “You noticed?”
I bring my hand down on his shoulder, firm but calmly. “I noticed. And trust me, she did too.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Remember that next time we need answers,” I continue. “She’ll poke at that weakness until it bleeds if you let her. Don’t.”
He lets out a slow breath and nods once.
If he slips even an inch, she’ll make him pay for it. And something tells me she’ll enjoy every second of it.