34. Eli
Eli
Adrian moves me back down into the basement.
A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling, barely throwing enough light to reach the corners. The room reeks of damp concrete, old blood, and sea salt.
I sit on the floor, wrists bound tight behind my back.
My fingers went numb hours ago. Blood still drips onto the concrete.
Every muscle in my shoulders burns from being held like this, and the skin on my wrists is torn raw from fighting the restraints, every movement sending fresh fire through my arms.
Across the room, I can barely make out Finn. He hasn’t moved. Not once. His body slumps against the wall where Adrian’s men left him.
He’s too still. Too fucking still.
“Finn?” My voice is rough, broken.
Nothing.
I swallow hard, my throat tight. Please wake up. Please. Just move. Breathe. Do something, Finn.
The silence stretches.
I look away as panic claws up my throat, but I force it down. Losing Finn would tear something out of me I don’t think I’d survive. But I can’t give in. I have to believe there is still a chance. I have to believe CJ is out there. Searching. Looking. Coming for me.
I picture his arms around me, hear that deep laugh.
The way he says Baby Boy, like I’m something precious.
Like I’m worth protecting. I think of his smile.
That dimple. The way everything feels right when I’m close enough to touch him.
The steady weight of him. The warmth. The way the world feels less terrifying when he’s beside me.
A painful lump rises in my throat. What if I never see him again? The thought slices through me. CJ was the first place I ever truly felt safe, and I’m terrified I’ve already lost him.
The basement door opens. Adrian walks down the stairs slowly. Every step is deliberate, controlled. He’s smiling like he already knows how this ends.
My stomach drops.
“No,” I whisper.
Adrian chuckles. “I haven’t even said anything yet, sweetheart.”
“You don’t need to.”
His smile widens. “You know me so well.”
He crosses the room and crouches in front of Finn, completely calm. Why wouldn’t he be? He holds all the power here. All the cards.
“He’s loyal to you,” Adrian says quietly.
“Leave him alone.”
“Interesting thing about loyalty.” His hand brushes through Finn’s hair. “It makes people vulnerable.”
“Don’t fucking touch him!” I scream.
Adrian doesn’t even look at me. “Do you know how easy it would be, Elijah?”
My body goes cold. “No.”
“A single bullet.” His voice stays terrifyingly calm as he presses one finger to Finn’s forehead, nudging it slightly.
I throw myself forward. The restraints bite deep into my wrists. “No!”
Finally, Adrian looks at me. And there it is: exactly what he wanted. I gave him the reaction. I showed him how to hurt me.
He smiles. “Checkmate.”
My knees hit the ground. My head drops.
“Please.”
“Please?” he echoes, almost amused.
I have to protect Finn. “Leave him out of this. Please.”
Adrian stands slowly, humming under his breath. “Hmm, I don’t think I will.”
My breathing turns uneven. My voice drops to barely above a whisper as I look up at him. “Take it out on me.” I force the words out, my choice solid. I’d rather break than watch Adrian destroy someone I love.
The smile that spreads across his face makes me sick.
“Elijah,” his voice softens. “I knew you would choose that.”
Fear crawls up my spine. “Your heart is so soft.”
I lift my head. Defiance cuts through the terror. “You don’t own me.”
Adrian laughs. “You’re still saying that?”
“I mean it. I will never pick you again.”
The smile fades slightly. “You will always belong to me.”
“No, I don’t!” I scream.
He walks toward me slowly and crouches right in front of me. Madness shines in his eyes. “The boy dies.”
Everything stops. I freeze.
“Or…” He tilts his head. “You come back.” He glances sideways at Finn. “Willingly.”
My eyes fly to Finn. He’s still unmoving. The man who protected me, Deck’s little one, my brother. Tears sting my eyes.
CJ. God. CJ, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.
There was never a choice. Not for me. Not for Finn. And Adrian knows it. He always has.
“I’m waiting, sweetheart.”
I look at Finn one more time, then close my eyes.
For one second, I let myself imagine CJ’s arms around me, and the memory steadies me.
If this is the last time I ever feel him, I want to hold onto it.
I cling to those memories because they’re the only thing that will carry me through whatever comes next.
Maybe I’ll never see CJ again. Never feel his arms around me. Never hear him call me Baby Boy. Never get to tell him what he means to me.
But he will always be with me. He owns my heart. My soul. The parts of me that still matter.
Adrian can take my freedom. My choices. My body.
But he will never take CJ from me. Never the love I have for him.
So I open my eyes and nod.
“I’ll go.”
Adrian smiles. He thinks he’s won. But he’s wrong. I’m not surrendering; I’m sacrificing. I’m saving Finn, even if it means I may never go home.
“I’ll go. Just leave Finn alone.”
I stare at Finn’s chest, watching the slow, faint rise and fall, silently begging him to survive this. For Deck. For CJ. For me.
* * *
I walk upstairs with Adrian. The basement door slams shut behind me, sealing Finn in the dark. I try not to fall apart, trying to hold myself together while knowing I may never get to say goodbye to the man who loves me.
Adrian stops beside the couch. I stand there, staring at him.
Defiant, even now.
He notices and steps closer. He kisses my cheek gently, and revulsion twists in my stomach, his touch feeling like a stain I can never wash off.
“You made the right choice, sweetheart.”
His smile is gentle, almost loving, but I know better than to trust it.
“When we get home, we’ll work on that attitude of yours.”
He steps closer, lowering his voice. “And if you don’t learn…” He shrugs slightly. “Well, sweetheart, you already know what happens when you disappoint me.”
My blood runs cold.
Because Adrian never has to say the words. I already understand. Adrian can take everything from me.
If I don’t bow to him, he won’t let me live.
And there is one thing I am certain of:
I will never bow to him.