The city outside was a blur of neon lights and rain, but inside Adrian's penthouse, the air was heavy enough to crush me. Glass shards grisly and cutting, playing continuously in my mind, were every word Adrian had ever uttered in less than an hour.
"I wonder how long do you think you can keep me in the dark?" I demanded. My trembling voice betrayed more of a fury than a fear. "I am not one of your soldiers. I am not property."
He stood by the window, his broad-soldier blanket at the skyline. There was an intent pause before he answered: "And yet—without turning his back—here you are."
Calm. Control. As though he knew the outcome of this choice before I did. My hand ached for my bag, where the flash drive lay deeply buried within a sewn pocket. It was far more than a simple drive; this tiny piece of metal had the unscrupulous power to take his life—or mine.
"You have been playing a dangerous game, Elena," he finished finally, his dark eyes fixating upon me like a predator sizing its prey. "But the difference between you and me is... I never lose."
Everything felt electric between us, and I heard my heart, loud in my ears.
"Maybe you should start worrying about the day you do," I shot back, though there was the slightest quaver in my voice.
He took a long step toward me. "Give me that drive now, and let's call it a lapse in judgment. I can protect you."
I felt a bitter laugh escape my lips. "Protect me? From what? You?"
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes—hurt? Anger? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that he stopped walking a few feet away from me, a taut jaw.
"You think I'm your enemy, Elena," he said in low tones. "But there really are people out there who would burn this city to the ground just to get to you. People that make me look like a saint."
I swallowed against the rock in my throat, forcing my resolve not to bend. "Then maybe I'm safer without you."
The words landed like the slap it had to be. An almost imperceptible change took place in his expression, but within that minuscule change lay the kind of change conceived in something broken.
"You walk away from me," he said slowly, "and there's no coming back."
My heart pounded into my throat. Rain on the glass grew intensive, and it seemed as though the whole world was holding its breath.
I should have left. I should have thrown the drive in his face and walked away.
Instead, I stepped closer to him.
A tension weighed upon the night air, while a low hum from far-off city life punctuated the stillness of the hour. Elena paced restlessly across the marble floor of Adrian's penthouse, her heels clicking with each step, the shadows flickering into life, and every flash of crushing light felt like a warning.
She had spent the last hour reliving the events that unfolded at the warehouse, the shoot-out, the blood on Adrian's hand, the cold calm with which he dispatched the last man. But the violence didn't disturb her spirit. The flash drive did.
It now lay in the pocket of her robe, weighing upon her like a millstone. Adrian didn't know she had it. At least not yet.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Unknown Number. And there was a moment of hesitation before she picked it up.
"Do you have it?" It was a man. Deep voice. Distorted.
Elena halted. "Who is this?"
"You know who I am. And you know what I want. Bring me the drive, and I'll give you what you've been looking for… answers about your family."
Now Elena was reeling. "How do I know you're not lying?"
"You don't. But keep it, and you'll both be dead by morning. Choose wisely, Elena."
The line went dead.
She was still looking at the phone when Adrian walked in. His shirt was undone at the collar; his hair was tousled by the wind. But his eyes — predatory, sharp, scanned her instantly.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she lied.
He stepped nearer. "Don't lie to me. Not tonight."
She felt her body invigorated with excitement as he neared her; his presence was both magnetic and suffocating. He held her chin, compelling her to look into his eyes.
"Something's changed," he said softly. "And I need to know what."
She almost broke then. Almost told him about the call. But something in her, a deep sense of instinct, whispered: not yet.
Instead, she pushed his hands away. "You're imagining things."
Adrian's jaw tightened, refusing to pressed it. "Fine. But if you're keeping something from me, Elena…" There was silk and steel in his voice. "...you will regret it."
When Adrian disappeared into his office, Elena went out onto the balcony, desperate for air. Below, the city lay before her like a sea of stars, but she felt nothing of its beauty. She pulled the flash drive from her pocket, turning it over in her fingers.
Could she really trust a stranger with it? Or could she trust Adrian with it instead?
The door opened behind her. "You're freezing," Adrian said, covering her shoulders with his jacket.
She didn't turn. "I was thinking."
"About what?"
"About you," her voice was steady, but her stomach was in knots, "and whether I really know you at all."
He stood beside her, the outline of his profile etched darkly against the city lights. "Maybe you don't. Maybe you never will."
The raw honesty of his tone terrified her more than any lie.
"Then why keep me here?" she asked.
His gaze flitted to her lips before he met her gaze again. "Because you're mine. Whether you like it or not."
Her breath hitched — not in fear, but something far more dangerous.
Before she could form a rebuttal, Adrian's phone rang. He looked at the screen, cursed under his breath, and answered.
"What is it?" Pause. "When?" Pause. "...I'll take care of it."
To his understanding, she had learned that his clenched jaw was an ominous sign.
"We have to leave. Now."
The black SUV burnt through the night at speed. The streets sped by. Elena did not ask where they were going — she knew he wouldn't tell her. Instead, she looked into the dark glass and memorized the face of the man who could be her protector or her executioner.
When they stopped, they found themselves in an abandoned high-rise with dust and the smell of metal in the air.
Inside waited two armed men, both looking at her as if they both already know what she has done.
"This her?" one asked Adrian.
"She is with me," Adrian replied curtly. "That is all you need to know."
The other man smirked. "Hope you're right, Valenti. 'Cause if she's not, she'll bring you down faster than any bullet."
The way Adrian's gaze lingered on her told Elena that he had considered that possibility already.
Hours later, back at the penthouse, the silence between them was deafening. Adrian poured himself a drink, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
"You're hiding something," he finally accosted.
She tightened her grip around the backrest of a chair. "And if I am?"
"Then I'll find it," he stepped closer, "and I'll decide what to do with you."
Her heart was thundering now, but she forced herself to look him in the eye. "Maybe I'm not the only one hiding something."
They stared at each other for what felt like hours — two predators circling each other, waiting for the first one to strike.
Then Adrian did something she never expected. He kissed her — hard.
It wasn't gentle, it wasn't sweet: it was a claim, a threat, and a promise, all at once.
When he finally pulled away, his whisper along her lips was, "You can keep your secrets, Elena. But remember… so can I."
Elena spent a sleepless night. The flash drive burned under her pillow like fire. And when she finally managed to close her eyes, she saw Adrian in her dreams, his hands bloody, and his eyes held the kind of truth that destroys.
There will be a choice to make tomorrow.
One that could kill them both.