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The silence stretched between us, thick with hostility. But also, a current of awareness that made the small cell feel even more confining. When my brothers tried to intimidate me, it never felt like this. This was different. Charged. Dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with the threat of physical harm.

My eyelids grew heavy as exhaustion overtook adrenaline. I fought it, pinching my arm, blinking away the sleep. I wouldn't sleep withhimhere.

He noticed my struggle. “Stubbornness won't change your situation.”

“Neither will cooperation, I suspect,” I muttered.

Another hour passed. My body betrayed me with a jaw-cracking yawn.

“Sleep,” he said, his voice softer than before. “I'll still be here when you wake.”

That was precisely what I feared. I didn’t respond and tried to stay awake.

My head nodded, jerking up again as I caught myself drifting. Maybe if I lay down, I could stay awake, but it could help with the fatigue. I stretched out on the thin mattress, my body betraying me with relief at finally lying down. I told myself I would just rest my eyes for a moment. Just a moment...

I woke to absolute darkness. The soft lightbulb that had tormented me with its constant flickering was off, plunging the cell into a blackness so complete I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Panic seized my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs, and I sat up in bed.

“Hello?” My voice emerged as a frightened whisper.

“I'm still here.” Giovanni's voice came from somewhere to my right, steady and calm.

I hated that his presence reassured me. “The light—”

“Power fluctuation. It happens in basements this old.”

I sat up, drawing my knees to my chest, trying to control my breathing. In the darkness, memories crowded close—memories I never wanted.

“You're afraid.” It wasn't a question.

“I'm not.” The denial was automatic, but my voice shook, betraying me.

I heard him move, felt the cot dip as he sat beside me. Not touching, but close enough that I could feel his body heat.

“Everyone fears something,” he said quietly.

“I said I’m not afraid,” I said, moving to the other edge of the bed, away from him.

“Right,” he said, in a tone that told me he thought otherwise.

Chapter 5 - Gio

The darkness in the basement was absolute when the power cut out. I allowed my eyes to adjust and when I heard Larissa taking panicked, short breaths, I made my way to her.

She said she wasn’t afraid, but she was acting like she was as I sat beside her on the bed. What was her end game here? Did she hope to weaken me by taking this opportunity to play damsel in distress?

“Lights can take time to come back,” I said, my voice echoing against the concrete walls. “Unless you'd like to tell me what I want to know so you can be out of here.”

Another sound escaped her, higher-pitched this time. I could hear the sheets ruffle as she shifted.

“Playing frightened won't work on me,” I said, reaching for the phone in my pocket, using its faint glow to look at her face. “I've seen better performances.”

“Please,” she whispered, and something in her voice caught me off guard—a raw edge I hadn't noticed before. Her eyes flickered to the bulb and then toward the corridor. Under the beam of my flashlight, she appeared like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated, and her skin ashen beneath her creamy complexion. Her hands gripped the sheets so tightly.

“Turn on the lights,” she said, her voice trembling.

I leaned back on my elbows, getting comfortable. She had tried to be afraid and I’d been gentle, but she was still quiet when spoken to. Perhaps, if she was truly afraid, I could play into it.

“What, are you afraid of the dark? Don’t expect me to believe that,” I meant it as mockery, but the flinch that rippled through her body was unmistakable.