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I blinked, the absurdity of his words cutting through the heaviness in my chest. “Is that some name you’re going by instead of Rookie? I’mnotcalling you that in bed.”

The grin turned into a full-blown smirk as he winked. “I’d never ask you to.”

I let out a shaky laugh, burying my face against his chest as the tears started to come. He held me tightly, his arms a fortress around me as I let it all out—the fear, the relief, the gratitude. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t crying out of despair.

I was crying because I was truly free.

* * *

Two months later

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Logan asked for what must have been the millionth time as we sat in the truck outside the federal penitentiary that was housing Everett.

I shook my head. “I have to do this. Ineedto do this.”

He sighed like this was going against his better judgment, but he still got out of the truck and walked around to let me out.

“Remember he can’t touch you anymore. He’s nothing,” he told me as he led me inside. We went through security, and then I stopped him in the visiting room before he could go any farther with me.

“I want to do this myself,” I whispered, hating how he flinched at my words.

There was a long silence as he searched my face for something, and then he finally nodded. “You’ve got this, Red.”

The guard led me through the sterile hallways, the echo of my heels against the concrete feeling oddly satisfying. I wasn’t here to find closure—I’d already claimed that for myself. I was here to face Everett Wells and leave him with nothing, just like he’d left me so many times before.

When I stepped into the room, I saw him sitting at the metal table, his orange jumpsuit a sharp contrast to the cold steel of the chair he occupied. His once-perfect hair was streaked with gray at the roots, and the air of control he once used as a shield was gone. Now, he just looked like…a nothing. Just like Logan had said.

“Well, well, well,” he said, leaning back in his chair, his handcuffs clinking against the table. “Look who decided to visit. To what do I owe this honor, Sloane? Have you come to grovel? Or maybe thank me for the life I gave you?”

I didn’t sit. Instead, I stood just inside the door, my arms crossed, my back straight. “I came to see what powerlessness looks like,” I said evenly.

His smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, narrowing his eyes at me. “You’ve grown bold since I’ve been in here.”

I took a step forward, my heels punctuating the silence. “You don’t scare me anymore, Everett.”

He chuckled, low and bitter. “Don’t I? You’re more naive than I thought if you believe that. Do you think because I’m in here, you’re done? That you’re free?” He shook his head, his expression full of disdain. “You’ve just stepped into another cage, Sloane. And you don’t even know it.”

“What are you talking about?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes at the flicker of smugness in his gaze.

He gestured toward my chest. “That necklace you’re wearing—the one you think York gave to you out of love…there’s a camera in it.”

I scoffed. “You’re full of shit.”

His mouth twitched. His employees were never allowed to curse. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “He’s watching you. Every second.Everymove.”

I fell back a step, his words catching me completely off guard. I reached up, my fingers brushing the cool metal of the necklace against my skin. It was such a delicate, beautiful thing. Could it really have been a tool for control?

Everett’s smirk grew, sensing my uneasiness. “See, Sloane? You’ve traded one master for another. The only difference is that this one is watching you in real time.”

I met his eyes, steadying myself as my mind reeled. I thought of Logan, of the way he looked and treated me like I was the center of his world. Of the insane, over-the-top things he did to keep me close.

“It works for us,”Olivia had said that night.“I don’t know that anything elsecouldwork for us.”

A smile curved my lips, slow and deliberate. My mind was made up. “Maybe that’s exactly what I need,” I said softly.

Everett blinked, the smirk slipping from his face. “What?”

“Maybe I need someone who’s a little crazy about me,” I said, my voice growing stronger with every word. “Because someone who loves me like that? Who’s willing to cross every line for me? That’s a fuck ton more than you ever gave me.”