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“A hunch about what?”

Yeah. A hunch about what? Do I even fucking know?

“As soon as I know, you’ll know.”

“Your old man was sniffing around again.”

Fuck.

“I bet he was. What did he want?”

“He said he wants an answer. Said you’d know what he meant.”

And I do. My father, after two years of me not working for him, has decided it’s time for me to return to the fold. Hedidn’t tell me why, only that fun time was over, and it was time to get back to work. Our meeting last week has been playing on my mind while I’ve had time to think. I wasn’t lying to Olivia when I said that the quiet had been torturous.

I’m not up-to-date on the ins and outs of what's been happening in The Organization. I only know what I need to know. Luca keeps an ear to the ground, but he’s somewhat aware that I needed a break from it all. Ironically, despite not coming from a family like mine, Luca is way more suited to it. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at what I did. Too good. But Luca doesn’t have the same emotional range that I do. It keeps him detached. He compartmentalizes, whereas I jumble the different parts of my life together. At least, that’s what Dr. Alfie believes. I’m not good at separating things. Hence why I dove into being an enforcer for my father—I did that and nothing else. No girlfriend, no friends outside of work, no me time. Everything was for the job. Until that one awful day. And then again when I saw Olivia. And going back to that reality just isn’t possible anymore. Now, I’ve had to build a new version of myself that fits the world that she lives in.

My father forcing me to come back is certainly going to be a problem. But how much of one remains to be seen.

“Yeah, I know what he means. I’m mulling it over. Hence why the basement is an attractive option right now,” I concede.

“He’s gonna keep coming back. Are you sure you can’t sneak out in the night and be back by morning? It would help for people to see your face.”

“It’s been three days. You can manage this.” Teaching my staff to be self-sufficient has been the hardest part. Normal companies, or at least good ones, empower their staff to take ownership of their work. These guys have lived and breathed hierarchy their whole adult lives. But things are different, and with the culture I’m trying to grow—yes, I said culture—it’s going to take a long time for them to trust me.

“What’s your timeline?”

“I’ll be back by the end of the week.”

He hesitates for a second.

“Okay. See you tonight.”

???

“When they died, my whole world turned upside down. I had a fourteen-year-old to look after and I barely knew how to look after myself. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, taking charge like that. But I wouldn’t change it.” She nods like she’s reassuring herself. “I kept a roof over Danny’s head and he graduated from high school. I couldn’t do much but if he needed something I made damn sure he was going to get it.”

The love she has for her brother is undeniable. I’m almost jealous of the bond they have. Augustus, my older brother by a few years, and I have nothing in common. We were taught to hate each other and everyone else whilst we were growing up. It’s a miracle I even had Luca as a friend. Augustus wasn’t an option but he saw my value as soon as our father made him accept it.

The emotion in her voice, the way it cracks when she talks about Danny almost makes me cave. I knew things would have been tough, orphaned at the age she was. But I hadn’t realized she’d taken on the role as mother for Danny when she should have been learning about herself, finding out what she wanted to do with her life.

I’d always known what I was going to be. Always known what my life would become. But she had the promise of a happy future where she could make her own way, build her own life. And it was snatched away from her in the blink of an eye.

If I wasn’t already obsessed with her, I’d be falling hard now. The sheer grit and determination she must have to turn to the world that had fucked her over and not let it ruin her kind and happy nature, baffled me. I can’t say this to her. So Isay something weak instead.

“Danny’s a good kid. You did a good job, Olivia.”

It’s midnight, and Olivia has talked my ear off for hours now. I am starting to think she’s much better at this kidnapping business than I originally thought. If she isn’t going to torture me into compliance, she might very well charm me. If I weren’t so concerned that Luca would be imminently tapping on the window, I would be having the time of my life.

She is snuggled into her wicker chair, feet tucked under her legs, sipping on cold water that matches my own. Wearing a pair of black, silky sleep shorts and a t-shirt that has a goose with a knife in its mouth with the words “Peace Was Never An Option” on the front.

She is funny, beautiful, and relaxing more and more around me. Just her sharing the story of her family dying feels monumental. Is this what Dr. Alfie talks about? Feeling responsible for others when you care about them? I have a warm feeling in my chest that makes me want to do better. Be better. To deserve the time she’s giving me when she could be treating me like a piece of shit. Hell, I’ve done worse when I’ve chained people up. I’ve tortured them, I’ve hurt them, their families. The feeling that I don’t deserve this kind of trust sits uncomfortably on my chest. And despite that, I want more. I want all her secrets. I want her to feel comfortable to share anything with me. Watching her from afar was sustaining me, but now that she’s given me real attention, it’s like I’m starving for it. I’ll do anything for another five minutes. I’m almost praying that Luca doesn’t come with the phone. I don’t want it if it means she leaves me here alone.

I’ve used the blanket to cover up the chains. The more she forgets about me being tied up, the more she can see this as something more than this particular situation. I’m beginning to accept that my attraction for her is more than skin-deep. More than just an infatuation with a fantasy girl. She is my fantasy girl, but amplified. Before, everything was black andwhite, but with every conversation, more and more color is seeping in, bringing life to everything. Even in this half-renovated basement.

When I really think about going to that juice bar for two years just to watch her read three times a week, her kidnapping and putting me in her basement really isn’t that crazy.

And despite her adorable anecdotes and the difficulties she faced building her business whilst looking after her brother, she’s bright and caring and genuinely believes it will all work out. I’ve never met someone so refreshingly positive. I’m sure she believes that I will just hand her brother over. And given that I so willingly put a chloroformed cloth to my mouth, it’s no wonder she would feel that way.