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Takeshi sat with his back against the wall, his left knee propped up and the other leg stretched out. The cell was so small that his boot nearly touched the wall.

“What’s the matter, Kanes? We’re in the camp we’re supposed to be in, and we’ve already located Jack. I say we’re making good progress.”

“I’m not talking about that.” She whirled, letting the full force of her fury hit him for the first time. “When I agreed to this mission, I didn’t know that I would have to share a tiny cell withyoufor a whole week.”

Takeshi studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Are you angry, Kanes?”

She scoffed. “Gee, I don’t know. Whatever gave you that impression, Takeshi?”

“This is about the club, isn’t it?”

The pressure in her heart built like a cave-in, painfully replaying the harsh truths she never wanted to face.

Takeshi said it himself.

She liked people that hurt her.

That dark, twisted side of her still existed. The part that attracted what you believed you deserved and brought you closer to destruction.

Back in the underground, she re-learned the hardest truth. No matter how hard you try, you can’t change anyone but yourself.

“You played me,” she stated.

Takeshi shook his head adamantly. “That’s not what happened.”

“Did Raziel not instruct you to go out on the dance floor and feel me up? To make it seem like we were in love?”

“He did, but—”

“There is no but!” she yelled. “You took advantage of my feelings and made me look like a fool.”

Takeshi’s charcoal eyes simmered, his expression contorting with darker emotions as he moved closer, taking up the remaining space.

“Do you seriously believe you’re the only one with feelings?”

Khalani froze. She held up a hand, making sure he didn’t take another step closer. “Don’t. Don’t you fucking dare. You don’t get to say that.”

“Why not?” he seethed. “Because you don’t want to hear the truth? You want to believe you’re the only one who cares? That you’re the only one whose heart is ruined?”

“You don’t have a heart, Takeshi!”

Takeshi went utterly still.

Raw hurt flashed across his face. Like the cuffs around his wrists activated and pierced him with a thousand lightning bolts.

Her own chest tightened, nausea building up in her throat.

She’d never seen his expression hold so much pain. Not even in their worst moments.

“Takeshi…I don’t…I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay, Kanes.” Takeshi quickly composed himself, but the deep wells of misery lingered in the hollow lines beneath his eyes, the tension in his jaw, and the stiffness of his muscles.

It was as if every part of him fought to keep from spiraling out of control.

“You have every right to feel that way. And you’re probably right.” His voice lowered. “My actions hurt you. And you’re thelast person I want to hurt. You deserve so much better than this.” He gestured to the cell around them.

But she believed the thing he was really pointing at was himself.