“ W hat the fuck are you talking about?” Kieran sneers in confusion before he looks at Fintan with his brows drawn and turns back to me.

“I must give you boys credit. You are stronger than I thought. Resilient and clever,” I say, quickly lifting my knee, careful not to touch Kieran, and reaching into my boot when they glance at each other again.

Holding the syringe in my fist, I continue, “Sweet pets. No one is missing you, I made sure of that, and it was easy considering the limited records I managed to dig up, show that you didn’t exist a few years ago. Fintan and Kieran Wilde. It has a nice ring to it.”

“You don’t fucking know anything about us,” Fintan yells, and clearly, I struck a nerve.

“Hmm, let’s play another game then, shall we? If you know more about me than I know about you, I’ll consider letting you walk free.”

They look at me, their eyes almost twinkling with hope and anticipation for a brief moment. “Fine. Give it your best fucking shot!” Kieran concedes.

Giggling at how cocky they seem. “Go ahead, pet. You start,” I say, shoving Kieran away from me and heading over to take a seat on one of the chairs.

Each of them grabs a chair and drags it on the ground until they take their seats facing me. The sound of the metal legs scraping against the concrete floor still echoes off the walls when the three of us sit facing each other.

I lean over with my hands on my knees as I wait with a bright smile for Kieran to tell me exactly how much he thinks he knows.

“Your full legal name is Alexandra Peterson, but you go by Alex. You are twenty-eight years old. You work in I.T. and you live at 57 Westwood Road in Lakeview. Your family is out of the picture except for your cousin Joel Hanley. Your best friend is Molly Bensen.”

I clear my throat. “Hmm, anything else, or should I go next? Fintan, do you have anything to add?” I ask, playing with the syringe in my hand.

“What are you doing? What’s that?” Fintan asks, staring at my hands.

“I believe I asked if you had anything to add to Kieran’s statement, not make an observation.”

He huffs out an annoyed breath. “No, I don’t.”

“Well then,” I say, leaning back in the chair. “You boys have quite the interesting background. God, I don’t even know where to start.”

Clearing my throat as I look at them, they grow more impatient and annoyed every second I let them hang in suspense. Fintan hasn’t taken his eyes off the syringe and Kieran is staring daggers at me.

“You have the same last name, but you are not related. Your identities go back twelve years and before that it seems you didn’t exist—on paper that is.

Kieran, you are twenty-nine years old, and your birthday is on the eighteenth of August. Fintan, you are a year older, and your birthday is on the third of June. ”

They remain silent while I speak, which I find surprising, but I continue as I play with the syringe again.

“You grew up in a catholic orphanage in Ireland. Raised by nuns until Fintan turned eighteen and you both disappeared. Until you resurfaced here a few years later, two days after Kieran’s twenty first birthday when you two got arrested for drug possession and theft.”

I breathe out a whispered laugh. “I admit, that’s all I know about your childhood but let’s fast-forward a few years.”

They cross their arms, looking angered by the knowledge I have been able to dig up.

“Neither of you owned a car until last year. Fintan bought the black SUV in cash on April third and soon after, you both signed a lease for two buildings. I assume that by this time, you have already started posting your disgusting videos,” I say, my voice laced with judgement and disapproval.

“The first building you live in, and you opened Clover Ink on the ground floor, but the second location you left nearly abandoned. Well, that’s what you wanted it to look like from the outside.

I assume you use that dump to film all your content.

I also know you used some of the money from Hush—the money you made by humiliating me—to pay your ridiculous rent upfront for a year a few weeks ago. ”

They seem stunned as I fiddle with the tranquilizer in my lap.

I am nearly vibrating with anger at the mention of the orphanage.

How the fuck did she find those records?

Those people are the reason I am the way I am.

One of the nuns noticed that Fintan and I developed a fondness for another boy in the orphanage when I was fifteen and reported it to the rest of the staff.

We were fucking tortured. They kept me bound, lashing me until I was too afraid to have those feelings.

Fintan on the other hand, endured the beatings as best he could.

Never allowing them to see his pain. I have admired that about him since the day he got caught kissing a different boy about a year later near the garden they were tending to.

The priest whipped him so badly that day, he needed stitches.

Of course, that didn’t make him less reckless and only added to his blatant refusal to roll over and obey their rules. He knew who he was from an early age whereas I was beaten into believing it was wrong to have feelings for boys.

Fintan and I shared a room, and they would tie us to our beds at night in fear of us doing something “unholy” as they put it.

I fucking hate restraints. They started doing daily aversion therapy with all the kids in the house to make sure we didn’t stray from their teachings of how men should only be with women.

“Are you done?” I sneer, unable to keep the trauma-fueled anger at bay.

Alex looks at me and for a brief moment, her gaze softens but she continues while Fintan still seems fixated on her hands.

“I know that you have scars from your past. The orphanage—I assume. You covered them in scars and art of your own. Kieran, you prefer detailed, dark tattoos while your brother loves scarification.”

Fuck this! I’ve heard enough. I need her to shut her fucking mouth before I wrap my hands around her throat and never let go.

She jolts in her seat as I stand, clenching my fists at my sides so hard, my knuckles turn white. “Enough!” I growl, my voice deep and full of warning.

She looks up at me with those beautiful wide eyes and I nearly lose it. “Kieran…” she mumbles in a soft voice. Her chest rising and falling as she takes heavy breaths. She lifts off the metal chair and takes a careful step toward me, not daring to break eye contact.

The closer she gets, the angrier it makes me.

Does she have a fucking death wish?

She shocks us both as she does the one thing we could have never anticipated. She hugs me.

Her breaths are hot against my chest as her arms squeeze my waist tightly. I am dumbfounded.

How the fuck am I supposed to react? What game is she playing?

I look over at Fintan who still sits in his chair, he looks as confused as I am.

I stand frozen, unsure of what to do with this unexpected display from Alex. Her warmth against me feels foreign yet strangely comforting. I can feel her rapid heartbeat through the thin layers of fabric between us, matching the frantic rhythm of my own pulse.

As she continues to hold onto me, I slowly raise a hand, hovering indecisively over her back. The urge to push her away conflicts with a strange desire to pull her closer.

Fintan’s gaze meets mine, his eyes silently questioning the unfamiliar emotions swirling within me. I can see the concern etched in his features, mirroring my internal turmoil.

I watch from my seat with a confused anger simmering deep within me. The mention of the orphanage earlier cut through me like a knife, reopening wounds I’ve spent years trying to heal.

Memories of the past flood my mind, each one more painful than the last. The harsh words, the cruel punishments, the constant feeling of loneliness and abandonment. They’re all etched into my soul like scars that will never fade.

And now, here we are, forced to confront those demons once again thanks to Alex’s reckless words. I feel the anger boiling up inside me, threatening to consume me whole as I struggle to contain the torrent of emotions raging within.

Part of me wants to lash out, to scream and make her pay for dredging up those painful memories. But another part of me knows that it won’t change anything, that it won’t undo the damage that’s already been done.

Instead, I remain seated, my fists clenched tightly as I fold my arms over my chest again. I try to rein in the fury threatening to overwhelm me.

Kieran’s body is tense against Alex’s, his jaw clenched tight. I can see the pain etched in his features, mirrored in my own.

We may have our differences, but we share a bond forged in our shared suffering, and no amount of manipulation from Alex can change that.

As Alex releases him from her embrace, stepping back with a small, sad smile on her lips, I can’t help but wonder if this is all just another manipulation tactic. Another game to keep us under her control.

“What are you doing?” I ask, skepticism dripping from my tone. “Kai, don’t trust her. I’m sure this is another fucking game.”

He looks at me with his brows drawn under his dark hair before those green eyes flick back to Alex warily as he moves backward.

I straighten off the uncomfortable chair and eat up the distance between us. She meets my gaze, her chin tilted upward slightly as she stands her ground.

“I…I just wanted to give him some comfort,” she states. Truth echoes in her words but I don’t fucking buy it.

Why now? After everything? What are you up to? And for the love of fuck, what’s in that syringe?!

“Let me get this straight; You think that you can give us a meaningless display of empathy when you sit here, reopening old wounds we’ve spent years trying to heal?

Baby, I don’t fucking think so,” I growl against her soft cheek before locking my eyes on hers again.

“You have been torturing us just like they did!”

I am shocked by my words as they slip out. An admission of what they did. She finally got her all her fucking questions answered.

She lifts her hand to touch my arm, and I swat it away. “Don’t!”

Her eyes sparkle and I don’t miss the sudden sadness dancing in the hazel storm. I refuse to fall for her fucking tricks.

“You know…” I start as I grip my hand around her throat and squeeze. Hard.

“If I kill you, we are free to go. You made a grave mistake by removing the chains, Dove.”

Her eyes are wide as she struggles in my hold. “If you kill me, you’ll never get out,” she says breathlessly. “Why is that?” I ask. She gives me a weak, sad smile and plunges the needle into her thigh, emptying the contents of the syringe.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yell, panic seeping into my veins. “I installed a new lock while you were sleeping off the gas. The doors are locked with a code that only I know.”

“What the fuck did you inject yourself with?” I ask, shaking her by her shoulders to keep her awake. “The antidote is in this room. Find it, and I’ll let you leave.”

“Fuck, Alex! What happens when we can’t find it?” Kieran bellows beside me. She remains silent and fear coils through me.

Kieran starts frantically looking around for the antidote while I stand frozen in shock before releasing her from my grip. “Where is it? What does it look like?” I scream at her as she slumps against the wall and looks at me with tears in her eyes.