Page 115 of Stand: Part One

I slowly shook my head, refusing to make assumptions when it came to the man who ruled every second of my life. I was too exhausted for the mental gymnastics. “Why don’t you spell it out for me.”

“Desperation,” Sid answered, the single word puncturing through my brain fog.

I stared at him for a moment, slightly surprised at his volition. Openly calling Darren desperate? In a place where he was most likely being recorded?

When did Sid become so brazen?

“That’s a bold assessment, Sid,” I replied, my voice tight with caution.

“But not wrong,” he countered. “And it puts you at an advantage.”

“How so?”

“What do we know about desperate men?” he asked.

My gaze sharpened, wary of where this was headed, but too curious to back out.

“They’re vulnerable,” I deadpanned.

He nodded. “Exactly. Darren may feel nothing when it comes to other scenarios or people, but when it comes to you, you make him feel things he has no control over. And it pisses him off.

But based on this, it seems to me that he’s given up trying to control them. Which means the driver’s seat is officially empty, Jaden.”

I could feel my jaw clenching in anticipation.

“Do you even understand what it means to be desired by a man as powerful and dangerous as Darren? To have him so deeply enthralled by you?”

I shook my head, waiting for him to get to the goddamn point.

“It makes you just as powerful,” he emphasized. “And it makes you a very dangerous woman having a man like that in your corner…if you know how to control it.”

I almost rolled my eyes. Like Darren would ever allow me an ounce of that power.

“What exactly is it you want me to do, Sid?”

He frowned in irritation. “Take the key he’s given you, start the ignition, and drive the fucking car, Jaden. It’s not a difficult concept. Embrace the power he’s given you. Don’t squander it because you’re scared it might hurt you too. It won’t if you learn how to properly control it.”

My eyes drifted off at the memory of me actually driving Darren’s car, the ghost of a smirk forming on my lips.

“He let me drive once already. Though I doubt I’ll ever get the chance again after what happened to his Ferrari.”

Sid stopped for a moment, tilting his head as his brows knitted together. “Wait, he let you drive his Ferrari?”

I nodded in confirmation.

Sid cocked a brow as he stared back at me. “How the hell did you manage that?”

This time the smirk was real. “He lost a bet,” I answered bluntly. “To me.”

His face softened for a moment before he actually started to laugh. “Okay, sure he did, Jaden.”

I rolled my eyes. “He knew what the stakes were, and he chose to underestimate me. Either way, he did eventually follow through on the bet and let me drive for nearly an hour.”

Sid grinned as he stared at me, slightly shaking his head. “Well, damn, Jaden. The fact that you were actually able to get him to willfully hand over the driver’s seat is all the proof I need. That kind of progress gives me hope for you.”

I was silent for another moment before I huffed a laugh, shaking my head with absolute bewilderment. Was Sid actually encouraging me to manipulate Darren? To use him? Had he actually just said that out loud?

“Hope for what? After what he just put me through, how do you expect me to take advantage of that…progress?” I asked, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes. “He can’t trust me.”