Chapter 9
A few minutes later
Alexander finally sits across from me, though there’s still a good distance between us.
His tan skin looks pale now-he’s feeling the cold.
I’m going to freeze to death if they don’t get us out soon. I can’t feel my fingers, or my toes, or the rest of my body.
I can’t die like this.
I’ve survived fires, fights, and gunshots from every direction! I can’t die locked in a cold room like a rookie. It’s not fair!
I know my father will keep living his life without a second thought.
I’ve always wanted to put a bullet between his eyes to avenge what he did to me-but I never had the guts.
“I can’t believe my last sight might be a chick like you,” Alexander says.
I’d almost forgotten he was there! Even now, he finds a way to get under my skin.
I can’t lose hope. Someone will come. This is not the time to give up, Inara, even if your eyes are begging to close.
I need to keep talking and stay awake, or I’ll pass out.
“If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want your face to be the last thing I see either.”
“I knew prison wasn’t a place for women.”
“I don’t even have the strength to shove your words back down your throat.”
“I also knew I shouldn’t have come with you. Why didn’t you ask one of your little fanboys?”
“They’re not my fanboys. I asked you because I knew you wouldn’t try anything-since you and I can’t stand each other.”
Obviously, that’s only part of the truth-but still the truth.
“And now I’m stuck here with you, just because I’m not drooling over you.”
“You really hate me.”
“I hate guards-and fake ones even more. When we get out of here, you better tell me why you’re really in this prison and what you want from me. Otherwise, I swear I’ll break you in half.”
I don’t have the strength to continue this conversation.
I know I should get closer to him for warmth. Physical contact would be the only way to keep hypothermia at bay.
But I’d rather die than ask that man for help.
Ten minutes later
I’m on the verge of losing consciousness-and not far from losing the last sliver of hope I had left of being saved.
I’m starting to give up, and soon, I’ll lose the last bit of pride I have.
I’m just about to ask Alexander to come closer so we can warm each other up when the cold room door suddenly swings
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open.
I think I’m dreaming when I see Mathieu standing there. He looks at us with wide eyes, then runs over to me and lifts me to help me out.
He props me against the first wall outside the cold room and rushes back inside to help Alexander.
Alexander leans on his shoulder as he comes out and sits down next to me.
Mathieu runs off and comes back, out of breath, with several blankets and two cups of hot tea that he hands to us. I let out a sigh of relief as I wrapped myself in the blanket and sipped the warm liquid he brought us.
“I can’t believe you were accidentally locked inside the cold room.”
“It wasn’t an accident, Mathieu,” I reply with the last bit of strength I have.
“When I find out who pulled this fucked-up stunt, I’m gonna make them pay!” adds Alexander, visibly in better shape than
“You’re sure it wasn’t an accident?”
I explain the story about the bullet and the lock while Alexander listens silently, not even touching his tea as if he didn’t need it.
“You should tell the director if it was one of the inmates.”
“Mathieu, don’t tell anyone. We have to act like nothing happened.”
“It’s bound to come out eventually.”
“I’m sure it was Franck or Anis. Ever since I arrived, they’ve been trying to intimidate me.”
“There’s a difference between petty threats and an actual murder attempt.”
I know men like Anis and Franck. They have no limits when it comes to getting what they want. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were behind this.
If it was them and Mathieu told the director what happened, he might just cover for them. That director doesn’t inspire any
trust either.
“Trust me, Mathieu. I’m just asking you to keep quiet and act like nothing happened.”
He sighs, then nods.
“You’re already thinking about revenge after what just happened.”
“Give me a few minutes alone with Alexander, please.”
“Are you serious? You almost died-did you forget that?”
I give him a reassuring smile. He finally sighs again and walks away.
APARTMENT
7:09 p.m.
The moment I step through the door, I toss my bag to the floor and quickly undress to head to the bathroom for a nice hot
shower.
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When the water touches my skin, it’s pure relief.
I didn’t think it would be so hard to hide what happened this afternoon-I was frozen stiff. But tonight, I have access to hot water and a comfortable bed. Alexander, on the other hand, will have to wait until tomorrow for a cold shower, and he sleeps
on a hard mattress.
I almost feel sorry for him. He chose to be locked up; now he has to deal with it.
I’m eager to figure out what he’s up to, even if we hate each other.
I get out of the shower and slip into gray sweatpants, a pair of slippers, and a black tank top. Then I grab a towel to dry my
wet hair.
Still drying my hair as I walk into the living room, my eyes land on a man sitting on the main couch:
Hakim.
A twenty-three-year-old man, known for being my father’s right-hand man and a hardened criminal with a reputation that precedes him.
Since we met, he’s been trying to seduce me into becoming his “unbeatable team.”
I made it very clear he could go fuck himself, but he still thinks I’m just pushing him away out of respect for my father- which isn’t the case.
I look him up and down while continuing to dry my hair under his pervy gaze lingering on my tank top, but I remain indifferent.
“What the hell are you doing in my apartment?”
“You’ve been on a mission for days without giving me any updates. So, I came to get them myself.”
“I’m a lone wolf.”
He gets up and stands in front of me. I tilt my head up to look at him.
Hakim is a very handsome man. He has dark brown eyes, a fair complexion, short chestnut hair, and a tall, muscular frame. His few days’ beard gives him a slightly older look, but it suits him.
If I’m being honest, I find him very attractive.
But despite his physical qualities, he disgusts me to the point of nausea.
To me, he’ll always be my father’s lapdog-obedient and spineless.
“I know, but I missed you,” he continues.
I toss the towel on the couch, grab a hair tie, and tie my hair up into a messy bun right in front of him, just to show how little I care about what he’s saying. I try to provoke him.
“Does Khalid know you’re here?”
“Of course. He’s the one who sent me to pay you a little courtesy visit.”
“I see. So, you’ve got a message for me?”
“He wants you to speed things up. This mission is of the utmost importance. If you fail, you could destroy everything he’s
built.”
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That serious? I really need to find a way to uncover what Alexander’s hiding. Otherwise, my father won’t forgive me.
It’s not just my reputation on the line. My life is too.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“He thinks you’re not keeping him informed enough about your progress.”
“Since when does that bother him? I’ve just arrived. I need time to get answers. What matters is that the job gets done, everything else is irrelevant.”
“Not for this mission. This one’s different from the others.”
I sigh in frustration.
“What do you think of Alexander Graves so far?”
I look at him strangely.
“What do you want me to think? I care about completing the mission, not about that guy!”
“I hope so.”
“Even if I did like him-which I don’t-you’d have no say in it, so save your generic comments.”
“If
If your father finds out you’re interested in that guy, you’re a dead woman. I hope you understand that. We both know you’ve got a weakness for powerful, dangerous men.”
I raise my eyebrows and shoot him a death glare.
“You don’t know shit about my tastes. Don’t even think about stirring up trouble unless you want to see me pointing my gun at your face again.”
His frown deepens immediately. He must be remembering our little “incident” from a few weeks ago.
Hakim and I had just done a weapons delivery that ended in a bloody shootout with the police, and we went on the run.
After we lost the cops chasing us, we ended up in some remote spot near a forest. He tried to touch me inappropriately.
At first, I stayed calm and patient, but the second he tried to take off my top, I snapped.
I pulled out my gun, aimed it at his balls, and ordered him to get on his knees and apologize. He wasn’t too fond of that.
I let out a small laugh as I recall that glorious moment when that idiot begged me for forgiveness.
“You’re such a fucking bitch.”
“Thanks, Hakim. Your compliments always mean the world to me. But stop, or I might get a big head.”
I flash him a smug smile, and he mutters curses under his breath as he heads for the door.
“Keep acting like that and you’ll end up all alone!”
“It was very unpleasant seeing you-as usual. Next time you show up, I’ll be waiting with my favorite gun.”
“Be ready for tonight. Don’t mess up like you’ve been doing these last few days, or you know what’s coming.”
I give him a big smile, and he slams the door on his way out.
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I really need to step up tonight. I don’t know if I have the energy to pull it off-1 seriously need some rest.
If my father sent his guard dog, that’s a bad sign. He must think something’s off.
I need to be careful.
I can only rely on myself.
I’ve always looked out for myself, and that’s not about to change now.
