Page 87 of Where Angels Fall

His voice is raspy when he finally speaks. “I’m…I’m sorry, Maddison.”

My head shakes, at a loss for words. “Kai, what’s going on?” Tears pour down my face as I drop my head in despair.

My mind is spinning, a mix of defeated thoughts and drugs swirling around. The sedative is making it nearly impossible to zero in on any thoughts, although I know it’s bad.

“Ash... Where’s Ash?” I ask into the darkness, not expecting an answer. “I need Ash.” My voice cracks into a heaving sob, my heart cracking right down the middle.

Drops of water hitting the concrete floor echo in my mind as I fall apart, my mind still playing Ash’s hurt face on a loop.

“Kai...” I murmur, refusing to look at him while I ask this question. “Why was Zeke working with my father?”

I hear a pained, shallow breath, but as usual, he doesn’t speak. The worst thoughts spiral on repeat. My body trembles as I replay the moment I ran into Zeke at my childhood home, coming out of my father’s office.

“Kai!” I grit my teeth, finally turning to look at him over my shoulder, pain erupting in my skull. “Is Zeke a Wraith?”

He doesn’t need to answer though. His usually emotionless face looks back at me; pity etched into his catlike features. My head shakes slowly.

“No,” I sigh on a broken breath. “No, no, no...”

The thought settles on my shoulders like a ton of bricks. I turned away Ash for a man who works for the Wraiths. The gang that works in the flesh trade. I don’t need to know any more details to know that I royally screwed everything up.

If I could sell everything I own, give every cent in my bank, to replay that moment, I would.

But as it turns out, I can have all the money in the world, and it still means absolutely nothing if I don’t have Ash. He’s... everything to me. Everything I want. Everything I need...

A ragged scream tears from my throat as I try again to free myself from my bonds, but they don’t budge. Cold seeps into my skin, like dread seeps into my mind.

My body flinches when I hear the metal scrape of a door opening behind me, but I can’t see no matter how far I twist my head. All I can see is the way Kai’s eyes burn dark with a death promise. He looks outright terrifying as he glares at whoever has entered the room. If you could even call this a room. It’s more like a rotten concrete cell, with a rusty chair as the only decoration. Not even a single window. Dim light from the hallway casts an eerie shadow over the dirty ground, as steady footsteps echo in the small cell.

I lift my chin, mustering all the confidence that I don’t have, ready to meet whoever it is head-on.

His dark eyes find me first, an amused smile on his face. He’s dressed in a suit again, dark and completely out of place in this vile place.

“You,” I grit out, fury zipping through my system at his smug face.

Zeke slides his hands casually into his pockets, tilting his head as he looks down on me.

“Yes, me,” he taunts, clicking his tongue.

I begin the futile battle of trying to free my arms from the ropes, instinct begging me to get free, and he just continues smiling down at me until I give up with a frustrated cry.

The ropes burn against my skin as I thrash uselessly, the metal chair scraping across the concrete floor with a shriek that echoes off the walls. My breath tears in and out of me, but his smile doesn’t falter. If anything, it widens...like he’s savouring my panic, feeding off it.

Zeke crouches in front of me, tilting his head, his polished shoes squeaking faintly against the damp floor. The suit is immaculate, his tie knotted to perfection, as though he dressed for dinner and not for whatever nightmare this is. His cologne cuts through the mould and rust, making bile sting the back of my throat.

“You’ve been an interesting little addition to this war, I must say,” he murmurs, reaching a long finger to brush a loose hair out of my face. I jerk away from his touch, but I can’t move far. He just chuckles, wholly amused by the situation I am in, before his face drops, a sheet of rage covering him. “But I will confess, seeing my casino go up in flames put me in a very, very bad mood.”

His Casino? My mind spins, the room going with it.

Long legs stretch out as he stands, towering over me as I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. His eyes are intense, but nowhere near as wild and unhinged as my Devil. The comparison shoots a pain through my chest.

The fact that I am undoubtedly going to die down here and not be able to apologise and make up for today… if it even is the same day…fills me with hopelessness like I’ve never felt before.

“It’s such a pity, Maddison Dally. Such a pity that a face so pretty will rot down here,” he sighs, pacing in front of me. “And even more surprising that a girl like you has fallen for Ash.”

The way he says his name with such disgust makes my muscles tense.

“What do you want?” The words push through clenched teeth; my entire body coiled with anger and sadness and fear.