Page 73 of Chained

I huff out a laugh before I can stop it, real, and short, and unfamiliar in my own chest. "You took the dog? You stole it?"

"I prefer borrowed. It was for a few hours…but yeah. We stole his prized Frenchie, and when we saw him a few hours later, he was sat sobbing in the park." She's smiling now, actually smiling. Small and tired, but real. And for a second, the whole weight of the night lifts off her shoulders enough that I can see what she might look like somewhere else. Somewhere with windows that open onto something other than rose gardens built over bodies.

"You were devious." I lean back in the chair, the cold metal biting against my bare back, and for once, it doesn't feel like something I need to escape. "I'm impressed."

"Is that a compliment, I hear?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

She looks at me for a long moment, the smile fading into something quieter, more careful.

"Thank you. For staying. I know you shouldn't have."

"No," I admit. "I shouldn't."

She shifts in her seat and, for a second, I find it hard to drag my eyes away from her face. Then she looks up, catches my gaze, and forces my attention back out into the distance.

‘’So, what do you do here?’’ she murmurs.

I frown, ‘’What do I do?’’

‘’Yeah, you know…when you’re not…’’

Slaughtering people? Delivering kidnapped women to the devil? I smirk at the fact she can’t find the words to finish the sentence. She chews her bottom lip, brows furrowed.

‘’I train.’’ I eventually put her out of her misery and answer the question.

‘’Like, fighting?’’

‘’Yeah, I guess we could call it that.’’

‘’Is that it?’’ she tilts her head, catching my eyes again. What does she expect?

‘’I spend time with my brother and Adrian. There isn’t exactly much to do around here.’’

‘’You don’t go out?’’ she drags the chair in closer, leaning her elbow on the table to support her chin.

‘’Go out?’’ I scoff ‘’No. I don’t go out. Only when I’m told to.’’

‘’That sounds awful.’’

I swirl the ring on my finger, letting her words settle ‘’What did you do, before I mean?’’

‘’I’d paint. Read, nothing too crazy.’’ She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I wonder if it’s the memory of what life was like before that stung, or the fact she’d probably never do those things again. Maybe she’s just trying to keep a piece of herself hidden away.

‘’Nothing too crazy, huh.’’ I say, rubbing my jawline ‘’That’s a bold statement from a dog kidnapper.’’

She rolls her eyes and lets out a laugh that hits my heart like a fucking truck ‘’Borrowed.’’

The silence settles, but it isn’t uncomfortable. It’s the kind that feels almost like home. We both stare out into the distance, watching the city lights twinkle far away and for a second, it feels easier to breathe. Like the metal links that had been wrapped around my lungs had finally loosened.

‘’Do you think there will ever be more than this?’’ she whispers, her voice so quiet I almost miss it.

I almost answer but I bite it back, my eyes shifting to my own balcony. The thought of Melina waiting inside my room sends waves of nerves through my body. She catches me looking.

‘’You should go, I’ve already kept you far too long.’’ She pushes her chair out to stand ‘’and thanks again, for…well you know.’’

‘’Yeah, you’re right.’’ I stand too, towering over her as she wraps her arms around her chest ‘’You don’t need to thank me either.’’ I say, as the space between us suddenly feels a lot smaller than it did a second ago.