At my admission, Valentina gasps and steps backward into Adrian’s chest. He immediately folds her into his arms, the light spinning to illuminate the floor. There’s only so much he can protect her from, and the truth isn’t one of those things.
I wait for her to get a hold of herself, praying it’s sooner rather than later as I do want out of this shit box before Henrietta returns and they find out what she’s been doing to me.
“Is that it?” she whispers. “Are there any other secrets I should know about? Any other lies you’ve gotten hidden up your sleeve waiting to ambush me?”
I shake my head. “No. I was tasked to take her to safety and keep her safe, and that’s what I’ve done.”
She freezes, her body going rigid. “Oh my God, she’s been there all this time alone, and you haven’t been able to check on her. What if she’s hurt or ran out of food—”
“I put a system in place. She has a cleaning lady, Parker, who comes every week and delivers anything she might need in case I can’t make it back to the apartment to check on her. Don’t worry. I know how to keep a person hidden and cared for.”
Something in her face says that is not reassuring in the least.
“I want to see her. I want to go get her and bring her home.”
I meet Adrian’s eyes over her shoulder. “Is that wise? She isn’t wrapped up in this whole council business. As far as I can tell, the world has forgotten she even exists. Wouldn’t it be better if we kept it that way rather than put her in the council’s crosshairs too?”
Valentina looks as if she wants to argue, but after a moment, she drops her chin and shakes her head. “Maybe you’re right. We should keep her safe, protected, until all of this blows over, and then we can bring her home like she deserves.”
Adrian rubs her arms to comfort her.
A tiny part of me envies that comfort, the soft touch of human connection meant to heal, not harm. I seem to only ever get hurt.
She spins in his embrace and wraps her arms around his neck. I give them this moment even as I’m mentally rushing them to get me the hell out of here.
When Adrian releases her, she faces me again. “The live stream you did set some of our more avid supporters on edge. They are demanding a recall of the council, and you be put on a sort of bail until you can be retried for your—the crimes. We are taking you home with us.”
I surge to my feet and keep my hands low so she doesn’t see anything Adrian might kill me for later. Her eyes rove up to the ceiling once she realizes I’m only in my underwear. “They kept you like this?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I rush toward the door. “Let’s go before they change their mind and lock us all in.”
Adrian pounds on the cell door, and it swings open to reveal a guard. Fatty, I’d say, by the looks of him.
The guard steps out of the way, and Adrian invades his space. “Clothes. Now. I’m not taking him outside like this.”
A voice cuts in from the end of the hall. “Oh, but he looks so nice this way. I decided to make it his uniform.”
A cold chill cascades down my spine, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I’d hoped she wouldn’t come, but why wouldn’t she when she can rub her deeds in my face.
She steps closer and rubs her hand down my arm. “We had so much fun together, but it looks like you get to leave for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll see you again soon.”
I’m about one second from grabbing her and slamming her face into the wall when Valentina slaps her hand off me with a sneer. “Don’t worry, I’ll be seeing you again soon too.”