The thought of Zade cheating is laughable, though. That will always be one thing I’d never have to concern myself with.
He pauses, tipping his chin over his shoulder at me.
“Is this where we act like a married couple, and I ask where you’ve been and why you’re home so late?” I tease lightly.
The lights radiate a soft yellow glow, creating a moody effect as he reaches his hand over his shoulder and tugs his hoodie over his head by the neck, pulling his white t-shirt with it.
I bite my lip, my eyes eating up his muscled, tattooed back and massive arms.
“Sure, baby,” he says quietly. “But we both know my cock belongs only to you.”
“Good, then you know I can remove it from your body if I want. Since it’s mine and all that.”
He turns with a grin, not the least bit concerned.
I cross my arms. That’s just insulting. I’m pretty much a badass now.
“I got held up because the guy I was after was in the middle of an airport attempting to get on a flight.”
“How’d you get him out without anyone noticing?”
“Ambushed him while he was taking a piss. Then had to empty out a suitcase to stuff his body into.”
I blink. That sounds… interesting.
Before, I’d call him disturbed. Sick. Psychotic. I mean, he is still all of those things. But it no longer repulses me like it used to. Or maybe it never did, and I was lying to myself.
I do that a lot.
“Who was it?” I ask.
“Some man that Jillian asked me to kill. Used to be her step-dad and abused her as a child,” he explains, toeing off his boots and setting them neatly in the corner of the room.
I wasn’t surprised to find that Zade lives meticulously. He doesn’t seem like the type to leave his dirty underwear lying in the middle of the room for a week, or crusty dishes in the sink.
“Good,” I murmur, happy that he could do that for her. “Is he the only one you killed tonight?”
“Yes,” he responds simply, arching a brow.
I nod and lick my dry lips, nervous about broaching this subject. “So, Rio is still evading you?”
Zade glances at me. “I know where he is, Addie,” he answers, approaching me, wearing nothing but his black jeans and belt.
My heart drops, but I work to keep my face blank.
“You don’t want him dead,” he states plainly, sitting on the edge of the chair beside the bed. I’m pretty sure we’ll have to clean that—he’s absolutely covered in blood.
“Why would you thi—”
“Don’t lie to me,” he cuts in sternly, facing straight ahead. His white eye flits towards me before returning to the black wall.
“I see your face anytime his impending death is brought up, yet you always keep your pretty mouth shut. I’ve known his location for a while, but I’ve decided that I’ll wait to kill him until you open your mouth and tell me what you really want.”
I’m nervous. Almost like he’s caught me cheating, and I have to confess. It’s nothing like that, yet I feel like I’ve been bad anyway.
“I don’t know what I feel,” I admit, pressing my back into the cool stone. “He hurt me. Often. But not in the ways you think.”
“He didn’t rape you,” Zade supplies.
“No… he didn’t. But he witnessed it happen from the other men and didn’t stop it. But then… he couldn’t have.”
“Sure he could,” Zade argues. “You think I’d stand by and watch?”
“Even if—”
“No. The answer is no, regardless of the scenario. If I were weaponless and had five guns trained on me, I still wouldn’t stand by and watch you—or any of those other girls—go through what you did. And I get that his sister was used as collateral, but he could’ve asked for my help.”
I frown. I hadn’t really thought of that. Rio was very aware of who he was going up against from the beginning. So why didn’t he betray those who were holding his sister hostage, and get Z to help him instead?
“You’re right,” I acquiesce softly. “Regardless of his choices, it’s still hard to forget how much he helped me. When Sydney was trying to frame me, there were times he took the blame instead, and Rocco would beat the shit out of him for it. He may not have been able to step in every time, but he did what he could in a situation he felt trapped in.”
Zade stays quiet, so I continue. “Francesca made him take care of my injuries from the car accident since they were his fault. But then I started getting injuries from the men, and then eventually Xavier, and he took care of those, too. I… don’t know how to explain it. But he kind of became my friend. He was a little cruel in the beginning with Dr. Garrison, but he never looked at me like… He was the only man in that house that didn’t sexualize me, and I guess in the end, he was my safe place. He did hurt me, Zade, but he protected me, too.”