Forever Hers | 18+

C h a p t e r 2

Daniel's finger twitched once against the steel of the chair he was bound to, but it was enough to tell me he didn't like me knowing so much.

This was the kind of information I could use to threaten him with his loved ones as his motivator to comply, but I've learned that words are far more powerful than physical promises.

I could already see Daniel's head spinning with questions, but he masked it well enough that any other person wouldn't have noticed. If Alec could remain sober enough to get his ass down here, he would've been able to catch it too.

"All that proves is that you have way too much time on your hands." Daniel tilts his head slightly upwards, not liking the fact I was towering over him so greatly right now. "But you know how I know about you?" He asks, not waiting for an actual response before continuing, "I'm sure your sources said it was a gambling problem that made my family go bankrupt, but you know the truth."

The only thing is that I didn't.

Caleb knows how to find information better than anyone I know, but if what I now suspect is true, I doubt even he would've caught this.

"And what's that?" I question, bringing the lighter down to the pad of his thumb and letting the flame dance just out of contact with the skin.

The look in Daniel's eyes could only be defined as pure hatred as he met my gaze, but I had a feeling he wasn't much of a liar about what he was about to say.

"Vincent Alcaraz robbed my town blind and then swept us under the rug like we weren't even worthy of the dirt on his shoes."

Of course, it wasn't my father who stole from them. That would require him to dirty his hands.

Daniel wasn't lying, though. Vincent hired someone to take what he needed, and it wasn't a surprise to find out it was covered up in such a way.

"My father," I start, not appreciative of his memory at all, "Is very much a dead man—" My words trailed off at the sound of the door opening behind me, but only three people could get into this room and I was already here.

"You're freezing up again, X." Alec's controlled voice said as he walked silently into the room, but I could tell he was high before he even came into view.

Daniel's head jerked to my back as his eyes narrowed questioningly, and all I could do was clench my jaw as I stepped to the side.

"We were just getting to the good part." I said lowly as I put out the lighter in my hand, but I didn't want to start a fight here in front of listening company. It's not good for the enemy to realize just how strained things are on the inside.

Alec lets out a disapproving scoff with a shake of his head, but I don't stop him as he walks up to me, so close I can feel his exhale against my cheek.

"Bugiardo." He murmurs liar in Italian as his hand slips down, taking the lighter straight from my fingers before stepping away.

Faking his death wasn't his choice, it was mine. Even though he understood why it needed to be done, he didn't like the idea of Madelyn believing him to be gone.

Urging the increase of my heart rate to calm back to normal, I crossed my arms as Alec walked around the single chair in the room, stopping only at Daniel's back.

"I don't know who you are," Alec spoke as his eyes dropped down to the tattoo of what they call the Resistance. "And I don't care about any sob story you can manage to whip up."

Daniel let in a sharp inhale through his nose as Alec flicked the lighter back open, his other hand weaving through the red locks of hair to keep him even more still. The flame was brought to behind his ear, inching just close enough that Daniel could feel the heat of it first before any serious damage could be inflicted.