The Deep End

Chapter 8

Riot's eyes scan my face as he lowers into a crouch beside my tray of food. He reaches out and dries my cheek with the swipe of his thumb. I hate when he touches me like this. It's too gentle and unexpected. It always takes me by surprise and leaves me confused. How could the hands of a killer feel so... nice?

"So pretty when you cry." He murmurs quietly, his voice low and deep.

I turn away, breaking the contact as my heart smacks against my ribs in a staccato rhythm. God, I really am going crazy.

"Don't judge it until you've made it to the last page." He says, taking a step back as he rises.

Our gazes meet and I frown. "But what if I can't make it through the rest of the dark chapters?"

The little sister dying was too much, hit too close to home. I'm not in a good enough headspace for the darkness that paints the pages in that book.

"Then you aren't who I thought you were." He slips his hands in his pockets. "Come on, I have to leave in ten minutes."

I rise to my feet and he grabs me by the back of my neck and guides me up the stairs. I'm not sure why he always thinks I need to be led around like a dog but I don't bother snapping at him for it, it wouldn't do any good and would only hinder the progress I've made.

He takes me to the powder room and stands outside the door while I do my business. Since he had Luca change the doorknob around he lets me use the bathroom alone, which I'm thankful for.

As I'm washing my hands my eyes roam across my reflection in the mirror. My face is pretty much fully healed now. I have a pink scar above my eyebrow from the gash that was stitched but other than that I look mostly normal. 

My skin is even paler than usual after being locked in a basement for so long. I never realized I took the feeling of the sun on my skin for granted until it was taken away. I'm dressed in nothing but a dark gray T-shirt, another that Riot had given me from his closet. I'm thankful I'd gotten an IUD a year ago when I'd developed a friends with benefits relationship with a family friend. I couldn't imagine getting my period while being held captive. That would be a whole different level of torture.

I dry my hands off and open the door. Riots typing on his phone as I step out.

"You've played our game well, topolina." He says, never glancing away from the device in his hands. "This is the longest I've held someone captive and not sunk my blade into their flesh."

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep my sisters safe." I state quietly.

He slips the phone into his pocket and those amber eyes meet mine. "Are they safe?" He questions, arching an eyebrow at me.

I want to snap at him but I don't. He's goading me, he likes playing cat and mouse with me. I wouldn't mind it if I didn't always have to be the damn mouse.

"They are." I repeat, trying to remain confident in my answer.

Everyday when Luca brings me lunch I ask him how they're doing and he always says they're okay. After the way he reacted to the wounds on my wrists and the confession about his parents I liked to think he wouldn't lie to me if something had happened to them, or that I could at least tell from his facial expression.

Riot cocks his head. "And how would you know for sure?"

"Because..." I trail, pursing my lips and then I steel my spine. "Because I trust you."

Trusting him is better than the thoughts of him harming Aleksandra and Sofka. It might make me seem ignorant but the saying ignorance is bliss is true. I already feel as if I'm losing my mind spending everyday of my life locked in a basement, torturing myself with thoughts of my sisters being harmed would only make things worse.