I Trusted You | BxB

Chapter 18

Once we are outside we cough and spit to clear our throats of the awful smell. I've never in my life been so disgusted. I don't understand how Tevin could be able to do all of this. Once we get down stairs Adrian throw me the keys to his Charger.

"How could you afford this?" I ask.

"My dad was a member of the isley brothers." He shrugs.

"Your name is Adrian Isley. Oh my god. I love your dad's music."

He looks at me with a stare. "Mario... Is now really the time to be fan girling?"

"You're right." I say disappointed. I unlock the doors, and we get in. Once I start the car up, I soon pull off towards the steel mill. My palms were sweaty and I was nervous but it was time to go and face my demon.

The drive was very silent. As much as I wanted to turn back around and run it was not in Niko's best interest. It was a little ways from where we needed to be so I started up a conversation with Adrian.

"What made you come back? I mean... You say it's to help me but you don't know me from a can of paint. We could've been setting you up." I wanted to know.

He sighs and averts his gaze out of the window. "I came back because I felt like Tevin would truly change. I don't know why he acts the way he does. It makes me wonder who else before me went through this. If I felt it was a set up I wouldn't have come but my friend Romell back in Miami told me that I needed to face my past instead of running."

I nod in understanding. "I can totally agree with that. I don't know what snapped with him."

"You want me to be honest?" Adrian asks.

I look over at him briefly then back at the road. "Sure."

"I think it was you..." He says, bluntly.

"Me?" I repeat.

"You..." He repeats. "When I was with him I never fought back or disobeyed him. You fought back, ran from him, talked to another dude when I'm pretty sure he warned you not to. You're a rebellious soul. Anything that gets in the way of his pride must be knocked off."

"How do you know all this?" I question.

"I was in a relationship with him since High school even before then I knew how he was. The only thing that's really changed about him is the gang lifestyle he was with before he met me."

"Damn." I mumble.

I finally pull up to the Steel Mill. It was so ominous and the environment was deadly. I knew in the back of my mind that somebody would not be walking out of this alive. I look over at Adrian who had the same worried expression on his face. I place my hand on his and give him a reassuring smile. He looks down at my hand then back at me and smiles back.

We both get out of the car. I take the car keys and throw hide them under a small bush outside of the building.

"In case one of us makes it out." I laugh lightly.

We then proceed into the building. The nasty mildew smell hit both of our noses at once. We both looked up at the pipes dangling from above us. Water droppings from the pipes pitter and patter as they fall to the ground. I look over at Adrian to see how he's taking this. He looked fairly calm, I guess he has settled his demons. One of the pipes fell which made a loud bang on the ground. I jumped from the sudden action and back into a boiler machine.

Once the boiler made contact with my skin it began to sizzle. I hurriedly yanked my hand away from the burning hot metal and was about to scream but Adrian covered my mouth to muffle my sounds. I groan behind his hand because of the unsettling shock going through my hands. We proceed walking. We go through the first door of the building which was very quiet. Soon my phone goes off and I quickly try to turn off the volume.

Tevin: I know you're hear. Come upstair to the 9th floor. I'll be waiting.

I read over the text and show Adrian. He starts to look around for an elevator. It had a number finally being visible, so I decided to be smug and correct his grammar.

Me: *Here

I turn the phone off and made my way to where Adrian where was going.

"The elevator doesn't work." He says, pointing to the elevator covered in condemned tape.

"So what now?" I ask.

"I guess we walk." He says and we look for a doorway to the stairwell. We notice the stairwell sign and push through the door to make our journey up these nine flights of stairs.

We begin walking up the stairs. It was hard to see when you are trying to focus the light and avoid Rats and Maggots everywhere. It was very putrid. Adrian did the best he could to hold himself together and me. We finally made it up the stairs after many trials and tribulations. Once we opened the door Tevin was standing in the room next to Reniko with a white sack over his head.

"RENIKO!" I yelled out and started to run to him but Adrian pulled me back.

"Wait a second." He said lowly.

I nodded and remained calmed in this tense situation.

"Nice to see the both of you here. Please come in a little more." Tevin says.

We both hesitate but walk in. Once both of us were through the door frame it immediately shut closed behind us. I turned around and it was Tevin's little friend that he was fucking with in my house. The dude smirked at me. I rolled my eyes and looked away. Next thing I know he ran over and punched me in the face. I fell backwards on the door. He came over and kicked me in the sides twice.

"Look at your little boyfriend..." Tevin says, removing the sack from Reniko's head.

"Mario..." Reniko says weakly. "Are you okay?"

I spit out a little blood. "I'm fine..."

I look up at him and his eye is swollen and so is his lip. My baby looked like he was in so much pain. I couldn't help but feel bad.

"Tie both of them up."Tevin says. "Now the games can begin."