Page 23 of Adam
She asked me to stay. She cried… Hell, she cried in front of me, like she thought I might actually do it.
But I didn’t.
I left her there, holding her own mess like it was mine to clean up. I don’t owe her anything—that’s the truth. No promises or debts.
But still.
Fuck, I’m a mess …
Anyway, today’s a new day. Fresh start, right? New, beautifully fucked-up things waiting for me. And finally, I get to take that bastard out. About damn time.
I walk into the abandoned fabric factory—the same place we always meet and train. Nothing fancy. Just rust, dust, cracked concrete, and the smell of old blood.
Time to talk about my new task.
I need to dig up everything there is to know about him. Where he eats, where he sleeps, who he trusts, who he fucks, what he’s too stupid to hide. And when the time’s right, I’ll make sure he chokes on his own blood.
As I head to the old machine room, everyone is already there. Seems I’m late.
“Well, well. Look who decided to grace us with his presence,” Alaric mocks, clapping his hands once. “I apologize for not adorning the place with flowers to welcome you.”
“Flowers could work. They always give a nice touch until someone’s bringing them to your corpse.” I wink. “I like daisies, for the record.”
“Always running that smart mouth. Same filthy piece of shit,” Adrian hisses, his hand tight on the gun.
Alaric stops him with a raised hand, eyes locked on mine.
“What’s that look on your face? You getting jealous or just insecure?” I say, grinning at him.
Adrian’s face twists. “You fucking?—”
“Sit down,” Alaric says, his voice filling the abandoned building.
Adrian steps back, swallowing whatever he was about to say, and I hold his stare until he looks away.
“Good dog,” I mutter, not even bothering to lower my voice.
Alaric’s stare never leaves me. “Where have you been?”
“Didn’t realize my absence hurt your feelings,” I mock, crossing my arms.
The others look at me like I’ve completely lost it.
Everyone knows Alaric is a cruel son of a bitch, and most people stay out of his way for a reason. But I couldn’t care less.
He can’t touch me. I’ve got nothing to lose, no one to protect, no soft spots to poke at. All those cute little threats and collateral damage tactics mean nothing to me.
“I don’t have feelings.” He prowls closer, placing his hands behind his back, his eyes locked on me and a sly smirk tugging at his lips. “Feelings are for the weak. You’re not weak, are you?”
Ah, here goes the unnecessary dark talk, just to draw all eyes to him.
“You should know by now if I’m weak or not,” I shoot back, eyes fixed on the void.
Alaric lets out an evil laugh that reverberates through the room. Such a show-off.
“That’s why I picked you for Anderson: ‘cause you’re the only one dumb enough—and tough enough—to go toe-to-toe with him.”
I catch a few scoffs around the room. The rest of the gang didn’t like that much. Figures.
