“Holy fuck,” I grumble, lying back down to start another round of sit-ups, my determination knowing no bounds. “Have you always been a bitter asshole or has that just come with age?”
“I swear to God, Shayne. If I ever get out of here, I will strangle you.”
“You’re not,” I mutter, feeling the burn deep in my stomach. “You’re never getting out of here, and I’ll personally make sure of it. When the boys come for me, and they will, we will happily walk away from you. You deserve so much worse than this after your bullshit stunt with Lucas Miller.”
Ariana leans back against the wall and reaches for her toes, clearly cramping in her little cell just as I am, only she doesn’t have to share hers with a corpse, though I guess that’s on me. “Fuck me,” she breathes. “You’re such a fucking brat. I don’t know what those boys see in you. You’re a child with a chip on your shoulder. I’m a goddamn woman.”
“Correction,” I say through deep breaths, stopping at the top of my sit-up to meet her hard stare. “You’re a desperate whore. There’s a big difference.”
She ignores my comment and holds my stare a minute longer. “Would you just … stop. You have these massive blinders on, like it’s not possible for you to see through the boys’ bullshit. They’re not invincible, you know. They’re just men, and one of these days, someone is going to get the better of them. Besides, if they were coming for you, then where the hell are they? It’s been two days. They probably think you’re dead,” she says, her gaze flicking toward the dead body by my side, “just like they thought she was.”
A shiver trails down my spine. It’s completely possible they think I’m dead. That it was all in my head and they don’t care for me as much as I hoped. That they have absolutely no intention of coming for me, or that I was just another one of the many girls on their list that have come and gone, whose name they can’t remember, but the moment I start believing that is the moment I give up on any kind of future I have with them. They’re coming for me. I know they will.
I shake my head, the words feeling alien on my tongue. “If something happens and they don’t come, then … fuck, I don’t know. I’ll get out on my own. I’ll figure out a way, but if that time comes, I will be ready, and when I do free myself from this fucked-up little cell, just know there is no way in hell I’ll be taking you with me.”
Ariana rolls her eyes. “Wow, what a shocker, but don’t stress about it. I’d rather die down in this cell than owe you my life.”
“Good, I’m glad we agree on that. Besides, I’m not one to carry around dead weight.”
She raises a brow. “Excuse you?”
An unladylike scoff comes bounding out of my mouth. “You heard me. It’s a fucking desert out there. You wouldn’t get a hundred feet before collapsing in a dirty heap and crying about it. You’ll walk your ass back here and hand yourself over. You don’t have what it takes to see it through, which is probably why Roman never fought for you. You’re weak, and a man like that needs a real woman by his side, not someone who will crumble and bitch out under the pressure.”
Feeling way too proud of my jibe, I lower myself back down and continue my workout, thinking of nothing but my list of things I need to accomplish.
Get out of here.
Slit Giovanni’s throat.
Save Roman’s baby.
I repeat my list over and over as though my repetition can somehow make it all happen, and with each sit-up I do, I catch Ariana’s curious eyes still on me.
“What?” I snap, needing a moment to rest and not liking the way she watches me. “I’m not some frightened little bitch anymore, so you can guarantee that I’m not about to crawl through Felicity’s dried blood to fuck you through the bars. Besides, you’re really not my type.”
She lets out a frustrated groan, and I can only imagine what the other women locked up deeper in the cells must think of our fucked-up little relationship. “You really need to get over yourself. I didn’t eat your pussy just so I could taste you. I did it to prove to the boys just how easily I could take their toys.”
“No matter what your reasoning, you deserve a bullet through the head for that. Ever heard of this crazy concept called consent?”
Ariana’s brows drop low. “I’m not a rapist.”
“Aren’t you?”
Ariana scoffs. “And to think I was about to tell you that I can finally see why the boys are so infatuated with you.”
I narrow my stare, but she’s got me hook, line, and sinker. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She lets out a deep sigh and adjusts herself on her cell floor, the sheer layer of sweat coating her skin glistening in the harsh fluorescent light. Her gaze drops to Felicity, not wanting to meet my hard stare. “What you did for her,” she starts. “I know I sure as hell wouldn’t have risked my life to do that. You were out of the fucking cell. You could have run, but you chose to stay and help her. You’re stronger than I gave you credit for. You surprised me, and again when refusing to let go of that baby. You would have given up your own life if it meant saving him.”
I narrow my stare on her, not liking the sudden change in her tone. It’s impossible to know if the words spewing from her mouth are honest or not, but either way, she is trying to soften me up, trying to get in my good graces in the hopes that maybe I might take pity on her and save her ass when I eventually get out of here.
“Any woman who would run instead of helping another like I did, in my eyes, isn’t a woman at all,” I tell her, unable to resist sparing a glance toward the woman I couldn’t save. “Now cut the shit. I don’t want to hear your stupid attempts to manipulate me. You’re a liar, and no amount of buttering me up is going to save you. You could have a fucking crown on your head and the most prestigious title to your name, but after setting me up to take the fall with Lucas Miller, I still wouldn’t save you.”
She leans back against the hard stone wall, her curious gaze unwavering. “You’re stronger than the other girls they’ve kept. Perhaps that’s why you’ve made it this far.”
I scoff. “I made it this far because I know how to run fast.”
A grin pulls at the side of her lips, and I glance away, positive that she’s finding amusement in her little bullshit game, laughing at my expense which only cements the fact that I will allow her to rot and starve in these cells right alongside Felicity. Though, Roman won’t let that happen … the Felicity part, that is.