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"Once," I replied, my lips curving into a smile. "Got stuck on the highest branch. Thought I was queen of the world until I realized I couldn't get down."
"Shit." He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Bet you screamed your head off."
"Like a banshee." My laughter mingled with his, a lightness blooming within me. "Had to be rescued by the neighbor's kid. Never lived it down."
"Fuck, Ella." He shook his head, the edge of his mouth twitching. "You're something else. Hardly showed fear when I kidnapped you, but you're terrified of heights. Hilarious."
"Me?" I prodded, nudging him with my foot under the table. "What about you?"
"Trees were the least of my worries." His gaze flickered away, lost in a past that I knew was painted in shades of blood. "Let's just say I learned how to run before I could walk."
"Survival," I murmured, understanding more than he said out loud.
"Exactly." His eyes locked onto mine again.
I hesitated, drawing patterns on the worn tabletop with my fingertip. "I've always wanted to help people heal, y'know? Like, really get into their heads and untangle the mess."
"Psychologist, huh?" His brow arched in surprise, a hint of respect flashing in his gaze. "That's... noble. And kind of weird. I pictured you as more of an artist. Or something."
"Maybe foolish," I countered, my dreams feeling distant. "But I can't help it. There's this pull, like I'm meant to find the light in all this darkness."
"Shit, Ella. You're all heart and hope." He reached across the table, his rough fingers brushing over my hand, leaving a trail of warmth. "It's fucking beautiful."
"Is it?" Doubt creased my brow as I leaned into his touch, craving the strength it promised. "Even after everything?"
"Especially after everything." His thumb caressed my skin.
"Will you—" The words caught in my throat as I imagined a future where fear didn't dictate our every move.
"Anything."
"Help me make it real," I whispered, daring to dream of a life reclaimed, a soul mended.
"Damn right, I will." The fierceness of his affirmation sent shivers down my spine. "As soon as we kill these fuckers, you regain your mansion and your father's wealth. You can be anything you fucking wanna be."
"Thank you."
"Nothing to thank me for, sunshine." His smirk was a challenge, a promise, a lifeline. "We're doing this, one way or another."
I watched Chris, the shadows of the booth etching lines of conflict across his face. "What about you? What's the deal with your childhood."
"Adam and I," he started, voice rough as gravel, "we were fucking inseparable. Like brothers. He had a normal life, for most of it. Until Priscilla got wind of his skills. She called Gaston... and well. That was it for Adam. Stuck in the cesspool like the rest of us."
His confession was raw. I saw the pain flicker in his eyes.
"Priscilla—my goddamn mother." The word twisted on his tongue like a curse. "She snuffed out Dad's life. Her own husband." His fist clenched around the edge of the table, knuckles white. "And me? She kept me on a leash, 'cause I could do her dirty work better than any other son of a bitch she had under her thumb."
"Chris," I breathed, the horror of his revelation sinking into my bones. She had planned this whole thing. Killing her husband and marrying my dad so she could get to me and sell me as product. But the most disgusting part was that she hated her own son. Chris deserved better than her. He deserved better than this fucking life.
"Hope for the future?" He laughed, hollow and bitter. "Never thought I'd entertain such a fuckin' fantasy. But with you—" His gaze turned to me, fierce and burning. "I want that clean slate, a shot at something pure."
My heart raced. "We could have it you know. A life beyond violence and fear."
"Jesus, Ella." His hand found mine again, an anchor in the tempest. "You're talking about dreams when we're standing knee-deep in a bloodbath."
"Yeah, maybe. But if we're going to pursue my dreams, let's pursue yours too."
"Fuck," he exhaled, and I felt the weight of his decision. "For you, I'd burn down this whole damned world. Even if it means I burn with it."
