Not from my fucking soul.
I follow him out, but I don’t look back. Because I know if I do, I won’t leave.
Back in my cell, I sit on my cot, staring at the ceiling. My ribs ache from where Chase punched me earlier, but I barely feel it.
All I can think about is her.
The way she looked at me.
The way she trusted me.
I run a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. I should be pushing her away. She’s too good for me. Too fucking pure.
And yet—
I want her.
More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my goddamn life.
My hands curl into fists as I think about her stepbrother. That fucking bastard. He thinks he owns her? Thinks he can keep her afraid, even from miles away?
No.
I won’t fucking allow it.
And I don’t care what I have to do—he will never touch her again.
It only takes me a few hours to make contact outside the wall and get a tail on Daryl. And later that evening, I’m back in the medical wing. With a “dizzy spell” this time. I had to pay the correctional officer a fortune—Johnson this time, and his silence doesn’t come cheap—for this to fly, but it’s not like I give a damn about the money. I made enough money as a crypto investor before I got locked up. Money is the least of my problems.
As long as I get to see her again…
“You’re really pushing your luck, you know that?” Eleanor says, giving me a mock-stern look as she takes my wrist, pretending to check my pulse. “Twice in one day?”
I grin, completely unapologetic. “What can I say? I’m a man in need of constant medical attention.”
She rolls her eyes, a pretty smile lighting up her face. “I see…”
I study her as she works, my gaze trailing over her delicate features. Her lips are still slightly swollen from our last kiss.
I lean in. “And…I needed to ask you something. Would you ever consider running away?” I keep my voice light despite the anxiety coiling in my stomach. “With me, I mean.”
She stiffens slightly, her breath catching. “What?”
“You heard me.”
She exhales shakily, staring at me like she’s trying to figure out if I’m serious.
I am. I’ve toyed with the idea from the moment I made contact with her. I already have plans to leave this hell, and I can’t leave her behind, especially not after hearing about her bastard stepbrother.
“Baby, I know it’s sudden, and I don’t need you to answer me today. But I couldn’t let your shift end without letting you know where I stand. I wanna run away with you.”
She lets out a soft, nervous laugh. “And where exactly would we run?”
I slide a hand around her waist, pulling her flush against me. “Somewhere warm. Somewhere by the water.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t move away.
“I could make it happen,” I murmur, brushing my nose along her jaw, breathing her in. “All you have to do is say the word.”
