“This is the sign for help,” it read.
“Can you help me?” Adam asked as he glanced up from the notepad, his words slow and deliberate in the hopes that Matteo could read lips.
Matteo shook his head as he took the notepad. The man tapped his thumb against his middle and index finger together at Adam, his smile unwavering.
Adam knew that sign. It meant ‘no’. His gaze dropped to his lap as Matteo began to write in the notepad.What the fuck? No?
Matteo handed the notepad to him again. “I made food foryou. You’ve been asleep for a long time. Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Adam looked up at him, surprised that there was no mention of his plea for help. Though that made sense. If Matteo was working with the same people who were keeping him chained up, he would probably ignore any mentions of escape or help. Come to think of it, maybe Matteo was being used to disarm him, to play ‘nice cop’ to Vincent’s ‘bad cop’. This could all just be part of some sick game.
Play nice to get out. You have to play nice.“Bathroom. Yes. Please.”
Adam pulled the blanket off his lap, trying to look away from his stump. Matteo glanced down at it. Adam’s face burned with embarrassment, the skin of his neck hot and tingling as he pushed down the urge to snap at Matteo to look away. The odd man wouldn’t be able to hear him, but it would not fall under his new self-imposed rule of playing nice. Biting his tongue, Adam swung his legs over the side of the bed, trying to figure out which door in the room led to the closet and which one led to the bathroom and how the hell he was supposed to get over to it on one foot.
Adam supposed he could abandon all dignity and hop.
Matteo leaned down, tapping his own shoulder. Adam reached out tentatively and placed his hand on Matteo’s shoulder, locking eyes with him to make sure he didn’t misinterpret the gesture. A flinch ran through Adam as Matteo’s icy hand rested on his waist as he stood up and allowed Matteo to bear his weight as he hobbled across the room to the door on the left. The sound of the chain rattling and scraping the hardwood floors echoed in his skull. Adam hated it.
Adam pulled the door open and reached for the sink, leaning against it as he pulled himself away from the silent man’s freezing touch. Vincent’s hands had felt unnaturally cold, but Matteo was downright frigid. “I got it,” Adam said, turning to Matteo so he could see his face. “I got it.”
Matteo gestured to the toilet before stepping out. At least this kidnapper was nice enough not to watch him piss. But the door remained open.
With a sigh, Adam looked around. There wasn’t even a mirror in this bathroom. Just a sink and a blank spot on the wall where a mirror had probably once sat. Someone else must have had the same idea Adam had. Break the mirror and use the glass as a weapon.
Dismissing the thought, Adam maneuvered himself to the toilet, wobbling as he balanced on one foot to get his boxers down enough for him to sit. He wasn’t above sitting down to pee at this point. Not when there were more pressing concerns.
Burying his face in his hands as he began to relieve himself, Adam tried not to groan from the sheer joy of finally being able to empty his bladder. What did Matteo mean when he had been asleep for a long time? How long had Adam actually been out? How many appointments did he miss?
If Vincent doesn’t kill me, my parents definitely will when they find out I’ve fucked up my plea bargain.
Adam sat for a moment longer, looking around the bathroom for something, anything, he could use to get the leg cuff off. There was just a towel and a single bar of soap. Not even a toothbrush he could whittle down with his teeth.
Pulling the toilet paper roll off the holder, Adam removed the rod and frowned when he realized it was a solid pieceof plastic. If it had been an older style, he could have pulled the spring out. Adam set the roll and the rod on the counter and braced against the sink as he pulled himself up. A glance at the opened doorway confirmed Matteo wasn’t peering in at him as he fumbled with his boxers, trying not to lose his balance.
Placing his elbows on the countertop as he washed his hands, Adam’s body desperately wanted to place weight on his right side. He was so used to spending the majority of his day in the prosthetic that he never bothered to get used to trying to balance on one foot. Plus, dehydration was making him feel wobbly as hell.
A hand touched his shoulder, making Adam flinch. He glanced around expecting to see Matteo’s oddly friendly face, but he jumped as Vincent’s face stared at him instead. “Fuck!”
“Good afternoon to you as well,” Vincent said, sounding pleasant despite the stony look in his eyes.
Adam grimaced as Vincent’s other hand gripped his side, just a bit too hard, turning him around and pressing him against the counter. The urge to shove the blond away from him was strong, but Adam’s hands squeezed Vincent’s forearms as he steadied himself instead.Play nice. Play nice. For once in your life, don’t act like a dick.Adam cleared his throat. “Hi,” he said terser than he intended.
Play nice.
Vincent smirked, his eyes wandering over Adam’s face before drifting lower, lingering on his injured neck for a moment before taking in the rest of his body. Vincent pulled an arm away from Adam’s grip, running his cool finger over the tattoo on the left side of Adam’s chest. “What is this for?” Vincent asked, tracing the lines of it.
Adam glanced down at his chest, always forgetting about that stupid smiley face tattoo he let a drunk apprentice give him at a house party his senior year. It’s not like it was bad. Just dumb. “I let someone practice on me once,” he said, feeling a tinge of heat in his face. Looking up at Vincent, Adam’s words died in his throat. Vincent’s face was close. Too close. “Uh, it, um, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Vincent’s steely blue eyes met his as his smirk turned into a grin, like he could see how Adam’s mind was working. “That’s not a good reason to permanently mark your body,” Vincent said. He leaned his face closer and brushed Adam’s hair away from his forehead.
Adam swallowed hard. Vincent probably had the clearest skin Adam had ever seen. And those eyes were beautiful. Adam hated how attractive he found his captor. Even Vincent’s lips looked like they were soft. And they were close enough for Adam to feel Vincent’s cool breath on his own lips.
Don’t play too nice. Stop thinking about this.“Can I go to the bed?” Adam asked. “I’m not good without my other foot and I’d rather not get a concussion.”
Vincent narrowed his eyes at Adam before releasing his grip. “Sure, why not,” Vincent said with a shrug. Taking a step away, his gaze lingered on Adam’s body for a moment longer before he stepped backward out of the bathroom. Vincent signed something quickly at Matteo, who still stood outside the door.
Adam let out the breath he was holding. How did Vincent get into the room so quickly and quietly?He’s not human. There’s no way he is human. Just get this reality through your thick skull, Adam.
