“I wouldn’t try that again if I were you.” Dravin warns me, but stares at Liam for a couple of seconds, before turning around and quietly leaving the room. Liam bends down and helps me stand. “Do you always have to egg him on? Do you like getting slapped?”
“No, I don’t have to, but where is the fun in that? And of course, I don’t like being slapped. It hurts and makes my face swell, but someone has to stand up to him. No one has ever gone against him. He’s a good leader, that’s why he was chosen for this, but he’s leading for the wrong reasons.”
Liam leans back against the wall and crosses his arms. “You’re going to be a good leader, Ryanne.”
“I don’t want to be a leader. I just want all of this to end,” I tell him as I walk over to him and rest my shoulder against the wall next to him.
“Fate rarely calls upon us at the moment of our choosing,” Liam tells me as he angles himself toward me.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” I mumble. “You know Colton quoted that to me when I first met him.”
“We’ll get back to them, Ryanne. You’ll see Colton again,” Liam pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me.
“And you’ll see Natalie again,” I promise him as I hug him back.
Of course he has his hands on her.
“Wow, you move on quickly,” Adam says as he walks into the cell. I step away from Liam and move toward him.
“What do you want Adam?”
“Dravin requests your presence, Ryanne. Alone.”
“Why? He just stormed out of here angry at me.”
“Just follow me,” Adam says as he turns around and heads toward the door. Liam grabs my arm to keep me from moving. “If you come willingly, we can avoid the cuffs. No one will hurt you if you behave.”
“I’ll be okay,” I whisper to Liam. Liam looks between Adam and me, but releases his grip on me.
“And no one will touch Liam?” I ask as I step toward Adam.
“You’re boy toy will be safe,” Adam says with a sneer, while opening the door of the cell. As I pass through the doorway, I look over my shoulder at Liam and give him a small smile. I don’t know what’s going to happen right now, but hopefully Liam will remain as safe as he can get while inside this compound.
“What does Dravin want with me?” I ask Adam. I try to make a mental note of where we’re heading, but all the hallways look exactly the same.
“He just wants to talk.” An unfamiliar emotion moves through me. I turn and look up at Adam, trying to decipher what he is feeling. He’s facial expression is neutral. Keep your mind blank. Keep your mind blank. He’s chanting to himself.
“What are you trying to hide Adam?” I stop in the middle of the hallway and cross my arms. I’m not going any further until I know what is really going on. Adam keeps walking, but stops when he realizes I’m not following.
“I’m not trying to hide anything,” Adam says as he turns and faces me.
“Liar. You keep chanting “keep your mind blank,” so forgive me for thinking that you’re hiding something.”
“You’re forgiven. Now come on.” He turns around and continues walking down the hallway. I remain frozen in my spot. Adam stops midway down, hangs his head, and groans. He turns around and walks back to me. “Do you have to make everything so difficult?”
“Yes, it’s kind of my specialty. Now what are you hiding?”
Instead of answering me an emotion I recognize crashes into me. I step back and gape at him. “No freaking way.” He turns his back to me and continues down the hallway again. I shake my head and follow him. There’s no possible way. “You can’t be serious,” I say to him as I catch up.
“I wish I wasn’t,” he mumbles as he takes another left.
“I don’t understand.”
“People do crazy things when they’re in love,” he whispers to me as he picks up the pace. I have to jog to keep up with him.
“That is no excuse. Did you even feel any bit of guilt for what you did to me?” I ask as I run in front of him and stop. He stares down at me for a couple of seconds before looking at something over my head. I look behind me and watch as a Gadramick walks past, eyes zoned in on me the entire time. Adam takes a step closer to me and glares at him, giving him a silent warning. When he’s out of hearing range, I look back up at Adam, waiting for him to respond.
“Not at first. It was all fun and games at first,” he tells me with the shake of his head. I still don’t understand.
“When did it stop being fun and games?”