Page 14 — The Fallout
The world outside Adrian's mansion was burning.
Not in flames — but in silence, in the kind of storm that brewed before everything finally broke.
Eli didn't know when he had fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes, the light outside was gray, cold, and distant. The rain had started again, soft against the windows. But something felt wrong. The air was heavier. The stillness unnatural.
He sat up, the blanket sliding off his shoulder. Adrian wasn't beside him.
For a moment, his chest tightened. Then he saw the note — folded neatly on the nightstand, written in Adrian's precise, calm handwriting.
> Stay inside. Don't make me regret last night.
The words cut through him in a way he couldn't explain. Last night had been… more than he could name. Tender. Frightening. Real.
It had felt like breaking and healing at once — like touching the fire he'd always been told to stay away from, and realizing it didn't burn the way he thought it would.
But now Adrian was gone again.
And the house — the house was too quiet.
Eli slipped out of bed, pulled on one of Adrian's shirts, and wandered down the hall. The floorboards creaked beneath his bare feet, echoing in the emptiness. The black door upstairs was still locked — he checked it, though he didn't know why.
Some part of him expected it to be open again, or maybe… expected Adrian to be standing there, waiting.
Instead, there was only silence.
Until he reached the main floor — and heard it.
Voices.
Low, tense, unfamiliar.
Eli froze near the corner of the living room, peeking through the half-open doorway. Adrian stood by the window, his back straight, his suit immaculate, but his voice was sharper than Eli had ever heard it.
"—you weren't supposed to come here," Adrian said. "Not now."
A man stood opposite him — tall, lean, eyes like steel. His presence filled the room with quiet danger. Eli didn't know who he was, but everything about him screamed power.
"You've gone soft," the stranger said. "All this time hiding behind business fronts, pretending you're clean? You forgot what you owe."
"I don't owe you anything," Adrian replied coldly.
The man smiled — the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes. "You owe them. And they're getting impatient."
A long pause followed. Eli could hear his own heartbeat.
Adrian's hand flexed slightly at his side. "Tell them I'm done. Whatever deal they think they still have — it ended years ago."
"Then you'll die with your little secret," the man said simply. "And maybe that boy upstairs will too."
Eli's breath caught.
Adrian's tone shifted, a blade under silk. "Don't touch him."
The stranger tilted his head. "So he's the reason. The weakness."
Adrian took a step forward, and for the first time, Eli saw it — the mask cracking, the raw anger beneath his composure. "He's not part of this."
The man chuckled. "Then why's his picture on the wall, Adrian? Why did you keep him close? You don't protect strangers like that unless they mean something."
Adrian didn't answer.
But the silence was the answer.
Eli backed away from the doorway, his pulse racing. His mind spun — his picture, they know who I am, they'll hurt him because of me.
He wanted to run, but every instinct screamed not to. Because if he did, Adrian would come after him — not to punish, but to save. And saving him would destroy them both.
Then, a sound shattered the moment — a crash, the splintering of glass. Adrian's voice rose, sharp and furious. Eli didn't think. He ran back into the room.
"Adrian!" he called.
Adrian turned, eyes wide, just as the stranger drew a gun from his coat.
The world slowed.
Eli saw the flash of metal, heard the low click of a safety being pulled back.
Then Adrian moved — fast, faster than Eli could process — shoving him out of the way.
The shot went off.
Glass exploded.
Eli hit the floor, his ears ringing, his vision spinning. When he blinked, he saw Adrian standing over him, breath harsh, blood running down his arm.
"Adrian—" Eli reached for him, but Adrian grabbed his wrist instead.
"Don't move," Adrian hissed, eyes dark with pain.
The stranger stepped back, gun still raised, though his expression had shifted. "Still playing hero, huh?"
Adrian's voice was low, venomous. "Get out."
The man's gaze flicked toward Eli — assessing, curious. Then he smiled faintly. "He's not worth it."
Adrian's finger twitched. "He's worth everything."
Something in that admission seemed to unsettle the stranger. For a long moment, no one moved. Then, with a sharp laugh, the man lowered his weapon.
"Then you'll bleed for him," he said simply, and turned toward the door.
Adrian didn't follow.
Not until the sound of the stranger's footsteps disappeared into the storm outside.
When it was over, the silence came crashing down again — but this time, it wasn't empty. It was heavy, choking, filled with all the words neither of them knew how to say.
Eli pushed himself up, his hands trembling. "You're bleeding."
Adrian didn't look at him. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing—" Eli's voice cracked as he grabbed the first towel he could find, pressing it against the wound. "You could've been killed!"
Adrian's jaw clenched, his eyes still fixed on the door. "I told you to stay upstairs."
"And I told you not to lie to me!" Eli shouted. "Who was that? What is this, Adrian? Who are you really?"
Adrian turned then, his expression unreadable, his voice quieter — tired, resigned. "The man you shouldn't have met."
Eli shook his head. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting tonight."
Eli's chest tightened. He looked at the blood soaking through the towel, the tension in Adrian's shoulders, the way he tried to act unbreakable even when he was falling apart.
"You keep saying I don't belong in your world," Eli whispered. "But maybe you're the one who doesn't belong in mine."
Adrian's lips parted — as if he wanted to argue — but then he stopped. For the first time, Eli saw something that wasn't anger or control. It was grief.
"I didn't mean for you to get caught in this," Adrian said softly. "You were supposed to be safe."
"Safe?" Eli's laugh was bitter. "There's nothing safe about you."
Adrian didn't deny it.
The silence between them stretched until it broke. Adrian moved closer — slowly, carefully — and reached out, his fingers brushing Eli's jaw. His touch was gentle, reverent almost, like he was afraid Eli might shatter.
"I can't let them hurt you," Adrian said. "Not because of me."
"Then stop pushing me away," Eli whispered. "Let me choose you, even if it's dangerous."
Adrian's hand trembled slightly. "You don't know what you're asking."
"I don't care."
For a moment, the world outside ceased to exist. The storm, the blood, the secrets — all of it fell away until there was only the two of them. The distance that had always existed between them was gone, replaced by something raw, fragile, and real.
Adrian leaned in, close enough that Eli could feel his breath against his skin.
"This isn't love, Eli," he murmured. "It's ruin."
Eli met his gaze. "Then let's ruin each other."
And when their lips met, it wasn't gentle. It was desperate — a collision of everything they'd tried to hold back. Pain, fear, longing, and something that felt dangerously close to hope. The world could end right then, and Eli wouldn't have cared.
When they finally pulled apart, Adrian rested his forehead against Eli's, his voice low, unsteady.
"There's no going back from this."
"I never wanted to."
Adrian closed his eyes, exhaling shakily. "Then we run. Tonight. Before they find us."
Eli's heart pounded. "Run?"
"They won't stop, Eli. Not until I'm dead — or they have you."
For the first time, Eli understood. The photos, the rules, the locked door. It wasn't about control. It was about protection. Adrian had been fighting something bigger — darker — than either of them realized.
He nodded, his voice soft but certain. "Then let's run."
Adrian looked at him, really looked at him — and for a heartbeat, the man who had once been all power and control simply looked human. Tired. Afraid. In love.
"Pack what you can carry," Adrian said quietly. "We leave before dawn."
As Eli moved to obey, Adrian turned back to the window. Outside, lightning split the sky, illuminating the world in silver for just a moment.
In that flash, E
li saw the reflection in the glass — not of the storm, but of a figure standing across the street.
Watching.
The same man from before.
And this time, he wasn't alone.