"What's in it for me?"
Adrian Blackwood didn't raise his voice, and the fucking words slid into the space between us like a blade laid gently against my throat, no pressure, no rush, just the promise of what came next.
I straightened my spine, forced authority into my posture. "Your sentence," I said evenly, "will be reduced. Officially… and you'll receive substantial credit for cooperation."
Adrian blinked once, and then he burst out in laughter, and the sound was hearty, and it vibrated in the room. It was as if I'd just offered him something quaint. Something naïve.
"Reduced," he echoed softly. "Captain… do you honestly believe time means anything to me? When I walked into Hell's watch, I already made up my mind that I would be serving twenty years. What makes you think a lighter sentence would move me?"
He pushed off the wall with lazy control, took a single step forward, and raised one eyebrow. The air between us tightened, thickened. Heat rolled off him, real and physical. "I've been here five years," he continued calmly. "Five years of Hell's Watch. No allies. No protection and no fucking leverage tied to family or sentiment." His gray eyes locked onto mine. "And I'm still standing and fucking untouchable."
He took another step. "So tell me," he murmured, "what exactly do you think you're offering that I don't already own?"
I held my ground as his scent enveloped me and rose in the damn gym, "Freedom always matters," I said.
It was a lie, and he fucking knew it. "That's where you're wrong." His voice dropped. "Freedom is an illusion, but power is not. You all live in an illusion, Cap, and you need to understand how the real world works. It seems the CSI does not have the real picture of what is happening:
He moved closer, slow enough to make it deliberate. Close enough now that I could smell him: citrus, sweat, iron, and something darker beneath it. "I already run this place," Adrian said quietly. "With nothing but reputation and restraint." His gaze dragged over me, stripping away rank, badge, and authority. "And what you're offering me?" A faint smirk. "It doesn't move the needle."
Anger flared hot in my chest. "This is a professional exchange," I snapped. "And a generous one from CSI. Why are you not ready to hear us out?"
He leaned in just enough that his breath brushed my cheek. "You walked into my cage," he murmured, "offering scraps and expecting gratitude." His lips curved. "That's fucking adorable."
I stepped forward before I could stop myself, and the space between us vanished.
"You don't know a damn thing about me," I snickered at him.
Adrian's eyes glittered. "I know exactly what kind of man you are, Captain Nate Cole.
He circled me slowly, unhurried, predatory, and watched the way every step was measured and fucking controlled.
"You're the kind who believes rules keep the darkness out," he said softly. "The kind who pretends control is real." He stopped behind me, close enough that I felt the heat of him at my back. "But you're here because the rules failed you and you had no choice but to seek the help of a criminal."
My jaw clenched in annoyance at the fact that he was right.
"You're drowning," he continued, voice low and intimate. "Your case is bleeding out, and the fucking streets are burning." A pause. "And you came to me hoping I'd save you, damn fucking CSI that put me in Hell's watch. But now here you are, asking for help from the same man that you thought you won over by throwing me in this hellhole."
I turned sharply, forcing us to face each other again. "This isn't about me. This is about everyone's safety. "
"No?" He studied my expression as it fascinated him. "Then stop lying to yourself." His tone hardened. "This is survival, and you, of all people, want the city clean? You fucking need me. A man like you would never risk coming to me if he had no solution. I bet you have been running up and down checking the streets, and you came up with fucking nothing."
He stepped back at last, giving me just enough space to breathe and just enough to feel the loss of his presence. "Now that you are here, I want everything in writing," Adrian said flatly.
"A contract will be prepared. We already had this in mind," I nodded.
"Paper is power," he replied. "And I don't operate without leverage."
I nodded once again and hated that it felt like surrender. "Fine. We'll draft it and have it sent to your lawyer, and hope that you can have it signed as soon as possible. "
His smile was slow. "Good," he said. "Because only then will I tell you who's poisoning your fucking precious city."
Silence stretched between us, and Adrian turned away, grabbing a towel and dragging it across his neck."Remember this, Captain," he said quietly.
I braced myself.
"You don't command me…I decide when this starts…And when it ends. I will be the one in control end-to-end until I am satisfied. I have a feeling you dont like this, but the choice will never be yours, Cap."
I turned toward the door, and every instinct screamed not to turn my back and get the fucking out of there before I lost my cool.
"Nate..."
He said my name softly, and I stopped and slowly looked back. Adrian stood exactly where I'd left him, relaxed, powerful, completely at ease. His gaze held mine, unbroken, intimate in a way that made my pulse spike, and then he smiled and fucking winked.
Heat shot through me, sharp, humiliating, intoxicating, just as the door slammed shut behind me. And even outside his cage, I knew the truth with brutal clarity: Adrian Blackwood still owned the room, and fucking owned me more than I was willing to admit.
" Fuck…" I cursed as I rubbed my face in frustration.