ADRIAN'S POV
Cole was fucking different, and he held himself like a man accustomed to command.
Spine straight. Jaw tight. Discipline layered over instinct like steel plating.
He had looked at me fucking looked at me, not as a monster, not as a myth, but as a problem to be solved. That alone made him dangerous and fucking fascinating, and for the first time since I was sentenced to Hell's watch, I felt liberated and excited.
Two hours later, a shadow shifted near the bars. One of the newer guards hovered there, tension vibrating beneath his uniform. His grip tightened on the keys at his hip when our eyes met.
"Perfect timing," I said calmly.
The sound of my voice alone made his shoulders stiffen.
"Officer," I continued, letting authority coil through my tone, "summon Bellini."
He blinked. "M‑Marco Bellini, sir? Right now?"
"Yes." I tilted my head slightly. "And you'll keep your mouth shut about it, won't you?"
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. "Of course, sir."
He scurried down the corridor, keys jangling like a nervous confession, boots striking the concrete too fast, too loud. I leaned back against the bars, folding my arms, waiting.
Marco would come. He always did. And five minutes later, the air shifted. Footsteps approached, measured, unhurried, confident. The difference was immediate, palpable.
Marco Bellini emerged from the shadows like something summoned, not escorted. Tattoos climbed the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his collar. His eyes were sharp, calculating, and as usual, power radiated off him, not loud, not frantic, and most importantly, controlled.
He stopped in front of my cell and dipped his head out of respect.
"Boss," he said, voice low and gravelly. "I came as soon as I got word."
"I know," I murmured, and a slow smile curved my lips. "Enter."
The guard unlocked the door, hands trembling just enough to amuse me. Marco stepped inside without hesitation as the door shut behind him.
"Report on the visitors," I demanded.
Marco folded his arms. "CSI. Captain Nathan Cole and his parade of 'professionals.'"
I lifted a brow. "And?"
"They were let in by Warden Boris and the clearance from the judges and the force," he said dryly.
A soft chuckle escaped me. "Naturally."
"And Cole?" Marco continued, watching me carefully. "Word is he is efficient, rarely afraid."
"Correct," I replied, leaning forward slightly. "Efficient. Calculated. Controlled. But he's not untouchable."
Marco's gaze sharpened. "He is trouble, Boss. The kind you can intimidate with a glance, but also the kind that believes he's smarter than he is."
"Exactly." I purred the word, slow and deliberate. "A puzzle with sharp edges. And I intend to dismantle him."
Marco tilted his head. "Full profile?"
"Yes." My voice dropped, predatory. "Every twitch. Every micro-expression. Every crack in that immaculate armor."
"Patterns? Stress responses?"
"Breathing rhythm, sleep habits. How he reacts when control slips." I paced in a slow circle. "Past cases. Education, Family, Failures, and Victories. Where pride blinds him and where discipline falters."
Marco nodded. "Isabella can coordinate from the outside."
"She must," I said, eyes darkening. "I want it done before dawn."
"Yes, Boss," he said without hesitation.
I paused, hand brushing the cold bars. "Now tell me," I murmured, "who is stupid enough to stir trouble on my streets?"
Marco's jaw tightened. "Ghost operation. New players. Very little chatter. No known enforcers, and they are careful."
Careful? My smile vanished.
"Careful, men die screaming," I said flatly. "Find them, and anyone killing on my territory dies slowly."
Marco inclined his head. "Understood."
I stopped in front of him. "And Marco?"
"Yes, Boss?"
"Captain Cole is off-limits." I let the words hang, letting them taste in the air.
Marco's mouth curved into something amused, dangerous. "Yes, sir. But why?"
My smile returned, slow and predatory. "He fucking believes himself untouchable."
Marco's grin widened. "Ah. The resistant type."
"The best kind," I murmured.
He bowed and left without another word, the bars slamming shut behind him. Silence settled, thick and electric.
Alone, I stretched across the cot, dim light casting shadows across my chest. My thoughts drifted back to Nathan Cole. The way he resisted. Mostly, the way he denied everything.
The fantasy wasn't erotic. Not yet. This was domination in its purest form: psychological.
I imagined stripping away his certainty piece by piece, forcing him to confront what he pretended not to feel. I could tell he was the kind of man who did not submit from weakness but the kind who submitted from inevitability.
My pulse thrummed with anticipation.
I murmured to the walls, letting the word hang:
"Cole… you really should have stayed away."
Another shadow flickered at the bars.
"Boss?" the guard asked cautiously.
"Yes?" I replied, letting the single word carry weight.
"Shift is changing. Do you need anything?"
"No," I said, voice steel wrapped in velvet.
"Yes, Boss," he stammered, retreating.
Alone again, I stretched across the cot, letting my mind drift to possibilities.
I imagined a conversation I would have with Cole the next time I saw him.
"What do you want, Blackwood?" he'd ask.
"I want to watch you unravel," I would say.
He'd scowl. "I don't unravel."
"You will," I'd reply. "And you'll thank me for it."
The image made me smile slowly.
Then I pictured Marco returning, another layer of dialogue in my mind.
"Boss," he'd ask, cautious but curious.
"Yes?"
"Do you want me to move forward with the roses?"
I'd lean back, eyes narrowing. "Yes. But timing is key. Midday. Peak traffic. Witnesses. Let him see it. Let him feel it."
"And the card?" Marco would ask, tilting his head.
"My name. Gold in colour, and let it not have any message but elegance only. Let it simmer in his mind until he loses control. I want the CSI rattled and everyone's eyes on him.
Marco nodded, ever loyal, the silent enforcer of my plan,s and left the jail cell.
The mental question lingered in the quiet: "How long before he realizes resistance is pointless?" I whispered it to the room, low and predatory: "Cole… how long before you understand that the game began the moment you walked in?"