Kate didn't speak right away.
She just stared at him.
Not an option.
The words echoed in her head, sharp and suffocating.
"Yeah," she said finally, her voice steadier than she felt. "I don't really care what you think is an option."
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Interest.
Wrong reaction.
Kate straightened, even as her pulse raced. "You made a mistake. Fix it."
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
"You're still thinking like this is something I can undo," he said.
"And you're still acting like I'm just going to go along with it," she shot back.
A beat.
Then—before she could react—he stepped closer.
Kate's breath hitched as her back met the wall.
Too fast.
He was too fast.
"Listen carefully," he said, his voice low, controlled—but now there was something else underneath it. Something harder. "You were taken in broad daylight. Witnesses saw your face. My face. That already puts you in danger."
"I was in danger the second you grabbed me," she snapped.
His jaw tightened.
"Now you're in more."
The room fell quiet.
Kate searched his face, trying to find the lie.
The manipulation.
Something.
But all she found was certainty.
And that scared her more than anything.
"…Who are they?" she asked, quieter now.
For a second, she thought he wouldn't answer.
Then he exhaled slowly, like he was making a decision.
"The kind of people you don't get away from," he said.
Not helpful.
"Try again," she said, crossing her arms despite the tremor she couldn't fully hide. "Because 'mysterious and vague' isn't working for me."
That almost got a reaction.
Almost.
"They deal in information," he said after a pause. "Control. Leverage. And they don't like loose ends."
Kate's stomach dropped.
"And I'm a loose end," she said.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just truth.
She swallowed hard. "So what—your plan is to just keep me here forever?"
His gaze held hers.
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Too certain.
"Then what is your plan?"
Another pause.
This one longer.
More dangerous.
"You stay alive," he said finally.
Kate blinked. "That's not a plan—that's a goal."
"It's the only one that matters right now."
Frustration surged through her. "You're unbelievable."
"And you're still here," he replied calmly.
Kate opened her mouth—then stopped.
Because he wasn't wrong.
And she hated that.
Silence stretched again, thick with tension.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You still haven't told me your name."
That got him.
Just a fraction—but enough.
He looked at her like he was weighing something again.
Like names mattered.
Like this mattered.
"Why?" he asked.
Kate let out a short breath. "Because if I'm apparently stuck with you, I'm not calling you 'kidnapper' every five seconds."
A pause.
Then—
"Adrian."
The name settled between them.
Adrian.
It fit him.
Sharp. Controlled. Dangerous.
Kate nodded slowly. "Kate."
"I know," he said.
Of course he did.
That shouldn't have sent a chill down her spine.
But it did.
"Well, Adrian," she said, her voice firm again, grounding herself, "if I'm stuck here, we're setting some rules."
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Rules," he repeated.
"Yes. Rules," she said. "I don't try to escape—"
"You already tried," he cut in.
"I said don't," she snapped. "You don't touch me unless absolutely necessary. You actually tell me what's going on. And—"
"And you follow instructions when I give them," he added smoothly.
Kate hesitated.
She didn't like that one.
At all.
"…Depends on the instruction," she said.
A flicker of something—approval?—crossed his face.
"Fair."
Another pause.
Then he stepped back.
Just enough space for her to breathe again.
"You should eat," he said, nodding toward a tray she hadn't even noticed on the small table by the bed. "You're going to need your strength."
"For what?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he reached for the door.
"Because staying here," he said, glancing back at her, "isn't as safe as it used to be."
Kate's chest tightened.
"What does that mean?"
His hand rested on the handle.
"It means," he said, "they're already looking."
The door opened.
Then closed behind him.
And just like that—
Kate was alone.
But for the first time since this started…
She wasn't just afraid.
She was thinking.
Planning.
And somewhere, buried under the fear and anger—
Curiosity sparked.
Because Adrian wasn't what she expected.
Not even close.
And that might be the most dangerous part of all.