The meeting had ended hours ago. The others were gone, scattered to their corners of the hideout. You stayed behind—maybe on purpose, maybe not. The silence was peaceful.

But it didn’t last.

A whisper of motion behind you was all the warning you got. A flicker. A breath. And then a sudden weight crashed into your back, slamming you down across the dusty table.

You gasped, but his hand was already wrapped tight around your wrists, shoving them down as he climbed up behind you, a knee pressing into your spine.

“Caught you,” he murmured, his voice low and cold. “Wandering around after hours. Not smart.”

You struggled. He didn’t budge.

“I’ve got rules,” he said, tightening his grip. “And you just broke one.”

The floor creaked beneath you as he leaned in further, mouth close to your ear.

“Now I have to decide what to do with you.”