A Super Promotion

CHAPTER 6: A Super Promotion 

Sam’s POV

I stared at the silver falcon pin resting on the table. It gleamed under the white light, sharp, polished, carrying a weight I wasn’t sure I wanted.

“Why?” The word slipped out before I could stop it. My voice was hoarse, raw from blood in my throat. “Why are you being nice to me after everything? You should hate me. You should…” I trailed off, shaking my head. “You should want me gone.”

Teddy’s lips curved into the faintest ghost of a smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He shifted in the bed, the bandages around his shoulder stark against his pale skin. “Not running away when bullets fly? That means something in my world.” His gaze stayed locked on me. “Call it a gift, Sam. Don’t think too much about it.”

I frowned, my chest aching as much as my ribs. “A gift?” I echoed bitterly. “Doesn’t feel like one. Feels like you just painted a target on my back.”

“Maybe,” Teddy said simply, as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest. “But at least now you’ll know who you’re fighting for.”

I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Some fight. You say I can go back to my room now, but let’s be honest—that’s not a room.” I dragged a hand across my split lip. “That’s a prison.”

Teddy didn’t flinch at my words, but something flickered in his expression, too brief for me to catch. His silence was heavier than anything he could have said.

I pushed myself up slowly, every muscle screaming in protest. I didn’t wait for his permission. I walked to the door and yanked it open, stepping into the cold, sterile hallway. The air out here smelled of antiseptic, sharp enough to sting my nose.

The corridor was quiet,too quiet,until a familiar deep voice drifted from around the corner.

“…yes, mistress. I understand. I’ll take care of it,” Gaston’s voice rumbled, low but firm.

I froze, pressing my back against the wall. My skin prickled. I should’ve kept walking, but curiosity rooted me in place.

I leaned just enough to see him, phone pressed against his ear, his jaw tight as he listened. His tone was respectful, almost reverent, and I didn’t need to guess who he was speaking to. Delilah.

My chest tightened.

“…don’t worry. He won’t forget who’s in charge,” Gaston said, his voice carrying down the hall.

I turned away, deciding I didn’t want to hear more. I started walking, steps slow but steady. That’s when I felt it,an iron grip around my arm, yanking me back so hard I nearly stumbled.

Gaston stood there, eyes cold and burning all at once, phone already shoved back into his pocket.

“Going somewhere?” His grip tightened like a vice.

“Let go,” I said through gritted teeth.

He leaned close, his breath hot against my ear. “Watch your back, boy. You think you’re safe because he likes you?” His lips curled into something close to a sneer. “I’m just waiting for the order. Once it comes, I’ll make sure you don’t breathe right for days. Maybe weeks.”

My pulse hammered in my ears, but I forced myself not to look away. If I showed fear, he’d enjoy it too much.

Slowly, deliberately, I yanked my arm free. Pain shot through my shoulder from the force, but I didn’t let it show.

“Then I’ll make sure to keep breathing just to piss you off,” I muttered.

For a second, Gaston just stared at me, eyes narrowing, the veins in his neck twitching like he was about to snap. But then he stepped back, silent.

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of another glance. I turned and walked down the hall, every step echoing against the white walls.

The falcon pin’s weight burned in my pocket, heavier than chains.

And for the first time, I realized something.

This wasn’t just a prison.

It was a battlefield.

And I was right in the middle of it.

By the time I made it back to the dormitory wing, my body felt like it was stitched together with pain. My ribs ached, my jaw throbbed, and my arm still tingled where Gaston had nearly crushed it.

But all of that faded when I stepped into the room.

Eli sat on his bed with a deck of cards spread out, bored expression vanishing the second he saw me. “Damn,” he muttered, sitting up. “You look like you went ten rounds with a sledgehammer.”

“Close enough,” I said with a grimace, lowering myself onto my bed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the silver falcon pin. It gleamed faintly in the low light.

Eli’s eyes widened. “Whoa. What the hell is that?”

I turned it over in my palm. “Promotion. Straight from Teddy.”

For a moment, Eli just stared. Then he broke into a grin. “No way. Are you serious? You,out of everyone,got promoted?” He shook his head, laughing. “Man, I knew there was something about you. Congrats, Sam. That’s… that’s huge.”

I didn’t smile. The weight of the pin felt heavier than before. “Huge, yeah. More like a bigger target.”

“Still,” Eli said, leaning forward, “you’re in his inner circle now. You’ll get better treatment. Safer work. Maybe even—” He stopped when I raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe even what?” I pressed.

He sighed, lowering his voice. “Maybe even a chance out of this place, one day. Teddy doesn’t just hand out pins like that.”

I leaned back against the wall, exhausted, and stared at the pin again. “The next thing I’m going for is a change of room. For both of us. We’ve earned better than this cell.”

Eli chuckled without humor. “Sam, don’t get your hopes up. If they change anything, it’ll only be for you. Not me.”

“That’s not good enough,” I said sharply. “We stick together.”

Eli shook his head slowly, eyes somber. “That’s not how this place works. Promotions divide people, Sam. They’ll want you separated from me now—keep you closer to them, further from me.”

The thought made my stomach turn. I clenched my fist around the pin until the edges dug into my skin. “Then I’ll fight it. I don’t care what strings I have to pull. I’ll make sure it’s both of us. I won’t leave you here.”

For a moment, Eli just watched me, his expression unreadable. Then he sighed and gave a faint smile. “You’re stubborn, you know that? Maybe that’s why Teddy likes you.”

“Or maybe that’s why Delilah wants me dead,” I muttered.

The silence stretched between us, heavy but not hopeless.

Eli lay back down, arms behind his head. “Just… don’t make promises you can’t keep, Sam.”

I didn’t answer. I tucked the falcon pin under my pillow and stared at the ceiling, my jaw tight.

Because promise or not, I meant every word.