Ace's pov Darkness pulsed behind my eyelids as a low throb echoed in my skull— slow at first, then pounding; violent and merciless.I sucked in a breath. My body didn’t move. Instead, my wrists screamed when I tried. My ankles too.Panic snapped through me so sharply I nearly choked on it. What the hell?Rope. Thick, tight and digging into my skin and probably my bones.Where was I?I forced my eyes open and the room spun. I groaned softly.Everything was blurry— shadows smeared into shadows, light bending at the edges.My heartbeat smacked against my ribs.Slowly, slowly, the shapes sharpened. A concrete floor, a single dull lamp above, a heavy metal door. The faint scent of smoke…And a man, sitting on a chair not far from me; silent, still. Watching me.My breath stuttered.Those eyes, steel grey and almost unblinking, caught me like a snare. Smoke curled from the cigar between his fingers, drifting past his sharp jawline, past his impossibly high cheekbones, disappearing into th
Last Updated : 2026-03-09 Read more