~LEXI~
I should've known better than to think I could hide forever. Alex had known exactly who I was the moment he looked at me. The damn smirk on his face had said it all—he'd been playing me from the start.
The ropes digging into my wrists were the least of my worries now. That wasn't what made my heart race or the knot of panic tightening in my chest. No, it was the fact that my cover had been blown. He knew. And that meant everything I'd worked for—everything I'd sacrificed—could be falling apart right now.
I forced myself to focus, breathing steady despite the tension crackling between us. If I showed even a hint of weakness, he would pounce. And I couldn't let that happen. Not when everything was on the line.
"Well, Agent Thompson," Alex had said again, his voice smooth and deliberate, like he'd been savoring every syllable of my name. His eyes never left mine, that cold, calculating look not even pretending to hide his amusement. "Tell me... What exactly were you hoping to achieve here?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. The question itself was a trap—if I spoke, I risked revealing something I couldn't afford to, and if I stayed silent, I knew he'd press harder.
I just stared back at him, keeping my face neutral, the weight of his gaze making my skin prickle. I could feel him waiting for me to crack, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.
"Fine," I shot back, keeping my voice steady, even as my pulse quickened. "But if you think I'm going to spill FBI secrets, think again."
His eyebrow arched in amusement, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. It didn't reach his cold eyes. "Oh, I wouldn't expect you to hand over secrets so easily, Agent Thompson." He took a slow step forward, his presence suffocating. "But here's the thing... I don't need you to tell me everything. Just enough to stay one step ahead."
"And why should I help you at all?" I snapped, tugging uselessly at the bindings that kept me rooted to the chair. "You're just a criminal thug. Why would I betray my agency for you?"
His striking green eyes glinted with something darker as he straightened, his gaze never leaving mine. "Because," he replied smoothly, "if you don't, things could get… messy."
I held his gaze, refusing to look away. "Messy?" I scoffed, trying to push past the knot of fear tightening in my stomach. "You think I'm scared of your threats?"
His smirk deepened, though his eyes remained as cold as ice. Slowly, he took a step closer, and the air around him seemed to thicken, the weight of his presence pressing down on me like a physical force. "No," he said softly, "but I think you should be."
I stiffened as his words hit their mark, my heart racing, but I refused to let it show. He was trying to break me, get under my skin, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction.
"You've been in this game long enough to know," he continued, his voice low and smooth, "that people like you don't just disappear. You don't get to walk away from this. The question is… how messy do you want it to get?"
He was close now—too close. I could feel his breath against my face, hear the soft rustle of his suit as he moved. I tried to hold my ground, but the subtle scent of his cologne—a mix of something spicy and woodsy—was overwhelming. It wrapped around me, making the room feel smaller, suffocating.
I pulled at the ropes again, my frustration building. "You're wasting your time," I spat, refusing to show weakness. "I won't help you. No matter what you do."
Alex's smile never wavered. His hand shot out with lightning speed, gripping my chin and forcing me to look up at him. The roughness of his touch made my skin crawl, but I didn't flinch.
"We'll see about that," he murmured, his breath warm against my lips. "I'll give you a choice. Help me, and I make this easy. Refuse... and you can keep playing the hero. But not for long."
His words were laced with threat, his proximity making my pulse quicken, but I held my ground, staring him down. The seconds felt like hours as we stood in the suffocating tension, his face inches from mine. I could feel the heat of his breath, the intensity of his gaze, as if he was daring me to break.
Then, without warning, Alex pulled back. He stood upright, his presence still commanding, the air thick with the unspoken tension. He straightened, his smirk still in place, as he regarded me with a cold amusement.
I forced myself to breathe, to keep my expression neutral, though the space between us suddenly felt oppressive in its silence.
I clenched my teeth, my frustration mounting, but I refused to show fear. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.
"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do?" I asked, trying to mask the tightness in my chest.
Alex's smile was small, but there was satisfaction in it, as if he'd been expecting this question. "Simple," he replied, his tone almost casual, as if we were discussing the weather. "You'll continue your little undercover operation. Only now, you report to me."
I scoffed, trying to cover the unease crawling up my spine. Of course, this is how he thinks it'll work. He thinks I'll cave and fall into line. "And what makes you think the FBI won't notice?" I shot back.
Alex shrugged nonchalantly, his confidence grating. "Then be smart about it, Agent. Or would you rather spend the rest of your life in this room?"
His words hung in the air, heavy with threat. The walls felt like they were closing in, and the air in the room grew thicker, suffocating. My body screamed for escape, for some way out of this nightmare, but I couldn't let him see the panic.
I forced myself to breathe evenly. I couldn't afford to show any more weakness. But God, the tension in my chest was unbearable.
I leveled my gaze at him, every fiber of my being screaming to fight back, to claw my way out of here. But I knew—I couldn't let him see my fear. Not now.
"So," I said, trying to mask the tremor in my voice, "what exactly do you expect me to do if I decide to play along?"
Alex's eyes flickered, and the faintest smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His posture remained casual, but something in the way he was watching me told me I was treading on dangerous ground. "Simple, Lexi. You'll keep feeding them information. The stuff I want them to hear. You'll make sure they believe you're still one of them."
I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the racing of my heart. "And how do I know I won't just disappear when I'm no longer useful?"
He chuckled darkly, the sound like ice scraping against stone. "If I wanted you dead, Lexi, you wouldn't still be breathing."
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. I had to hold it together, for my own sake. "So generous of you," I said, my words cutting through the air like a knife.
Alex's smile only deepened. "Generosity," he replied, his voice low and dangerous, "is a selective trait."
The silence stretched between us like a tightrope, each of us calculating our next move. I didn't trust him. I'd never trust him. But in that moment, I realized something crucial—I had no choice.
I was trapped, and if I wanted to survive, I had to play his game.
"So," I said, pushing down the knot in my stomach, "what happens now?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver knife, holding it between his fingers with casual precision. As he moved closer, his breath brushed against my skin, sending an involuntary shiver through me. He knelt down in front of me, never breaking eye contact, and cut the ropes from my wrists.
For a moment, I was too stunned to react. The blade was so close, its cool gleam reflecting in the dim light. But before I could make a move, he pulled away, straightening in one fluid motion. The shift in posture was subtle, but it carried an undeniable authority. He stood tall now, towering over me like a dark presence, his body language the embodiment of control. The finality of his movement only underscored the power he held at this moment.
"Now," he said, his voice low, a dark undertone threading through his words, "I cut you free. But remember, Lexi, every move you make from here on out, I'll be watching."
I raised my chin, meeting his gaze head-on, refusing to let him see how badly my heart was pounding. "And I'll be watching you, Alessandro 'Alex' Esposito."
He smirked, almost as if he was pleased by the challenge. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
The ropes fell away, and I stood slowly, flexing my sore wrists. But I didn't take my eyes off him. The tension between us had shifted, now electric and charged. An unspoken understanding hung in the air—that this wasn't the end.
With one last lingering glance, Alex turned and walked toward the door, his hand on the handle. But before he left, he cast a look over his shoulder, his gaze filled with something unreadable, perhaps curiosity, or perhaps something darker.
As the door clicked shut behind him, I exhaled slowly, the silence filling the room once again. But I knew one thing for sure—this was far from over. It was just the beginning of a dangerous, twisted alliance.