The Edge of Surrender

The deeper you fall, the harder it is to tell if you're drowning or flying.

Celeste....

I should have walked away.

Every rational part of my brain screamed at me to turn on my heel and put as much distance as possible between myself and Adrian Russo. But I didn't move.

I stood there, trapped in the intensity of his gaze, watching the way his lips curled slightly at the edges—like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

Like he was daring me to break.

"Tell me, Ogonëk," he murmured, the smooth cadence of his voice wrapping around me like silk. "What exactly were you thinking about up there on that rooftop?"

I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly. "That's none of your concern."

Adrian exhaled a quiet chuckle, stepping around the desk with slow, measured strides. "Is that so?"

The heat between us simmered, a slow, dangerous burn. He was too close now, just a step away. Close enough that I could feel the energy radiating off him, the way his presence filled the room like a force of nature.

I forced myself to hold my ground. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

"I know you," he countered, his voice low.

The way he said it sent an uninvited shiver down my spine.

I lifted my chin defiantly. "Then tell me, Adrian. What exactly do you think you know about me?"

He studied me, his gaze dragging over every inch of my face as if he were trying to read between the lines of a book only he could decipher.

"That you want to walk away," he said finally, his voice softer now. "But you won't."

I swallowed hard. "You don't know that."

A smirk played at his lips, but there was no amusement behind it. "Don't I?"

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, the air between us grew unbearably thick. He didn't touch me, but it felt like he had.

I hated that.

I hated that he could affect me like this.

I hated that, deep down, a part of me wanted him to.

I turned away before he could see too much, walking toward the bar on the far side of the office, pouring myself a drink just for the sake of doing something with my hands. "You called me here for a reason," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Let's get to it."

I heard him move behind me, slow and deliberate. "You're not the only one keeping secrets, Celeste."

My fingers tightened around the glass.

Of course, I knew that. Adrian was a man built on layers of deception, but hearing him admit it so freely sent a ripple of unease through me.

I turned back to face him, narrowing my gaze. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

He leaned against the desk, watching me carefully. "It means we're at a crossroads. You and me."

My breath caught.

This wasn't about the mission.

It wasn't about the war brewing around us.

It was about something else entirely—something neither of us had the strength to name.

I shook my head. "There is no 'you and me,' Adrian."

He let out a low, bitter chuckle. "Keep telling yourself that, Ogonëk."

I hated the way my stomach flipped at the way he said it.

Damn him.

Damn this.

Damn me.

I took a slow breath, forcing my walls back up. "Tell me what you know."

Something in his expression shifted. Whatever moment had just passed between us—whatever unspoken words had lingered—he let it slip away just as quickly.

He walked back around the desk, pulling open a drawer and tossing a file onto the surface. "This is what I know."

I stepped forward, my heart hammering as I reached for it. The moment I flipped it open, my blood ran cold.

A list of names. Locations. Transactions.

All tied to someone inside his own empire.

Someone who had been feeding information to an enemy.

I looked up sharply. "Where did you get this?"

He studied me for a long moment. "Does it matter?"

Yes. It did. Because if Adrian had this kind of information, it meant things were about to spiral faster than I could control.

And if I didn't get ahead of it, I would get caught in the wreckage.

I forced my expression to remain neutral. "What do you plan to do with this?"

His smirk was slow, deadly. "What I always do with traitors."

I swallowed hard.

I had to find out who the traitor was before he did.

And I had to do it fast.

Because if he found out the truth before I did…

I didn't know if I'd be able to stop him.

And worse?

I didn't know if I wanted to.