YOU'RE NOTHING

LIAM'S POV

"I showed the detective my part of the evidence." I say to Dante as he stares at Adrian like he wants to eat him alive. There is only anger and pain in his eyes. I completely understand him. That's all I've been able to feel since Adrian ruined Adeline's life, and it worsened when Naomi was taken away from me too.

"Adeline's parents haven't even called to check up on her." I say with bitterness in my voice. "They both assume that Adrian is away on business and that Addie is on vacation. It makes me so mad. Their daughter is literally in a lion's den right now, suffering with no way out and they don't even know it."

"Her parents have always been full of shit. Adeline knew it, but she still worried about them. She stole from Adrian for them. She put herself in danger just so they could get the money they needed for their company without selling her off. Well, they have their money now and they couldn't care less what happens to their daughter." Dante says with the same spite that I feel.

"It's their fault Adeline is where she is today. I blame them. If they had never introduced Adeline to this bastard. If she had never met him, none of this would have happened."

He sighs and turns towards me. His eyes look tired and defeated. He always looks like he's going to cry these days. "I don't like Adeline's parents any more than you do, but if there's anyone to blame for what happened to her, it's me." He says.

I hated Dante before but lately, I haven't been able to find that anger and resentment that I felt towards him. If anything, I feel sorry for him and I can't help but acknowledge how strong he has been. His entire life, all he has been is strong. He lost his parents at a young age. All he had was his sister and she was taken away from him too. His entire life, everything he has loved has ben snatched away from him.

I can only imagine for how long he has kept himself locked up. For how long he hasn't let his emotions out. Adeline came into his life and she was probably the only one that made him feel like he could give himself to another human being. And then the same people who took his sister, took her away from him too.

I'm not trying to say he is suffering more than Adeline right now, and I'm not trying to say that there weren't ways for him to be more careful while Adeline was stealing from Adrian. He should have been more careful. He knew Adrian was dangerous and he shouldn't have out Adeline in any sort of situation where that sort of thing might have happened.

But we're all victims of the same monsters here. Adeline and Naomi will ever be the same after spending time in that place and both Dante and I will have to face the consequences of it and be there for both of them in any way we can.

"I used to think that too…" I say with a scoff. "There was nothing more I wanted in the world than to blame you for everything that happened. But Adeline being taken is not your fault. It's Adrian's. I know that now. Hating you won't solve anything because all this time, you have been the one with the plans to try and save her. I don't blame you anymore Dante. I trust that you would do anything to rectify your mistakes."

"What's done is done. It's heartbreaking. It's painful. The people we love more than anything in the world are going through an unspeakable horror and there's nothing we can do about it. But what we do is that we fight every day. We fight each and every day to find them. I know we will."

Dante smiles at me and places his hand on my shoulder in a brotherly way. "There's nothing in this world that could stop me from finding Adeline and Naomi. It's my responsibility."

"Do you think that guy that called us is legit?" I ask Dante with a dreadful look on my face. "That man that called us said he was the one responsible for driving Adeline to erotica. He was directly involved in the kidnapping and then one day he just ups and calls us and says he's been blackmailed by Veronica? And that he is working with Adeline? The same person he kidnapped? I don't know about you, but it all sounded like bullshit to me."

"I want to trust him." Dante says. "After all the shit that has happened to us, I want to believe that the universe is giving us a break. I know it's not practical. Of course, I have my guards up about him but maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt until he calls us again. So far, nothing has happened to any of us since he called. If it was a trap, I want to believe we would have found out by now."

"Well, whatever it turns out to be, I want you to know that I'm all in. I'm a hundred percent with you on this. No matter what happens we're in this together. I want you to know that you can count on me Dante."

"Thank you." He says genuinely and then switches his gaze to Adrian's body.

"I know you're not asleep so you can cut the shit now." Dante says and Adrian groans as he turns to his side.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to two grown men getting emotional next to me." Adrian says with a weird look on his face. Dante never gets tired of coming in here and beating him up and now, Adrian is completely terrified by the site of him. The one thing that Dante hasn't been able to take away though is his smart mouth.

No matter how much in pain Adrian must be, he never fails to leave as smart comment.

"You want to say that again, pretty boy?" Dante asks with a smirk and Adrian basically shrivels up like the little bitch he is. He scoots backwards in his bed like a scared dog. His face basically looks like he would whimper if Dante touched him right now.

"The meeting with Veronica is soon. So don't worry. I won't be making you suffer anytime soon." Dante states. "If you try anything funny on that day. If you do something that doesn't align with the plan, I'll ask Headshot to put a bullet through your skull. Do you understand me?"

"I know." Adrian says with a cough. "We've been through this a million times already. I know about all the horrible things you're going to do to me if this mission doesn't go well so you don't have to repeat yourself."

Dante shrugs. "I'm just making sure you get the memo, Adrian? Because after you bring Veronica to us, we won't really need you anymore. Once she's at arm's length, we can just discard you anyways. Don't think you're indispensable. You're nothing."

"I would have loved her you know." Adrian says with a weird look on his face. It looks like remorse. It looks like regret. I suddenly feel a huge amount of anger that I can no longer keep inside me. He doesn't deserve to feel tat way. He doesn't deserve to feel the way I think he does. All he is, is the villain of this story.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Dante's nostrils flare in anger and for a second, I think he would risk everything and start beating Adrian up.

"I mean I could have loved her. I never wanted this to happen. I acted on impulse. I was angry that she tricked me. That after all I had promised her, she still chose you! I was going to give her and her family everything! All I wanted in exchange was her! But she stole from me and she was fucking you while pretending to me into me. I had to teach her a lesson. But if you let me out of here, if we work together, I can get her out. There'll be an auction soon for girls her age and I can buy her. Veronica will let me. She trusts me."

Dante walks towards Adrian and grabs him by his collar. He lifts him up and hits Adrian's back to the wall, raising his entire body up like he weighed nothing.

"You really want me to break your face!" Dante barks out. I see red in his eyes and I really think he's going to kill Adrian if I don't step him.

"I MEAN IT!" Adrian shouts out! Dante is about to punch him straight in the nose when I rush towards him and grab his hand before he does something that he'll regret.

"DANTE! Calm yourself! It's not worth it man." I say pulling him backwards until he is completely out of sight from Adrian. He breathes in heavily and walks out of the room, slamming the door so hard, it actually falls off its hinges.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I say to Adrian with a look of disbelief on my face and I don't even give him time to respond because I'm already walking out before he can say anything.