*ADELINE*
The leather seat of the car was softer than I expected, wrapping around me like a warm hug, but nothing was comforting about the situation. As the engine rumbled to life, I couldn't help but glance at Marcus sitting beside me. He looked a bit worse for wear with his swollen lip and the severe bruise spreading like an unsettling shadow around his eye, but he still managed a reassuring smile.
"I can't believe you actually convinced Vincenzo," Marcus said, his voice tinged with admiration and amusement. "I'd thought he'd locked you up until the next millennium."
"Well, I wasn't exactly the picture of obedience, was I?" I responded, crossing my arms defiantly. "I'm not about to sit back and have him play doctor. I needed to get out, even if it was just for a little while." The tho
