A bead of sweat rolled slowly down Carl's cheek as he stared up at the ceiling, forcing his eyes to stay fixed on a crack that ran across it.
He focused on that crack like it mattered.
Like it was the only thing in the room.
Anything to keep his mind from drifting.
Anything to keep from thinking about how exposed he felt.
A few minutes ago, Annie had stripped both him and Adira down without hesitation, like it was just another task to check off a list. Their clothes had been taken and thrown onto the bodies in the bags outside, a sick attempt to sell the lie.
Carl swallowed hard.
He had never imagined ending up in a situation like this.
Not like this.
His hands were tied tight behind him, the rope biting into his wrists every time he shifted even slightly. His back was pressed against Adira's, and he could feel the warmth of her through the contact. It made him more aware of everything, not less.
It made it harder to stay focused.
His jaw tightened.
