Chapter 30 – Bella

Margot’s POV

“It’s so confusing, you know? One second he’s actually pretty decent, and then the next, I’m trembling, terrified of him,” I tell my friend, as both men now ran side by side on the treadmills – laughing together, and I took note that this had been the most I’d seen Coban actually smile since meeting him.

Obviously they were good friends, maybe even in the same dark criminal gang on the outside?

It would make sense…

“So is that all? Don’t tell me there’s more?” Cara reaches out to take my hand, offering it a squeeze, as I smile at her before pulling it away.

I was conscious of how it looked, her holding my hand like that. Coban might see and think that I’m playing the pity party to my friend – because I suppose that’s exactly what I was doing.

I needed Cara to console me, to tell me I wasn’t going mad and that everything was alright… it was the only way I’d get through this!

“There’s way more…” I began, taking another deep breath to recite more of the never-ending list. “On the way to breakfast, I was too busy trying to find you amongst the crowds that I lost Coban. When I finally got to the cafeteria, I had to stand around like an idiot by myself until someone found me. Long story short, a guy named Jay approached me and was just acting like a total creep… but Coban got there on time and threatened him to stay away from me before anything happened,” I offload, as Cara covers her mouth with her hand in shock.

“Woah! You’ve really been through it Margot – what the fuck!” Cara squints in disbelief, as I pinch my nose.

I wasn’t even close to being done yet…

“Coban was obviously furious that I had gotten myself lost, and warned me not to let it happen again… but then…” I trail off, remembering back to the deal he made me, vowing to keep me safe in here.

“But then what?!” Cara pushes on, desperate to know the rest, evidently engrossed in all of my drama that had happened over the last fifteen hours or so.

“He offered me a deal… that he would keep me safe whilst I’m in here, in return for helping him get his freedom. He said that as long as I’m in here, that I belong to him, and so he won’t let anybody else touch me,” I say it out loud, cringing slightly at the way it sounded like some twisted romance novel.

“That’s sort of… nice of him though, right?” Cara tilts her head and says, as I rub the back of my neck awkwardly and nod.

“Yeah, believe me when I say that I was quickly grateful for the protection when a guy shoved me on my ass on the way here…” I begin the next part, as Cara screeches in horror.

“SHUT UP! THAT TOO?!” She bellows, as I hiss at my friend to be quiet.

“Remember he’s right over there!” I scold her, as Cara slaps her hands across her own mouth and nods.

I glance over, seeing that their sprint had dropped down to a fast-paced power walk now, as they remained engrossed in their own conversations too much to care about us… phew!

“Yeah so, some random prisoner shoved me in the hallway on the way here because I bumped him slightly. I ended up on my ass and Coban went ballistic. Had the guy held up against the wall in two seconds flat by the throat. He nearly crushed his airflow. I’ve never seen someone react so fast either…” I whisper, as Cara leans in closer to hear me.

Cara’s eyes grew and grew with each passing word, and I didn’t blame her…

“Then what happened?!” She whispered back.

“Then the guards came,” I added. “One of them asked if Coban had hurt me and so I had to defend him. Told them it wasn’t his fault, that he was only protecting me.”

Cara blinked. “So, like… he actually followed his deal though and protected you? Sure he’s terrifying Margot, but that’s kinda cute that he’s willing to keep you safe…” Cara states her opinion as my jaw drops.

“Cute? No. Cara, he’s crazy! He didn’t do it for me, not really. It’s part of the deal, remember? If I stay alive and intact, give him a good word, then he gets out of here. That’s the only reason.” I fold my arms, nodding at my own theory.

Cara smirked. “Still. You have to at least admit that he’s hot.”

I groaned. “You’re impossible.”

She nudged me with her elbow, grinning. “You know what this means though, right? If our prisoners are friends… then maybe we’ll get to see each other every day.”

“I sure hope so!” I breathed out, knowing it would be the only thing keeping me sane.

Just as I was about to say more, movement in the corner of my eye made me turn. The treadmills had now slowed to a stop, and the rhythmic pounding of feet ceased. Both men stepped off in sync, chests heaving, shirts clinging to their sweat–slicked bodies in a way that made it impossible not to notice how cut they both were.

“Honestly though… ignoring that they are criminals… they are totally our types!” Cara nudges me again as I hush her.

Coban reached for a towel, dragging it across the back of his neck and shoulders, then down his arms. His tattoos stood out even darker against the glisten of sweat, veins bulging along his forearms as he wiped them down. Beside him, Luca did the same, tossing his towel over his shoulder like he’d just strolled out of a gym locker room instead of a prison.

Their eyes flicked in our direction.

Cara straightened in her seat so fast it looked like she’d been zapped by electricity, and I felt my own spine go ramrod straight.

A thick, pulsing silence set between us as they crossed the floor toward us with the slow, casual power of men who’d never had to chase anything in their lives….

“Shit,” Cara muttered under her breath, leaning slightly toward me. “Okay, I know I’ve been acting all chill, but I’m actually, like, really nervous,” she finally admits.

I didn’t have time to reassure her, because the next second, the two men stopped right in front of us and dropped onto the sofa opposite.

Luca leaned back, legs spread, arm draped across the seat like he owned the place. Coban was more rigid, his forearms resting on his knees, head slightly tilted, those dark, unreadable eyes boring straight into me.

“You two are friends then?” Luca asked, his voice smoother than I expected – low, charming, with a hint of mischief laced through it.

“Yeah, we came here together,” Cara answered quickly, forcing a bright smile, even as her foot tapped nervously beside mine.

Luca chuckled, clearly amused. “Lucky. Coban and I go way back too, don’t we, Santo?”

Coban didn’t look away from me. “Mhm,” He hummed.

That was it. Just a hum of confirmation. But it landed like a bullet.

That name Santo – rippled through me, unfamiliar and yet intimate.

“So…” Luca’s gaze slid from Cara to me, his eyes sharp and curious. “Tell me all about your little friend, Cara. What’s her name?”

But before Cara could even take a breath, Coban cut in like a knife. “Bella,” he stated with a swift wink directed right at me.

The name wrapped around me like a chain.

My lungs stalled.

Did he just wink at me?!