Chapter 5

Cove leaned back in his chair, watching Eli with those sharp gray eyes. The breakfast tray sat between them like some twisted peace offering. Eli picked up the fork but didn’t eat. He wasn’t about to play along that easily.

“These rules,” Eli said, voice flat. “You really think I’m just going to follow them?”

Cove’s expression didn’t change. “You don’t have a choice. Rule one: you stay inside this penthouse. No leaving. No trying to contact anyone. The whole place is locked down. Phones, internet, everything goes through me.”

Eli let out a bitter laugh. “So I’m your prisoner. Nice. Real original.”

“You’re mine,” Cove corrected calmly. “There’s a difference. Rule two: you speak to me with respect. I won’t tolerate constant attitude.”

“Respect?” Eli slammed the fork down. “You kidnapped me, dragged me here in the dark, put your hands on me without permission, and now you want *respect*? Fuck you, Cove.”

Cove’s jaw tightened slightly, but his voice stayed even. “Keep pushing and you’ll learn the hard way. Rule three: your body belongs to me. You sleep when I say, eat when I say, shower when I say.”

Eli’s face burned with anger. “My body is not yours. I’m not some toy you can play with.”

“You are exactly that now,” Cove replied. “Your brother handed you over like garbage. I accepted the gift. That makes you mine until the debt is cleared.”

“Debt?” Eli pushed his chair back and stood up. “I had nothing to do with Marco’s shit. I stayed away from all of it. This is bullshit and you know it.”

Cove stood too, slow and controlled. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here. You’re useful. And you’re going to work for me.”

“Work for you?” Eli crossed his arms. “What, you want me to hack people for you? Steal money? Destroy lives like you do?”

“Whatever I need,” Cove said simply. “You’re good with computers. One of the best, from what I’ve seen. You’ll use those skills when I tell you to.”

Eli shook his head. “No. I won’t help you with any of that. I’d rather die.”

Cove stepped closer. “Careful. That can be arranged, but I’d rather keep you breathing.”

“You’re sick,” Eli snapped. “You get off on this, don’t you? Having someone locked up, scared, completely under your control. Does it make you feel big?”

Cove’s eyes darkened. “It makes me feel like I have what I want. And right now, I want you.”

Eli’s heart raced, but he kept going. “You don’t *have* me. You have a body in a fancy cage. That’s it. I’ll never give you anything real. Never.”

“You already did last night,” Cove said quietly. “I felt how you shook when I touched you. How your breathing changed.”

“That was fear, asshole. Not whatever twisted fantasy you have in your head.”

Cove moved around the table, closing the distance. Eli refused to back up.

“Rule four,” Cove continued. “No lies. I catch you lying, there will be punishment. Real punishment.”

Eli glared up at him. “And what if I don’t care? What if I fight you every single day?”

“Then every day will be harder for you,” Cove replied. “I have all the time in the world. You don’t.”

Eli laughed coldly. “You think you can break me? I’ve dealt with worse than you. Marco was a piece of shit my whole life. You’re just another bully with money.”

Cove’s voice dropped lower. “I’m nothing like your brother.”

“No, you’re worse,” Eli shot back. “At least Marco didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. You act all calm and in control, but deep down you’re just a sick fuck who needs to own people to feel powerful.”

The words hung in the air.

Cove moved fast.

Before Eli could react, Cove grabbed him by the front of his hoodie and shoved him backward. Eli’s back hit the wall hard, knocking the breath out of him. Cove pinned him there with his bigger body, one forearm pressed across Eli’s chest, the other hand gripping Eli’s jaw, forcing him to look up.

Eli’s eyes widened.

“Say that again,” Cove said, voice dangerously low. His face was inches away, gray eyes burning. “Go on. Call me a sick fuck one more time.”

Eli’s breathing was fast and shallow. He could feel the heat coming off Cove’s body, the strength in the hand holding his face. His back pressed painfully against the wall, but he still lifted his chin defiantly.

“You. Are. A. Sick. Fuck,” Eli said slowly, each word clear.

Cove’s grip tightened. The air between them crackled with tension.

For a long second, neither of them moved.