Chapter 33 A Cage with the Door Open
Elena woke up alone.
She stared at the ceiling, the events of yesterday crashing over her, Rodrigo's men watching her, the fight with Pierce, the way his voice had gone cold and controlled as he made call after call.
She'd locked herself in the bedroom last night and heard him settle on the couch. Neither of them were willing to bridge the gap between them.
Now, morning light filtered through her curtains and the apartment was too quiet.
Elena got up, pulled on a robe and opened her bedroom door.
Pierce was at the kitchen table, his laptop open, coffee mug in hand. He looked like he hadn't slept, his hair was a mess, yesterday's shirt was wrinkled and shadows were under his eyes.
He looked up when she entered and their eyes met. Neither of them said anything.
Elena moved to the coffee maker, poured herself a cup, and leaned against the counter. The silence stretched.
"Did you sleep?" Pierce asked finally.
"Not really." Elena wrapped both hands around her mug. "You?"
"No."
More silence. Darrel meowed from somewhere near the couch, oblivious to the tension.
Pierce closed his laptop slowly. "Elena..."
"Stop." Her voice was quiet but firm. "If you're going to apologize, don't."
"I was going to."
"Sorry isn't enough." Elena looked at him across the small space of her kitchen. "You can't just say you're sorry and expect everything to be fine."
Pierce's jaw tightened. "Then what do you want me to say?"
"I don't know." Elena set down her mug. "Maybe that you understand why I'm angry. That you get why being suffocated by security and treated like something fragile that needs constant protection makes me feel like I'm losing myself."
"You think I don't understand that?" Pierce stood, his voice rising slightly. "You think I like putting guards on you? Making you feel trapped?"
"Then why do it?"
"Because the alternative is you dying!" The words came out harsh. Pierce ran a hand through his hair, looking away. "The alternative is Rodrigo getting to you. Using you. Hurting you to get to me."
"So this is all about you." She said her voice sharp.
"No." Pierce looked back at her. "It's about me already losing everyone I've ever cared about and not being able to survive losing you too."
Elena went very still.
Pierce's hands curled into fists at his sides. "My parents died because I wasn't there. Because I was across the city dealing with some meaningless bullshit while they bled out in the street." His voice was rough, barely controlled. "I didn't get to say goodbye. Didn't get to protect them. Just got a phone call telling me they were gone."
Elena's anger wavered, cracks forming in her armor.
"And my brother...Rodrigo wants me dead. Has wanted me dead for three years." Pierce's laugh was bitter. "The only family I have left wants to put a bullet in my head. So forgive me if I'm a little overprotective when it comes to the one person in this world I actually give a damn about."
The confession hung in the air between them. Elena's throat tightened. She'd been so focused on her own fear, her own anger, that she hadn't stopped to see his.
"Pierce," she said quietly.
"I know it's not fair to you." He looked down at his hands. "I know I'm controlling and suffocating and turning your life into a prison. But I don't know how else to keep you safe. I don't know how to do this without..." He stopped, jaw working. "Without losing my mind every time you walk out that door."
Elena set down her mug and moved toward him. Pierce looked up, waiting for her to tell him it wasn't enough.
Instead, she stopped in front of him. "I get it. I understand why you're scared."
"Elena..."
"But I can't live like this." Her voice was gentle but firm. "I can't have armed guards following me everywhere. I can't have you making every decision about my safety without talking to me first. I need some independence. Some trust."
"It's not about trust..."
"It is, though." Elena held his gaze. "You need to trust that I can take care of myself. That I'm not helpless. That I understand the risks and I'm choosing to be here anyway."
Pierce was quiet for a long moment. "What if something happens?"
"Then something happens." Elena reached for his hand. "But I'd rather live with some risk than suffocate in a cage, even if that cage is built from your good intentions."
Pierce looked at their joined hands. "I don't know if I can do that."
"Then we need to figure out a compromise." Elena squeezed his hand. "Because I'm not leaving. But I can't stay if this is what it looks like."
Pierce closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, something had shifted. "What do you want?"
"Less obvious security." She said her voice flat. "Derek can still shadow me, but from a distance. And you talk to me before making decisions about my life. We're partners, Pierce. Not you protecting some helpless thing."
"You're not helpless."
"Then stop treating me like I am."
Pierce pulled her closer, his hands settling on her waist. "I'm terrified of losing you."
"I know." Elena's hands came up to his face. "But you'll lose me faster by suffocating me."
He leaned into her touch, eyes closing. "I'll try. I can't promise I'll be good at it, but I'll try."
"That's all I'm asking."
They stood there in the quiet morning light, both of them scared for different reasons.
"I'm sorry," Pierce said finally, his voice rough. "For making you feel trapped. For not listening."
"I'm sorry too. For saying it was all your fault." Elena's thumb brushed his cheekbone. "I knew what I was getting into. I just... didn't know how hard it would be."
"Neither did I."
Pierce pulled her fully against him, his arms wrapping around her, holding her like he was afraid she might disappear. Elena buried her face in his chest, breathing him in.
After a long moment, Pierce pulled back just enough to look at her. His hand came up to cup her face, thumb brushing her lip.
Then he kissed her.
It was different from before, slower, softer. Elena kissed him back, pouring everything she couldn't say into it. All her anger and fears disappearing.
When they finally broke apart, Pierce rested his forehead against hers. "I don't deserve you."
"Probably not." Elena managed a small smile. "But you're stuck with me anyway."
Something almost like a smile touched his lips. Then it faded, his expression shifting to something heavier.
Elena pulled back slightly. "What?"
Pierce looked at her for a long moment, conflict written across his face. Like he was wrestling with something, trying to decide whether to speak.
"Pierce." She said, concerned. "What is it?"
He opened his mouth then closed it. The moment stretched.
Tell her, something in him screamed. Tell her about May 14th. About your parents. About the connection. Tell her now before it destroys you both.
But the words wouldn't come.
Because if he told her the truth, that his family's war had killed her parents, that he'd known since the moment she told him about that night, that he'd kept it from her while sleeping beside her, falling for her, she would hate him.
And he couldn't survive that. Not when he'd just gotten her back.
I'm so selfish. He thought. But right now he didn't care.
"Nothing," Pierce said finally, the lie tasting bitter. "Just glad you're here."
Elena searched his face, sensing something was off but didn't push. "Me too."
Pierce pulled her close again, holding her tight, carrying the weight of the secret that would eventually destroy them.
But not today. Today, he got to keep her.
And for now, that had to be enough.