Page 54 of Poison

Finally free of the contraption, I turned to her. "We need a bit more time."

The look on her face was incredulous. "Don't we want to do this as soon as possible?"

"I want to give Alex justice. I have a plan, but it'll take time if it even works."

"What plan?"

I opened my mouth to fill her in when a knock on the door and the muffled sound of Trevor's voice interrupted. "I'll explain when I'm sure I can pull it off," I whispered before answering the door. "I'm almost ready."

"Well, hurry. I have a surprise waiting for you in the car."

I smiled, then quickly tossed my shirt and shoes on. "Hewants me to hurry. We can talk about it later."

Cherry nodded, and I rushed outside.

When I slipped into the car, Trevor presented me with a large box. "Open it quickly."

I did, and when I lifted the lid, I squealed, nearly tossing the thing from my lap. After my hands stopped shaking, I gently lifted theball of furout. "What is it?" The creature had a fluffy white coat, long ears, and the cutest little nose.

"A rabbit. You've never seen a rabbit before?"

I shrugged, and the creature tried to wiggle away. "I've read aboutthema long time ago."

"Well, you saved this little fellow's life. He'll have to get used to you handling him. He was bred to be food. Sin City gets rabbits from a farm in another city. They are a delicacy here andvery expensive. I had to get this little one from a processing plant."

"People eat these?!" I cried, scaring the critter more than I intended to.

"Yes, people eat them. Do you really believe people in the Nine Ringsare going tosettle for only eating bird meat like the rest of the city?"

I shook my head. It was hard to believe anyone could eat something so cute. The rabbit kicked again, and I placed it back into the box. "It doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Like I said, it needs to be handled more.Once it figures out you'reasafepersonto be around, it should allow you to cuddle it.Even though they are used for food, some people on Top Hill also keep them as pets."

Trevor reached into the box and stroked the creatureon the back ever so gently.My heart began to melt at the sight. He had gotten me a pet just like I asked. It couldn't have been cheap.Why couldn't he always be like this? Was he getting better? Was he going back to the Trevor I once knew?

I shook my head, clearing those thoughts away. No. Trevor hadn't changed in the past thirteen years. He wasn't suddenly going to change. But maybehedid? Maybe running away made him realizethat hehad been pushing me too far. But he was still keeping me prisoner. I was still his slave. If what Alex said was true, he should release me. But maybe he wasn't telling me about it to make sure I realized how much he still loved me.After all, if I ran away, what logic was there to me staying ifhetold me my debt was paid? Maybe he was afraid I would leave again.

I don't know why I leaned over and kissed him, but I did. It was a real kiss, not one of the fake ones I was used to giving him. The type of kiss I shared with him when he was the Trevor I loved.

Chapter 40

Trevor and I made love when we got home. It wasn't just sex like it had been for the past several years. There was real emotion in it. He took his time kissing me, stroking me, and ensuring that I hit my climax first. After that, we shared his bath together. As he washed my body, he kissed every clean inch. Then we went to bed, where we cuddled for a long time beforegoing to sleep.

When I woke up, it was past noon. Trevor wasn't home, but that was normal. Little Hopper, the rabbit, was hanging out in a closed-off pen by the doghousethat we were usingas his coop.

Trevor had removed my name.When I looked down at the rabbit, a tear stung my eyeand slowly rolled down my cheek. "Get your shit together, Isaac."

More tears fell as I thought about the path laid out before me. Trevor didn't love me. As much as I wanted him to, he didn't.Hewasn't capable of real love. He'd proven that over and over again. I needed to move on. I needed to start looking forward to a possible life with Vic.

Vic may be unable to afford the finest things, but he would never hold me prisoner. Wemay not agreeall the time, but he would never hit or beat me. He wouldn't rape me. He knew "no" meant "no." Vic always tried to make sure I enjoyed having sex with him. He tried his damnedest to make sure I came first. Sure, it didn't always work out that way, but shit happens. He always managed to finish me off, even if it was with his hand or mouth. Vic wouldn't force me to sleep with people for money, but I'm sure he wouldn't judge me if I did. Vic wouldn't dictate what I wore or how my hair was done. Vic would allow me to be myself, so why the fuck was I thinking of Trevor?

Dropping to my knees, I reached out to stroke Little Hopper, but he scurried away. Poor little fella didn't know what affection was. I stared at the animal, and as its head popped out of the house, my jaw dropped in realization. I was just like this rabbit. I didn't know what love really was. The only thing I had to compare the feeling to was how Trevor treated me. I would bet that the little rabbit felt safe and maybe some form of love towards the people who fed it, even though they were the ones who would eventually butcher it.

In this situation, I was the rabbit, Trevor was the feeder, andweirdly enough,Vic was me.I clung to Trevor because it was all I knew. He was where I got my food and what I thought was love.Just like how I want to gain thetrust of the rabbit, Vic wants to gain my trust.Vic wants to show me what love can really be, just like how I want to show the rabbit whatreal affection is.Humans thrive on love. They die without it. That was scientifically proven. Just like how the rabbit would eventually see me as asource of food, Vic was the food my soul needed.

I headed to the window, trying to get a view of the districts beyond the Nine Rings. I wasn't sure if I was looking at the Sin District, but I hoped I was. Trevor ruined my life and stole Alex's. A convicted murderer didn't get a debt put on their head. They were executed and thrown over the wall. Murder had no place in Sin City, the same way Trevor had no place in my heart.I had to go through with my plan, both for Alex and forme.If I didn't, even if I eventually gained my freedom, I would nevertrulybe free.I would always wonder if I made the right choice.

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