“Aren’t you going to let me go?” “Never.” “N-never?” she stammered her reply, making me realize how serious I sounded, how intently I’d been looking up at her when I spoke, and how shallow her breathing had become. Had I gone too far? Revealed too much? I considered backing down, but I was tired of doing that. If I wanted to make progress with Paige, I was better off doubling down. I might only get to play this game with her once, so I wasn’t going to half-ass it.
