AN OMEGA'S CYCLE: TRAPPED IN HEAT WITH MY FOUR STEPBROTHERS.

ADRIAN’S POV

I woke before sunrise and barely bothered with breakfast before leaving the house. I had spent most of the night thinking about Jayden, and by morning I had already decided that I wasn’t going to waste another day waiting for answers.

The penthouse was far enough from the main house that nobody would accidentally stumble across it, and after what Jayden had done, I wanted him somewhere I could monitor while we figured out exactly who had been helping him.

I drove there myself, keeping my attention on the road while I went over the same questions repeatedly. Who was the brother Jayden kept mentioning? Who had given him orders? How had he known so much about Nicholas? How long had he been watching him?

One of the guards was waiting at the entrance when I arrived. He opened the door for me before I had even reached it, then fell into step beside me as we walked inside.

"He’s still alive, but he hasn’t made things easy for anyone," the guard explained, keeping his voice low as he followed me toward the elevator. "He’s been testing the doors since last night, checking the windows, trying to figure out which guards are less attentive and even attempting to convince one of the men that you had ordered us to release him. Nobody answered him, but he’s clearly looking for an opportunity. He’s also been asking repeatedly when you’re coming back, so I assume he knows you’re going to question him."

I stopped before entering the elevator and looked at him. "You know how it is. Just make sure nobody gives him that opportunity. I don’t care how convincing he becomes or what story he comes up with while I’m gone. He’s already demonstrated that he’s capable of manipulating people, escaping custody and moving Nicholas without anyone noticing. Keep the security rotation unpredictable, don’t let anyone enter the basement alone, and if he tries anything, you call me immediately rather than attempting to handle the situation yourselves. I don’t want another incident because somebody underestimated him."

The guard nodded. "Understood. We’ve doubled the watch since last night, and the basement doors are secured from outside. He hasn’t been able to get near the main entrance, but he’s been testing every weakness he can find."

"Good," I replied as the elevator doors opened. "Keep doing that."

We descended to the basement. The guards had converted the large underground room into a secure holding area, and Jayden was restrained at the far end. He looked exhausted, disheveled and furious, but the moment he saw me, his expression changed into something almost amused.

The guard unlocked the outer door and stepped inside with me.

"I’ll leave you here," he said, checking the restraints one final time before stepping back. "If you need anything, press the call button beside the door."

I nodded. "Stay close enough to hear it."

Once the door closed behind him, I pulled a chair across from Jayden and sat down.

He watched me silently.

I opened the folder I had brought with me and placed it on my lap. "I’m not here because I want to waste my morning threatening you, Jayden. I’m here because Nicholas nearly died, you kidnapped him, you moved him between locations, and we now know you weren’t acting completely independently. So we’re going to start with the person you’ve repeatedly called your brother. I want his name, where he is, how long you’ve been working with him and why he wanted Nicholas dead. If you cooperate, this conversation can end quickly. If you decide to keep playing games, you’re only making your own situation worse."

Jayden looked at the folder, then back at me. "You came here alone because you think you’re different from your brothers."

I stared at him.

He continued, smiling faintly. "That’s interesting. You all have different ways of pretending you don’t care about Nicholas, but you’re here before sunrise because you’re worried about what happened to him. You can sit there asking me about my brother all you want, but you’re not going to like what you eventually discover."

I closed the folder. "I didn’t ask you what you think about me. I asked you for a name."

Jayden shrugged. "Maybe I don’t remember."

I didn’t look impressed. "You remember."

He shrugged. "Maybe I don’t want to tell you."

Bastard.

"That’s your choice." I leaned forward. "But understand something before you decide how far you want to push this. Nicholas is no longer in your hands. You’re the one sitting in restraints now, and the only thing you can control is whether you give us information voluntarily or force us to spend more time getting it."

Jayden laughed long enough to irritate me. "You lot really are dumb."

I stared at him. "What does that mean?"

He snarled. "You think catching me solved the problem."

"It solved one problem. I’m supposing that’s enough right now."

"No." His smile widened. "It gave you someone to blame."

I remained silent and Jayden tilted his head. "You want to know who my brother is? Fine. Ask another question."

I studied him carefully. "Who helped you move Nicholas from the first warehouse?"

Jayden looked at the ceiling. "Beautiful weather today."

My jaw tightened. "Where did you take him after the filling station?"

"Have you ever noticed how quiet these basements are?" He grinned.

I stared at him for several seconds. "Who gave you the vehicle?"

He adjusted, a smirk on his face. "Do you think Nicholas hates you?"

That was enough. I stood and Jayden laughed again.

I walked toward the equipment cabinet along the wall, opened it and looked inside. I wasn’t going to allow anger to make me careless, but I also wasn’t going to pretend I was going to sit there listening to him mock every question indefinitely.

I picked up a heavy metal instrument from the cabinet and placed it on the table between us, not using it but allowing him to see exactly what kind of conversation I was prepared to have.

His smile faded slightly.

"Let’s try this again," I said, returning to my chair. "Who helped you move Nicholas?"

Jayden looked at the object and then at me. "You really think hurting me is going to make me talk?"

I smiled slightly. "I think eventually you’ll decide that answering a few questions is easier."

He laughed again.

That was when I lost patience. I grabbed him by the collar and forced him back against the chair, keeping the metal instrument pressed against the table rather than using it on him. "You have no idea how close you came to killing someone who had nothing to do with whatever arrangement you have with your brother. You don’t get to sit here laughing because you’re finally facing consequences for what you did. You took Nicholas, you kept him captive, and you repeatedly threatened his life. So don’t mistake my patience for weakness."

Jayden stared at me, fear flashing in his eyes.

I stepped away and placed the instrument back down.. "Who is your accomplice?"

He remained silent so I picked up another restraint tool and placed it on the table.

Jayden’s eyes followed the movement.

"I’ll ask you one more time," I said, keeping my voice controlled. "Who helped you?"

He swallowed. Then he smiled again. "You’re going to have to do better than that."

I looked at him for a long moment. Then I moved closer. With incredible strength, I drove the metal into his leg and he screamed as I twisted the rod, drawing blood as it tore through flesh.

But he never answered.

Each time I demanded information, he tried to redirect the conversation through the pain and tears, insult me or laugh it off. Each time, I brought him back to the same point.

His accomplice. His brother. The person who wanted Nicholas dead.

Eventually, the amusement disappeared from his face and sweat dripped from his forehead.

"Please," Jayden said, breathing heavily as he struggled against the restraints. "Enough. I understand what you’re asking."

I stopped and looked at him. "Then answer."

He shook his head and I reached toward the table again.

Jayden’s eyes widened. "Wait."

I stopped.

He stared at me for several seconds before finally speaking. "I’ll talk. Just stop. I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you need to understand that once I give you the information, I’m finished. My brother won’t let me live if he finds out I’ve told you anything."

I pulled the chair closer and sat down. "Then start talking."

Jayden swallowed hard. "Fine. You want to know who helped me?"

I nodded. He looked at me, his expression completely different now. "I’ll tell you."

I leaned forward. "Every name. Tell me who it is."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!