Drugs and Love

Temptation

The interrogation was dragging, continuing for what felt like hours. Apollo had barley spoke, Valeria had been as commanding and abusive as ever. On top of his broken nose, one of Apollo's eyes, his right one, had swollen up from bruising, at least two of his fingers were fractured and some of his ribs were definitely broken. Surprisingly, he was still conscious and had not passed out from blood loss or pain.

Valeria herself was surprised as she would've shot any person like this by now but, for some reason, Apollo was special. Whether it was his unkempt black hair, the centre fluffed and the tips slightly drenched in sweat. Maybe it was those aquamarine eyes that shone like the water of the Pacific Ocean, glistening like jewels on a ring. Valeria had no feelings for this man she just found his appearance... Unique... She tilted her head slightly as she looked down at him but only for a second, the ice wall she had up quickly solidifying after it momentarily melted. Her face scrunches up in sudden anger.

"Why won't you just talk?" she spits furiously, grabbing his chin and forcing him to lock eyes with her. All dominance held by Apollo seemed to melt in this moment, Valeria now having full control over the mental battlefield. Apollo didn't react. Whether he didn't want too or just didn't know what to say was unclear to Valeria who, in her assessment of him, still had a firm grip on his chin. Her frustration was boiling over but she desperately tried to contain it, trying everything she could speak of to see if Apollo would budge.

"Killing you won't help me" she deducted quietly in her head "and clearly offering you your freedom hasn't worked..." she continued "so what if I offered you women? Money? Luxury? What would you say to that?" she purred, trying to tint her words with a convincing tone. Apollo had to hand it to her, her manipulation was well hid but he could detect it from miles away. Feeling bored, Apollo sighed and decided to entertain her "How much...? Hypothetically..." he asked without a hint of interest in his voice. It was so... Deadpan... "As much as you want" Valeria quickly replied, overjoyed that Apollo was finally falling for some bait.

Apollo thought about it for a minute, the cogs turning in his brain as he properly considered his options. He figured that Valeria had kept him alive for some reason he was yet to notice. She had lied to herself in saying killing Apollo wouldn't help her. In actuality, it would rid her of a massive burden and discourage the KCT and Mexican forces trying to make a move on her. So, the real question was, why had Valeria gone through all of this trouble and kept Apollo alive?

In the spur of the moment, Apollo had no way to justify why he was still alive but a person observing the scene from a third-person perspective may suggest that she was keeping him alive for.... Entertainment purposes. Even Valeria herself couldn't deny that this mysterious soldier was captivating to her somehow. It wasn't something that could be explained but was more something that inspired her to spare this man, hopeful he will, indeed, keep her entertained.