NO ESCAPE

"A Dangerous Claim."

The safehouse was quiet, the tension between Bible and Jes lingering in the air like a storm waiting to break. Bible sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts a tangled mess. His body was still aching from the chase, and his mind reeled from Jes’s overwhelming presence. Every touch, every word, felt like it had branded him, leaving marks he couldn’t erase.

The silence was broken by the sharp buzz of a phone. Bible flinched, realizing it was his own phone vibrating on the nightstand. He hesitated, glancing at Jes, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching him with a piercing gaze.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” Jes asked, his tone deceptively calm.

Bible reached for the phone, his stomach twisting when he saw the name on the screen: Tay. He hesitated, knowing exactly why Tay was calling.

“Who is it?” Jes’s voice was sharp now, his eyes narrowing.

“It’s… just Tay,” Bible mumbled, his thumb hovering over the screen.

Jes’s expression darkened. “Tay. The boyfriend, right?” He pushed off the doorframe and took a slow, deliberate step forward. “The one you don’t even care about.”

Bible’s breath hitched, his fingers tightening around the phone. “That’s not…” he started, but the words died in his throat under Jes’s intense stare.

“Answer it,” Jes commanded, his voice a dangerous rumble. “Let’s see what he wants.”

Bible swallowed hard and accepted the call, holding the phone to his ear. “Tay?” he said, his voice strained.

“Bible!” Tay’s voice was frantic. “Where are you? I’ve been calling you for hours! Are you okay? What happened?”

Bible glanced at Jes, who had crossed his arms again, his expression unreadable but his eyes blazing. “I… I’m fine,” Bible lied, forcing a calmness into his tone that he didn’t feel. “Something came up. I… I can’t talk right now.”

“Can’t talk?” Tay’s voice was tinged with hurt and confusion. “Bible, you just disappeared! I was worried sick. Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”

Jes’s lips curled into a cold smile as he took another step closer, his presence looming. Bible turned away, gripping the phone tighter. “Tay, I… I’ll explain everything later. Just… don’t worry about me, okay?”

“Don’t worry?” Tay’s voice cracked. “Bible, what’s going on? Are you in trouble? Who’s with you?”

Jes’s hand shot out, grabbing Bible’s wrist and pulling the phone away from his ear. He brought it to his own lips, his voice dripping with menace as he spoke. “He’s busy,” Jes said, his tone calm but deadly. “Don’t call again.”

Before Tay could respond, Jes ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed. Bible stared at him, anger and panic flaring in his chest. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, his voice shaking.

Jes’s smile vanished, replaced by a dangerous glare. “I’m protecting what’s mine,” he said, his voice low and steady. “You think I’m going to let some pathetic excuse for a boyfriend come between us?”

“Tay doesn’t deserve this,” Bible shot back, his fists clenching. “He’s a good person. He cares about me.”

“And you don’t care about him,” Jes countered, stepping closer until there was barely any space between them. “You’re just keeping him around because you’re too afraid to hurt his feelings. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

Bible’s silence was answer enough. Jes smirked, his hand reaching up to cup Bible’s face, his thumb brushing over his cheek. “You’re mine now,” he murmured, his voice softening but losing none of its intensity. “No more lies. No more pretending. If Tay comes looking for you, I’ll make sure he understands that.”

Bible’s heart pounded, a mix of fear and something he couldn’t name coursing through him. He hated how Jes could see through him, how he could unravel him with just a few words. But he also couldn’t deny the magnetic pull between them, the way Jes’s presence consumed him completely.

“You don’t get to decide my life,” Bible whispered, though the defiance in his voice was fading.

Jes leaned in, his lips brushing against Bible’s ear as he spoke. “Don’t I?” he whispered, his tone both a challenge and a promise.

Bible closed his eyes, his resolve crumbling under Jes’s touch. Deep down, he knew there was no escaping this. Jes had claimed him, and the terrifying part was… he wasn’t sure he wanted to fight it.