Chase POVWhen we got back, I expected Jax to be hidden away and refuse to speak to us. What we weren't ready for was to find him in the kitchen cooking with Dhalia, and both Blake and I were thrown off by that.We couldn't say much; for one, we had no idea if Dhalia knew what had happened, and we weren't sure how he would react."She's asleep, and we need to talk." I look towards Jax, who is lying next to her, smiling like his life is perfect.He nods and gets dressed as Blake does. "We do, so let's leave her to sleep and speak." Jax walks out of the room.Blake looks at me with a questioning look as if I have the answers. "Let's just speak to him," I smile at Blake, knowing he is worried about Jax. After what happened today, I don't blame him.Walking out, we find him sitting in the office. He's going through things, and I groan. I thought it would be a good thing he didn't hide away. Now I'm not so sure, considering his focus has shifted to her stepdad."Jax," I place my hand on th
Chase POV"She needs us. She needs the truth. Only he has the truth now, as her brother, sister, and mum are dead. We have to get her the truth." He looks at us, and I nod."What do you want to find out, Jax?" I ask and wait.He smirks before laughing. "Find out?" He looks at me like I've lost it. "I plan to torture him until he admits everything on video so she knows the truth. I can tell her what he says, but somewhere in her mind, she will still listen to his words and believe him. A video is proof of what is said."Of course, he wants proof. I'm still slightly worried about his calmness right now. It makes me wonder just how much worse he will be when everything finally goes dark."We need to find out about Justin. We need to find out if he is her ex and if she was working with him to uncover things about us." Call me selfish, but I would rather fix that issue than hers. We can fix hers and then Blake and Jax will be hurt by whatever they were planning."No." Blake looks at me. "I
Blake POVI know today we're going back to the city where Dhalia lived, the town where her stepdad is. After what Jax told us about her childhood, I've thought of nothing since. I'm disgusted by her family, that they could do that, and by the men who paid to do it."You haven't eaten," Dhalia smiles at me, and it's so fuckin cute. How could anyone hurt her? "Blake?" She nudges me, and I nod."I'm not hungry." Even if I was, I doubt I could eat. I feel sick, and now I agree with Jax: Her stepdad shouldn't live. He's as bad as Carl; actually, he's worse. I stare at my plate, debating whether Dhalia should be with us when we do it.It might be too much for her to handle, but it might give her closure to be there, to hear the truth."Baby," Jax speaks, but I ignore him—that is until he grips my chin and forces me to look at him. "You need to eat," my mouth opens to protest, and he holds up his hand. "I get it. I know what's going on in your head, but eat. We're not leaving until you have.
Blake POVI hear the heels and turn to see her walking towards us. Groaning, I turn away from her, and Jax laughs. She didn't buy that when we went shopping."We will talk on the way, Princess," Chase mutters. He's back to being grumpy, as always. Standing, I follow them out. My eyes look across her body.She's wearing a leather corset and skirt. Her thighs are perfectly on show, and I swear it's just like temptation—a constant temptation to touch her.Sitting in the car, she is wedged between Jax and me. It's wrong to keep her locked away. I do wonder, though, when all the issues are fixed, then what? Will she go back to her life, leave us behind, or abandon us?"We're going to see your Stepdad today." Chase looks at her, and her head snaps up. Panic floods through her, and I watch as Jax pushes his body closer to hers, his hand grasping her thigh."He will tell Carl. He will know I'm with you."Jax grips her chin, forcing her to face him. "We don't plan to leave your stepdad alive,
Chase POVEveryone is tense, and I can't blame Blake for staying standing and keeping Dhalia behind him. I look at Mr Dolume and wait for him to explain things to us."As you know, elections are coming up, and things are becoming harder. Wayne is planning to run against me, and he has Carl's family helping."Turning, I look at Dhalia."Yes, Chase, if Wayne wins, he's untouchable. He isn't simply a businessman; he replaces me, and you, well, you will never know she is safe."Shit."Look, Mr Asklew has been running campaigns for Mr Quinn. It was part of the deal they made when they merged businesses. Mr Quinn wouldn't win against me, but Mr Asklew has fabricated evidence of non-existent issues I caused.""We already have a plan for Mr Quinn. He won't even be here to fight against you going forward." Jax looks at him, and I nod in agreement."Mr Quinn does a lot along with Carl Asklew, but no one can touch them. Justin Timbroke from L and M has tried, and he nearly lost his entire busine
Chase POV"Sweetness, what was your plan? You let us fuck you, made out like you were a free woman. What? Then, you just go back to dating Justin?" Jax's voice softens, and I get what he's doing. Us shouting at her and hating her won't help."Keeley had mentioned him, and I will tell you what I told her. I honestly forgot about him. It's been nearly a month since I saw him. I told her I was breaking it off with Justin; whatever we had had gone, I knew it had. I just kept seeing him because it was the only part of my life from before I still had control over."She didn't have control over that part of her life; he still did."Look, to us, this wasn't something fun, Angel. We let you into our lives and accepted that we wanted you to stay part of it. We need to know what your plan is." Blake looks at her, and there is so much hope in his eyes."Think about it, we should leave." Right now, we can't sit here and discuss it. I stand and walk out, hearing them following. Getting in the car,
Dhalia POVI don't speak. I'm not sure I could even if I wanted to. Instead, I sit quietly and listen. He wants to trade me for their goods. I know they will agree. They want them back.Maybe they wouldn't have before, but now that they have found out about Justin, I doubt they would even need to consider it before agreeing. Which I deserve; I should have been honest with them from the start."She's a burden, I'm taking it from you." My stepdad looks between them."No." Jax looks at him, and I sit shocked."We don't need you to get our things back; we already know where they are. Even had we not, we'd not agree to trade her." Chase steps closer, and I stare at him. Of them all, I expected him to agree. He seems to hate me again. I deserve his hate."You think she's something special?" my stepdad laughs. "She's used, past her use-by date, and something worn out and used is really only good for one thing, and that's death."Chase tenses and reaches for Jax but stops when he sees that Ja
Dhalia POVI see someone move and notice it's Jax. Chase and Blake are trying to hold him back, and my stepdad continues to talk. I can't hear his words.All I can hear is their laughter that night; I fight back the sickness and see Jax break free of their holds. I can't let him lose himself. Moving, I step in front of him, but he's looking past me and pushes me backwards as he continues on his path to my stepdad.Wrapping my arms around his neck, I whisper to him. "Jax, come back to me, please. Don't leave me; I need you." I feel his body still, and I stay clung to him. "I don't feel good," I whisper and feel his arms wrap around me. I think I might actually throw up. I stay pressed against his chest, trying to come back to the present, but it's a struggle.I hear talking around me and feel my body being moved, and I stay clung to him. My face is trying to hide in his chest to get rid of the images and sounds from before."Sweetness, you need to focus on something here and now. You'r
Dhalia POV After shopping today, I felt a sense of relief I hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever. It wasn’t just about the shopping itself, though I did need some new clothes—my body has changed so much in the past year. No, it was more about finally getting out of the house, about reclaiming a little bit of the freedom I’d been missing. The walls of our home, which once felt like a sanctuary, had started to close in on me. Chase and Jax, in their well-meaning but intense desire to protect me and ensure I had time to heal, ended up suffocating me without even realising it. Don’t get me wrong—I love them for how much they care, but I didn’t need to be housebound for months, or placed on bed rest for weeks after giving birth. I know some women would relish the idea of doing nothing but resting and being pampered, but it drove me crazy. That’s why, when Chase casually mentioned going shopping, I jumped at the opportunity. I was out the door and in the car before he could even t
Chase POVI watched Dhalia as she moved through the store, her steps light and full of purpose, and it hit me—I might have gone too far. In our well-intentioned but overzealous efforts to protect her and Jacob, Jax and I had smothered her. When I casually mentioned the idea of going shopping, I expected a discussion, maybe some hesitation. But instead, she practically bolted for the door, grabbing her coat and leaving without a word. That was proof enough. We had suffocated her under the guise of safety and care.Seeing her so happy to be out, to be free to do something as simple as shopping, was a wake-up call. We had reduced her life to the confines of our home, restricting her to the roles of mother and partner, leaving little room for her to just be herself. That’s why I suggested she could return to work if she wanted to. Jax may not like the idea—he’s still riding the wave of his overprotectiveness—but after more than six months of keeping her tethered, it’s time we give her bac
Blake POV The last few months have been a whirlwind, a mental and emotional gauntlet that none of us expected. It wasn’t the physical demands that took their toll on me—it was the psychological strain, the constant push and pull of trying to navigate our lives while Chase and Jax became increasingly overprotective of Dhalia. My attempts to ground them in reality often felt futile, like trying to anchor a ship in the middle of a storm. Dhalia, poor Dhalia, bore the brunt of their overzealous protection. At five months pregnant, they decided it was too dangerous for her to continue working. Mind you, her job was sitting in a cozy little bookstore, reading and managing sales. There wasn’t anything remotely strenuous about it, but they convinced themselves—and her—that it was unsafe. It seemed harmless enough at first, just a precaution. But by the time she hit seven months, their obsession to shield her and the baby from every possible harm became all-consuming. They wouldn’t let her
Jax POVAs I sit on the couch, the book resting on my lap, I find myself absorbed not so much in the story itself but in the little marks I’ve made throughout its pages. These marks have become something of an obsession for me. They’re the places where I’ve seen Dhalia react—whether it’s a quiet gasp, a tear rolling down her cheek, or that subtle squirm of excitement that she can’t quite hide. Whenever she reads with me in the room, and I catch one of those reactions, I make sure to mark the page number. Later, when she’s done, I go back and read those specific sections, trying to decode what it is about these words that stirs something inside her.It all started small. At first, I only marked the pages that elicited a blush or a quiet moan—scenes of sex that clearly struck a chord. It didn’t take long to realise that it wasn’t just those moments that mattered to her. She would also react to the tender, the heartbreaking, and the unexpectedly sweet moments with an equal, if not more p
Dhalia’s POVMy eyes are glued to the door. In front of me are three small boxes, one for each of them. They are late, though. They promised to be back by four, and now it’s a quarter past. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s harder than I’d like to admit.Two months ago, I opened my bookstore, and it’s been incredible. Twice a week, we host book clubs, and I’ve made it a point to bring one of the guys with me to each session. It’s hilarious watching their faces as we dive into the discussions. The women seem to enjoy it too—something about discussing steamy romance scenes with a bit of eye candy in the room.The door finally creaks open, and I sit up straighter as they walk in.“You’re late,” I say, trying to keep a straight face.“By fifteen minutes, Angel. Cut us some slack.” Blake winks, leaning down to kiss me. His hand reaches for one of the boxes, but I slap it away.“Don’t touch.”He chuckles, rolling his eyes.“Why do I get the feeling we’re in trouble, Sweetness?” Jax asks as
Chase POVI stay stood in this room, shocked by what she's done. She went above and beyond, I was expecting a small, shop, nothing big. This though, is huge. We made sure that everyone knew not to mention anything to us about it.They weren't allowed to mention the location, the colour of the store, nothing. We wanted her to be in control and do it all alone without our input and she has."I've got something to show you," she grips my hand and guides me back through to the book store part, walking through she stops by some books, and hands me one.There, on the cover is a pink fucking unicorn. She found one? I stare at her and she laughs."Pink unicorn," she smiles up at me."You're fucking crazy, you read it?" I stare in amazement as she nods."I did and I'll admit I didn't enjoy it a single bit, but I had to get it, read it because that's the next book you're reading."My head tilts. "Please say you're joking?" She has to be. Her head shakes, and she places the book back."No, you m
Jax POVI watch as she walks towards us, the dress is stunning, long and golden. She stops in front of me and smiles."If they don't hurry, we will be late," she glares towards the door."Leave them alone Sweetness, they were having some fun before getting ready." We both laugh and I wrap my arms around her. A lot has changed in the past three months, a lot of her stepdads businesses are now fully hers. Although we take care of a lot of them.She wasn't comfortable taking over the strip clubs, bars, and such. So we sort a lot of it out for her. She straightens my tie and I chuckle. Her arms wrap around my neck and she reaches on her toes to kiss my lips."I love you Sweetness," I whisper as I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer. My mind goes back, and I begin to wonder if we would ever have found her had Carl not set her up? It's scary to consider that, to consider where she would have been.Justin's plan was to do what Carl had once she returned to him, so would she still be
Dhalia POV His words float around in my mind. He should have told Jax and Blake, then maybe they would understand the whole issue he has. Something tells me after he does something with them, it brings back what happened with his father. I fight to figure out what to say to him, other than he should tell Jax and Blake. “Do they know any truth in what happened?” I stroke along the scar. “No, I thought them believing it sent me over the edge would stop them from doing anything. It did, but part of me still craved them. Which of course Jax noticed, and made it happen.” “You need to tell Jax the truth.” After everything, he still believes that Chase runs because he’s repulsed. “Jax can’t know. He will blame himself for what my father did.” He’s not wrong, Jax will blame himself to some degree. “What happens if he finds out the truth, Chase? Then how will he feel? Knowing that you kept on lying to him?” “He can’t find out, only we know.” I laugh. “So every man there that day is dea
Dhalia POV After eating, I found myself with more energy than before. Which sucks as I was ready to go to bed. Jax and Blake are currently messing around. I say, messing around, but Blake is more taunting him to get a punishment. It’s nice to see, and it reminds me of at the start. “I’m going to finish my book,” I jump up and walk off. I could have fallen asleep earlier, now though? I’ve got too much energy. Grabbing the book I sit down and begin reading it. About ten minutes later, the movement of the door has me turning to it. Chase walks in with a smile. “So, I found a book.” Really? “You found a smut book that involves a frickin unicorn?” He nods. “I did very well, thank you.” Wait, no! “Pink unicorn, it has to be a pink unicorn.” I watch as he sighs and sits beside me. “Pink is impossible! I have searched and I can’t find it!” His outburst has me laughing. “How about a human-unicorn that’s pink? I found one of them.” “No, it’s a pink unicorn, not half and half Chase. So y