DemitriI get into her apartment and order someone to grab the items from under the bath. Standing, I look around her bedroom. Why does it look like she has left?Her drawers are open. Some are even fucking empty. I know what would confirm if she has left. Every night, she would write in it. I lift her mattress and notice the diary is gone."Bitch!" I shout, and Evan looks at me. "She played me. She fucking left!" I can't believe I fell for it. "Rob!" I shout and watch as he steps in."Yes Boss?""When she left, was anyone with her? Did she have anything with her?" I ask."A suitcase, boss," he explains, and I sigh.That makes it fucking harder."You wanted a challenge," Evan smirks."A challenge, yes. Not her just disappearing. Get Paul to search the footage we have access to and try to track her movements through the city tonight. Find out where she went," I state, and Evan nods, taking out his phone."Got it, Boss." Sam holds out the box; opening it, I stare. What would have happen
DemiI smile as he leans in close, his hands move and begin to untie the rope."You got caught twice," he laughs."Well, your big ass dude at the door was too big for me to get passed, so fuck yes, I got caught twice." I sigh but laugh. "Was he made in a fucking factory? The only explanation I can think of for his size," I mutter, and he roars in laughter. "Warn the bold twat next time I will get him," I explain."What did you do to him?" He asks while tilting his head."Tried to kick him in his balls, but he caught my foot and dragged me back in like I was nothing more than a ragdoll," I sigh, and he smirks."Hint, Doll, that is one guy you just obey. You can't escape him," he explains, and I nod. I realised that when he caught my foot quickly and dragged me across the floor like I was a piece of string."You should really use him more. He's a big guy," I explain and he laughs."He stays on doors when needed, that's all. Don't need brunt force," he explains."Could help though," I ex
DemitriI can't help but laugh at her attitude of not caring about anything.Mark is cautious of her. I can't blame him for that. She's not about to apologise—well, she doesn't mean it anyway—so I give up on that."Stay there, I want you after," I say to her before walking to where Mark is.I jump and spin feeling her smack my ass, glaring at her she just laughs."What the hell?" I look at her and fight back the smile."Has a little bounce to it," she says while grinning, and I turn so she doesn't see me smiling or laughing. 'Has a little bounce to it?' Who the hell says that and does that anyway?Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I go to where Mark is waiting. He's keeping his distance from her. I can't blame him for that."So we got footage from the place," he says, putting the phone on the table. I lean over the table and peer at it. It wasn't a lie. He keeps his face hidden, even from the cameras.See, he works smarter than the others, so he should know who the main guy is. I hop
DemiI drove back to my parent's place, smiling about how today went. Part of me wants to be caught again because the look in Demitri's eyes was savage when I walked away.I won't, though. I have my plan, and tonight, Ryan is coming to discuss it. This time, he will be kidnapping the right person, and I will help.For the drive back, I can't help but smile at how things have gone today. I should be freaked out a lot, but I'm not. Maybe that's just because I'm fucked in the head?My phone rings, and I hit the button."Hello?""Darling," I smile, hearing my dad."Hey, I'm just on my way back to your place now. Is everything okay?" I ask."Sure is, darling, but we're coming home earlier," he says, and I sigh."Why, this cruise was meant to be a month-long one," why are they coming back?"Your mum is insistent we come home and spend time with you," he says, and I laugh."Dad, that's ridiculous. You can see me anytime. Enjoy your holiday." They can't cut it short for me."Well, darling, co
DemitriI don't want to wait. I've given up on that, so I'm going to go and partially kidnap her. I say partially, as I'm not taking her from the house."Got the details from security," Evan says, and I nod."Codes for the alarms, yes?" I ask, and he nods."Yes. I also found out who fitted the locks. Here's a set of keys," he laughs and throws me the keys. Well, at least I don't have to have the pick the lock."The dog might be an issue," he looks at me."It's not going to be an issue. One of the guys will be feeding it through a back window. While they do, we get in and close the dog in that room." I already thought of that.The guys who recently renovated the patio explained the dog is aggressive, but if you feed it, it gives in and becomes your best friend. I want to say this is too easy, but it's not. Her parents aren't dumb; it was only easy because of who I am.Anyone else reaching out to these people likely wouldn't get the information."House layout, from what decorators said,
DemiDemitri looks highly amused by the fact he tied my parents up. I mean, I will find it amusing when I see them, but he could have said before now.I go to slide off the bed, and his arm captures me and pulls me back."As much fun as this is, it's not ideal," he explains, and I shrug."I think it is," I laugh slightly, and he groans. Pushing me back, his body climbs onto mine."I've neglected a lot of things since I met you because I'm so focused on you. So, we need to figure out a way forward. You want to continue the whole kidnapping each other, sure, but that's not enough," he looks at me and waits."Why's it not enough?" I ask, and he groans."Because I'm fucking obsessed with you and need to taste you every day, not just once or twice a month," he explains, and I smirk."You haven't tasted me today," I wink, and he laughs. His hand tangles into my hair, pulling me to him and kissing me. His tongue moves around mine, and I whimper.My body moves and rolls us over until I'm abov
DemiI've spent my day avoiding my parents and preparing for tonight. I'm not entirely sure why Demitri would just agree to a meal with my parents. Hell, Dean only met them once, and we had been dating for a year when I finally let him meet them.Granted, a few months later, he was gone, but still, I don't introduce men to my parents, not this soon and are we even dating? I've no fucking idea about that either.Picking up the phone, I call Yas."Demi, how's your quiet time going?""It's not very quiet. My parents came back deciding to use the time off with me rather than enjoying their cruise," I mutter."Shit, so are you coming home?""No, I figured I would stay for at least a week, and then they won't complain," I sigh and prepare myself for the reply that will undoubtedly come when I tell her the next part."Demitri showed up, tied up my parents so he could sneak into my room and fuck me. Now we're all going out for a meal."Her loud laughter echoes down the phone. "Let me guess. Y
DemiI've had my nails done, but not my hair, because my mother isn't good at planning things. I haven't showered yet, so getting my hair done now is pointless.I thought I had escaped that and could do it myself, but no. She booked a woman to come to her house and do it for me.You know, because I'm clearly incapable of doing my own hair! Walking in, I throw the bag on the bed. I bought lingerie, considering none I brought would work with the dress, and I'm not comfortable not wearing a bra around my parents.After showering, I sit and have my hair done. I'm unsure where we're even going tonight. He has not said anything other than he will send a car, and I know that is going to raise a hell of a lot of questions."Demi," I turn and look at my mum. "I hung up the dress. It's been in the box for a while. Did you happen to notice what was under it?" She looks at me."No, what?" What the hell was under the dress?"Your hair is done," Marie nods at me, and I walk through to my room. Glan
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