Alyssa Inside the elevator, the déjà vu feeling creeps back in. I look around, trying to figure out where I've seen something like this before. Isaac's law firm? No. "Alyssa," Gray's voice snaps me out of it, and when I turn to look at him, for a split-second, I swear I see him as a kid, stand
Gray exhales loudly, like this is as much torture for him as it is for me, though I highly fucking doubt that. "And he only touched your...butt?" I nod, my throat tightening. "And when did you actually lose it?" he asks, his tone carefully measured. "About a week later. I asked him if there w
Nikolai "You look just like your mama," Nina says, the adoration clear in her voice as she watches Zuri sitting on the counter, happily munch on the French fries she just made. I can't even imagine the shitshow going on upstairs right now. Knowing what Gray was about to show our sweet girl, I ha
Explaining why to Gray won't be easy. But damn, I'm so fucking proud of her. She's not the innocent little girl Gray still sees her as. She belongs here with us. "Alyssa," Gray hisses, but I place a hand on his shoulder, calming him. "She can handle herself," I murmur. Gray grunts in resp
Alyssa I start crying on the way home, everything crashing back into me at once. My tears are silent, but the occasional sniffle draws the attention of my men. Zuri looks at me, and I smile, pretending everything's okay. I don't want her to see me like this, allowing her sperm donor to break me
"I do," I whisper, my face heating up with the confession. He groans, like what I'm saying is undoing him. "Do you know why?" "Because I'm fucked up in the head?" I guess with a hollow laugh. "No, my naughty little kitten." His fingers tighten in my hair. "It's because you know I'd never hur
Nikolai Mason and I are watching Zuri, since King went upstairs to comfort Alyssa. After watching her break down in Gray's office and not being able to do anything, it's only fair that he be the one to do it. Knowing him, though, he's probably fucking her by now. There's no doubt in my mind th
King After a night of collecting payments, we arrive at the clubhouse early, before Gray even gets there. As promised, we're getting tested for STDs. Truth is, Alyssa was the only one who needed it, but Niko and I decided to join in to reassure her that she didn't pass anything to us. As expecte
Even on the worst nights, when we crawled home from the clubhouse at dawn, I always stopped at her crib. Kissed her forehead. Whispered that we loved her. That ritual grounded me. Not doing it last night? Waking up in the morning knowing she'd wake up without us? It fucking destroyed me.We're w
NikolaiYeah. Letting Alyssa call Nina was a mistake.She's pacing the room like her skin's too tight, her lip trapped between her teeth, the burner phone pressed to her ear with shaking fingers. "Hey, Nina. Umm...how is she doing?"I glance at King. Then Mason. Then War.We're all bracing for it—w
Niko's hand smooths down my hair, his chest vibrating with soft, amused laughter. "It's okay, sweet girl," he murmurs, warm and teasing. "Me and Mace weren't complaining. And King—well, he was in a goddamn coma after that drive, so he didn't hear a thing."I hear the faintest smirk in King's voice w
AlyssaDespite the way Mason fucked me last night—slow, passionate, like he was trying to pull the sadness out of me one thrust at a time—I still wake up feeling like shit. Numb. Hollow. And aching in all the wrong places.Because no matter what I do, I can't stop the reminder that I won't get to
I thrust into her in one deep, hungry stroke, groaning as her pussy tightens around me like it's welcoming me back home.Fuck. I've missed her like this.I brace one hand against the wall, the other gripping her hip as I fuck her hard, driving the grief and exhaustion out of her with every thrust o
MasonAfter nine hours on the road, King is knocked out cold. Niko lies beside him, flipping through the TV channels with that blank look he gets when he's thinking too much. I'm at the window, AR-15 within reach, peeking through the blinds at the empty parking lot below.Alyssa's been in the showe
The guys had a little time with Zuri before she began fighting to keep her eyes open. I saw it on their faces—how hard it was to kiss her goodnight and walk away. But we all agreed. Leaving her here was the safest choice. Even if it feels like tearing out a piece of our hearts and leaving it behin
AlyssaLeaving Zuri behind is the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than running from Isaac.Harder than learning I killed a man at seven because my father sold children for a living. Harder than choosing to die if it meant protecting the people I love. Because this...this feels like abandonme
He wants her to suffer first. "And you think any of us could live with that?" I spit. No one tries to step in and soften the blow. Because they know she needed to hear it. She swallows hard. Her voice cracks, but she catches it. "I just... I hate this. People could die because of me. I'm putting