Cassidy slid into the driver’s seat, shutting the car door with a sharp click. His fingers flexed against the steering wheel, a tight grip he didn’t ease as the engine rumbled to life. The streets blurred past him, but his mind wasn’t on the road.It was on Arthur.`How the hell had this happened? ´The Black Hound wasn’t just some random bar—it was one of his places. A space that operated under his control, where the wrong people did the worst things… but never to someone like Arthur.Arthur. A damn police detective.A naïve, oblivious, soft-hearted idiot.Cassidy’s jaw clenched, a muscle in his cheek twitching.Houston had been running his business there for years, ever since Cassidy had allowed him to work under his roof—for a price, of course. Houston paid his dues, stayed in line, and in return, Cassidy turned a blind eye. It was just another transaction in a world built
Cassidy exhaled slowly. His pulse was steady, but beneath it, something simmered—dark, dangerous, demanding to be released.His fingers tapped against his thigh, slow and deliberate, before he turned to Nathaniel."Did you know?"Nathaniel's stance didn't change, but there was a flicker—brief, barely noticeable—in his expression. A tell.Cassidy's gaze sharpened. "Don't make me ask again."Nathaniel sighed, glancing away for half a second. "I knew Houston was moving shipments under your businesses, yeah. But I didn't think—""You didn't think what?" Cassidy's voice was silk-thin, dangerously even. He took a slow step forward. "That one day my boy might end up in the mix?"Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. "Arthur wasn't targeted, Sir. He was just… there. Wrong place, wrong time. The woman at The Black Hound saw an easy mark and picked him up. He’s just anothe
The cold steel of the cuffs bit into Cassidy’s wrists as the officers shoved him forward. Nathaniel was right beside him, his expression unreadable, his silence heavy with unspoken curses.The flashing red and blue lights painted harsh streaks across the estate’s stone walls, illuminating the chaos that had unraveled in mere minutes.Arthur stood frozen, his breath shallow, his limbs numb as he watched Cassidy being dragged toward the waiting patrol car.This wasn’t right.This wasn’t supposed to happen.Cassidy had come for him. Had saved him. And now—this?Arthur’s throat tightened as one of the officers pushed Cassidy’s head down, forcing him into the backseat. For a moment—just a fleeting second—Cassidy’s gaze flicked up, locking onto Arthur’s.That same unreadable smirk tugged at his lips. Like he was amused.L
The knock on the door was firm. Measured.Arthur already knew who it was before he even reached for the handle.Masahiro.And if Masahiro was here, that meant—“Morning, sunshine,” Matthew greeted the moment the door swung open, leaning against the frame like he had all the time in the world. “You look like shit.”Arthur huffed a dry laugh, stepping aside to let them in. “Nice to see you too.”Masahiro entered without a word, his sharp eyes scanning the apartment like it was an active crime scene. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular—just observing, calculating, the way he always did.Arthur shut the door behind them and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m fine, by the way. In case you were wondering.”Masahiro turned to him, arms crossed. “You were kidnapped.”Arthur shrugged. &
The door clicked shut behind him.Arthur stood there, just for a second, his breath uneven, his pulse too damn loud in his ears.Cassidy sat exactly where he had been before, cuffs still securing him to the table, but his smirk was softer now—less amusement, more curiosity.Like he was waiting to see what Arthur would do.Arthur exhaled, forcing himself to step forward, closing the distance between them. His throat was dry, his hands trembling just slightly at his sides.Cassidy’s gaze flicked to them.Arthur stuffed them into his pockets.Then—finally—he spoke.“Why?”Cassidy arched a brow. “You’ll have to be a little more specific, sweetheart.”Arthur clenched his jaw. Of course Cassidy was going to make this difficult.He inhaled sharply. “Why did you come for me?”
The car was silent, save for the rhythmic sound of tires gliding over asphalt.Masahiro drove with his usual precision—steady hands, unwavering focus, the kind of control that never wavered.Matthew, on the other hand, was slouched in the passenger seat, one leg bouncing idly, tapping his fingers against the window like he was thinking of something deeply unimportant.Arthur sat in the back, lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly at the blurred city lights streaking past.Then—“I need to get a lawyer for Cassidy.”Both Masahiro and Matthew turned their heads slightly.There was a pause.Then, ever so slowly, Matthew exhaled and let his head fall back against the seat. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”Masahiro, as usual, said nothing—just tightened his grip on the wheel.Matthew turned his head, looking at Arthur o
The bedroom was quiet, except for the soft, steady breathing of Matthew curled up under the blankets.Masahiro lay behind him, one arm draped over his waist, his body pressed against Matthew’s back.Warm. Familiar. His favorite way to wake up.He leaned in, pressing a slow kiss to the back of Matthew’s shoulder.A sleepy mumble.Then—"If you're gonna start something, Masahiro, you better commit."Masahiro huffed a quiet laugh. Of course. Even in sleep, Matthew was a menace.He pressed another kiss, just to be difficult, before pulling away and reaching for his phone on the nightstand.The sheets rustled as Matthew shifted behind him, probably sinking further into sleep, while Masahiro scrolled through his contacts.Then—he called.A click. A familiar voice.“Brown here.”Masahiro ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the pillows. “Clark! H
Arthur sat at his desk, fingers poised over his keyboard, but his mind was elsewhere.He was supposed to be working—supposed to be focusing on the backlog of reports Masahiro had handed him that morning.But he couldn’t.Because in a few minutes, the lawyer would arrive.Clark Brown.Arthur knew of him, of course. The name had been whispered around the city. A sharp, calculated legal mind. One of the best defense lawyers in the city.And now?Now, Cassidy’s fate was in his hands.Arthur exhaled slowly, trying to push down the uneasy weight in his chest.At the other desk, Masahiro was deeply focused, working without distraction, as if the case of the century wasn’t about to walk through the door.And then there was Matthew.Sprawled lazily in a random chair, legs stretched out, hunched slightly over his phone.Focused.But not on work.Arthur didn’t even ha
The knock on Masahiro’s office door was sharp, impatient.Masahiro barely looked up from his paperwork. “Come in.”The door swung open, and Clark walked in with his usual air of barely restrained irritation. Adam followed, stepping in behind him—bigger, heavier, carrying the kind of presence that filled the room before he even said a word.Arthur looked up from his desk. His brows furrowed—not at Clark, but at the man behind him.`Who the hell is that? ´Masahiro set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, finally glancing up. “Clark.”Clark’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Masahiro.”Masahiro’s eyes flicked to Adam. Didn’t know him. But it didn’t take much to put the pieces together. Matthew had arranged for Clark to have a bodyguard. And judging by the way this guy stood like he’d break a man’s spine for fun, this had to be him.Adam met Masahiro’s stare, just as assessing. Neither of them spoke. Sizing each other up.Clark exhaled sharply, clearly over it before it even began.
Clark strode through the Police Station, his expression unreadable, his patience already wearing thin.The place reeked of sweat and coffee. The low murmur of officers shuffling papers and tapping on keyboards filled the space, a dull, monotonous noise that grated against his already strained nerves.He had a job to do—defend Cassidy Hills.That alone was enough to make his stomach turn. But what made it worse? Adam was here.Clark could feel him before he even saw him. The weight of his presence, the air shifting with that unmistakable sense of imposing brutality. Adam was big, heavy, and carried trouble like it was stitched into his skin.Clark ignored it. For now.He pushed open the door to Interrogation Room 2.Cassidy was waiting.Not tense. Not restless. Not even remotely concerned.Relaxed.Slouched back in his chair, emerald eyes bright with
The moment Adam stepped inside Clark’s apartment, he knew something was off.At a glance, it was the kind of place you’d expect a high-end lawyer to own—modern, sleek, expensive. But underneath the surface, there was something else. Something… wrong.Boxes. Unpacked, shoved haphazardly against the walls. Some stacked near the hallway, some left forgotten by the bookshelf.There was an expensive bottle of whiskey sitting on the coffee table—half empty. Another on the kitchen counter. Glasses left behind, like someone had drunk just enough to forget whatever the hell was bothering them, but not enough to pass out.The air had that lingering scent of cologne and something else. Something faintly human, like the remnants of someone who had been here and left in a hurry.Clark’s place was polished, sure. But it wasn’t lived in. It was a man’s house, not a man’s home.&nb
Masahiro’s grip was firm on Matthew’s waist, his pace slow but deep, deliberate. Possessive.Matthew, on his knees, braced against the mattress, let out a breathy groan, his fingers curling into the sheets. His body was already wrecked, his muscles weak from the second round—but Masahiro?Masahiro wasn’t done.“Masahiro,” Matthew exhaled, half-laughing, half-dazed. “You tryna kill me?”Masahiro hummed, dragging his lips along the back of Matthew’s neck, pressing a lazy, open-mouthed kiss to his sweat-slicked skin. “You can take it.”Matthew groaned. “I dunno, man, I think my soul left my body two rounds ago.”Masahiro didn’t give a damn.Then—the phone rang.Masahiro barely acknowledged it.Matthew, however, seized the moment. “Oh, thank God. Answer it.”
The shower ran hot.Steam curled along the edges of the mirror, clinging to the tiled walls as Adam dragged a hand over his face, water rolling down his broad shoulders. His body bore the kind of scars that told a history without words—faint reminders of a life lived in violence, of battles won and wars survived.He didn’t stay under long. He never did. A quick rinse, then he shut the water off, stepping out into the thick heat of the small bathroom.With practiced efficiency, he dried off, rolling his neck until it cracked, the tension leaving his muscles in slow waves. Then, moving without hesitation, he dressed.A crisp, open-collared black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms—just enough to show the sharp lines of muscle beneath dark skin. Polished trousers, pressed and fitted, clean against his frame. He stepped into his shined black leather shoes, the weight of them familiar, grounding.
The air inside the car was quiet.Masahiro drove with his usual control, hands steady on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road.Matthew sat in the passenger seat, one hand resting lazily on the window, lost in thought.Clark and Arthur were in the back.Arthur sat stiffly, still processing everything that had just happened.Clark, on the other hand?Clark felt sick.The weight of the case—the weight of who Cassidy Hills was, who his enemies were, and what this could mean—It was too much.He inhaled deeply, fingers tapping against his knee.Then, voice quieter than usual—"I should drop the case."Arthur’s head snapped toward him.Matthew blinked, then frowned. "Come again?"Clark exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I’m not just dealing with a criminal here. I’m dealing with a mafia boss with powerful enemies. People who would rather see him dead t
Arthur sat at his desk, fingers poised over his keyboard, but his mind was elsewhere.He was supposed to be working—supposed to be focusing on the backlog of reports Masahiro had handed him that morning.But he couldn’t.Because in a few minutes, the lawyer would arrive.Clark Brown.Arthur knew of him, of course. The name had been whispered around the city. A sharp, calculated legal mind. One of the best defense lawyers in the city.And now?Now, Cassidy’s fate was in his hands.Arthur exhaled slowly, trying to push down the uneasy weight in his chest.At the other desk, Masahiro was deeply focused, working without distraction, as if the case of the century wasn’t about to walk through the door.And then there was Matthew.Sprawled lazily in a random chair, legs stretched out, hunched slightly over his phone.Focused.But not on work.Arthur didn’t even ha
The bedroom was quiet, except for the soft, steady breathing of Matthew curled up under the blankets.Masahiro lay behind him, one arm draped over his waist, his body pressed against Matthew’s back.Warm. Familiar. His favorite way to wake up.He leaned in, pressing a slow kiss to the back of Matthew’s shoulder.A sleepy mumble.Then—"If you're gonna start something, Masahiro, you better commit."Masahiro huffed a quiet laugh. Of course. Even in sleep, Matthew was a menace.He pressed another kiss, just to be difficult, before pulling away and reaching for his phone on the nightstand.The sheets rustled as Matthew shifted behind him, probably sinking further into sleep, while Masahiro scrolled through his contacts.Then—he called.A click. A familiar voice.“Brown here.”Masahiro ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the pillows. “Clark! H
The car was silent, save for the rhythmic sound of tires gliding over asphalt.Masahiro drove with his usual precision—steady hands, unwavering focus, the kind of control that never wavered.Matthew, on the other hand, was slouched in the passenger seat, one leg bouncing idly, tapping his fingers against the window like he was thinking of something deeply unimportant.Arthur sat in the back, lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly at the blurred city lights streaking past.Then—“I need to get a lawyer for Cassidy.”Both Masahiro and Matthew turned their heads slightly.There was a pause.Then, ever so slowly, Matthew exhaled and let his head fall back against the seat. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”Masahiro, as usual, said nothing—just tightened his grip on the wheel.Matthew turned his head, looking at Arthur o