Kade POVI grab a clean shirt from the basket and pull it on as I head upstairs. I should’ve known Harlow would run straight to Rook, that kid is easily bribed.“Wait for me,” Rook mutters behind me, and I glance back. He’s already pulling off his damp shirt, digging through his things. “I need dry clothes, then I’m coming. Someone has to help Harlow kick your ass at the games,” he shrugs before walking past me.By the time I reach the room, Harlow is grinning, sitting beside Rose with a tablet in her lap, scrolling through dolls online.“A doll?” I raise a brow, looking between them.“Apparently, being refused a new one made her agree quickly,” Nikolai chuckles, arms crossed as he leans against the desk. “Girl’s got a brain on her, I’ll give her that, didn’t even hesitate to take the bribe.”Yeah, she also didn’t hesitate to throw me under the bus. I ruffle her hair, smirking as she swats at my hand. “We’ll leave soon,” I tell her. She barely acknowledges me, too busy pointing at som
Kade POVBy the time we’re driving, she’s already listing every game she’s going to beat us at, her tiny feet kicking against the seat, her excitement filling the space between us.“You always win,” I point out, glancing at her in the mirror.She beams. “’Cause I’m the best!”Rook leans back, throwing an arm over the seat. “So sure of yourself, princess. What if I win?”She snorts. Actually snorts.“Daddy Rook, you never win,” she says, all serious.I burst out laughing as Rook scowls. “Excuse me?”“You’re too slow,” she declares. “And Daddy Kade is too big, he don’t fit in the car game good!”I glance at Rook. “She’s not wrong.”He flips me off and I just smirk.This is what matters, not the throne. Not the power plays. Not Nikolai’s doubts.It’s this.Rook in the passenger seat, Harlow in the back, her tiny voice filling the car, completely confident that she’s going to destroy us both at every game.Nothing, no one, is taking this from me.By the time we pull into the parking lot,
Rook POVBy the time we get back, Harlow is rubbing at her eyes, her sugar rush finally wearing off. She tries to fight it, but the second she yawns, I know she’s done for.Kade stretches, glancing at her. “I got her,” he says, but before he can take a step, Nikolai’s voice cuts through the house.“Kade,” my father calls. “I need a word.”I glance at Kade, and for a second, his jaw tightens, so slight that no one but me would catch it.Harlow tugs at his hand. “You said you’d tuck me in,” she mumbles sleepily.Kade runs a hand over her hair, his voice softer now. “Daddy Rook’s got you, princess. I’ll come see you in a bit.”She pouts but doesn’t argue when I scoop her up. “Alright, kid, let’s get you to bed before you start snoring on me.”“I don’t snore,” she mutters against my shoulder.“Uh-huh,” I say, carrying her toward her room.She’s nearly asleep by the time I set her down, but she still makes a sleepy grab for my hand when I go to pull the blankets over her. I pause, letting
Rook POVI lean down, nipping at his collarbone. “You know I do,” I murmur against his skin. “But that smart mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble.”His hands slide up my back, blunt nails dragging lightly. “Promise?”I growl low in my throat, capturing his lips in a bruising kiss. My tongue delves into his mouth, tasting, claiming. Kade responds with equal fervor, his body arching up into mine.Breaking the kiss, I trail my lips down his neck, leaving a path of bites and kisses. Kade’s breathing grows heavier, his fingers tangling in my hair as I work my way lower.“Rook,” he groans as I reach his chest, my tongue flicking over a nipple.I smirk against his skin, continuing my descent. “Patience. I’m gonna take you apart piece by piece.”My kiss down his body, my mouth moving lower until it wraps around his cock.Kade’s hips buck up involuntarily as I take him into my mouth. I press my forearm across his hips, holding him down as I work him with my tongue and lips. His fingers t
Rook POVI wake up alone, the space beside me empty and already cooling. A frown pulls at my brows as I sit up, rubbing a hand over my face.Kade never mentioned leaving early.Pushing the thought aside for now, I get up, shower quickly, and throw on some clothes before heading downstairs.Rose is sitting with Harlow, who’s sprawled out on the floor, fully focused on whatever toy she’s currently making fight for its life.I scoop her up, pressing a kiss to the top of her messy curls. She giggles but immediately starts squirming, swatting at me.“Daddy Rook!” she whines. “I’m busy!”I smirk, tightening my hold for a second just to annoy her before setting her back down. “Yeah, yeah. Where’s Daddy Mercer?”“Grandad said he had to work,” she says, already back to her game like it’s not a big deal.My frown deepens. Work?“They were meeting someone,” Rose adds, watching me carefully. “I can’t remember who, but he mentioned The Blackwood and the meeting room there.”That pulls me up short.
Rook POVI lean back on the couch, drink in hand, letting their conversation wash over me. I don’t check my phone, I avoid thinking about Kade, my father doesn't even enter my mine. Tonight I just exist.The night moves on easily, the way it always does when I’m with the team. No pressure. No expectations. Just mindless conversation, food, and drinks. It’s the kind of distraction I need, the kind that keeps my thoughts from circling back to the one thing I don’t want to deal with.But it only lasts so long.Jake checks the time, sighing as he stretches. “We’ve got a game tomorrow. I’m calling it.”Lucas groans but nods, setting his empty bottle down. “Yeah, I don’t need Coach breathing down my neck first thing in the morning.”They start wrapping things up, tossing trash, grabbing their stuff. Normally, I’d be right there with them, getting ready for the next game, but not anymore. Not since I switched to part-time.Jake glances at me. “You heading home?”I shake my head. “Think I’ll
Rook POVThe drinks keep coming, the conversation flowing, and everything is just easy. The tension that’s been riding me all night dulls under the whiskey, sinking into something looser, something that doesn’t feel like it’s pressing against my ribs, demanding to be dealt with.Tyler’s an asshole, but he’s a funny asshole, and the more we drink, the more we lean into each other, shoving, laughing, shoulders bumping.At some point, he mutters something about how I probably skate slow as hell since I’ve only been playing part-time. I scoff, reaching out and shoving his face away with my palm, making him nearly choke on his drink.He sputters, grinning as he grabs my wrist, dragging my hand down. “Cheap shot, Rook.”“Like you wouldn’t take one,” I fire back, knocking his arm off mine.He chuckles, shaking his head as he takes another sip of his drink. “You’re lucky I like you.”I smirk, grabbing my glass. “That makes one of us.”He laughs, and before I know it, we’re leaning into each o
Kade POVThe meeting room is quiet, the kind of silence that stretches too long, heavy with unspoken decisions.I sit at the far end of the table, fingers drumming against the arm of my chair, listening as they talk, discuss, dissect, decide, like Rook isn’t even in the equation anymore.Like he isn’t supposed to be here.Like his place is already gone.“He’s impulsive,” one of the older men mutters, shaking his head. “And impulsive leaders die fast.”“He’s strong,” another counters, but there’s doubt in his tone, like he’s just saying it because he knows he should. “And smart. He’s just…”“Reckless.”The word lingers, and sits in the middle of the room like an immovable weight.I say nothing and I don’t move. I just sit there, staring at the wood grain of the table, jaw tight, hands fisting in my lap as they talk about Rook like he’s already fucked this up.After hours of this, after every argument, every justification, every dismantling of why Rook isn’t good enough, they turn to me
Kade’s POVRook stands here, his hands clenched at his sides, his whole body radiating with frustration. I know him well enough to see the way his anger isn’t just about today. It’s about everything that came before it, about every time I put business first without meaning to, about the way I always assume he will be there no matter how much shit I pile on top of him.I want to tell him I didn’t mean to forget. That it wasn’t on purpose, that today spiraled into something bigger than I expected. But none of that matters because the fact remains the same. I still forgot.I step closer, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t react. He just stares at me, his jaw tight, waiting for something.“Tell me how to fix it,” I say, my voice lower now.He scoffs. “You can’t.”“I can if you let me,” I push, watching for any sign that I can still salvage this.“You shoul
Rook POVSighing, I look at him“I’m sorry. I just found it funny that they did this big scheme to get to me, thinking I was taking over, when all along, you were working to fuck up their plan.”He nods slowly. “After I saw the messages on his phone, I had to drive from place to place to find the men he had stationed around, waiting for a sign of you. They weren’t going to hold back. They were willing to do it in public.”Kade exhales, rubbing a hand down his face. “I haven’t had my phone. It died, and the one I had on me stopped being tracked at some point, but I didn’t realize it. I sorted out the men involved, got back to the warehouse, and saw Nikolai stressed out, which is when I realized no one knew I was okay.” He shakes his head slightly. “I grabbed my ring, got my phone, and came straight home.”I watch him carefully, my jaw tightening. “So, you just went off the
Rook POVI stab my fork into my food, pretending like I actually have an appetite, pretending like I’m not one second away from losing my mind. I just need a call, a text, or something. I get it though, depending what he's doing, messaging me? That could be a fucking disaster and lead whoever it is back here. But as the hours drag on and the sun starts to set, and still I get nothing, I worry even more.“Shall I get her in bed?” Rose looks at me. “She’s bathed and dressed.”“No, I will,” I reply and walk upstairs.I find Harlow sitting in her bedroom, her small hands gripping the hairdryer. She smiles as I walk in and holds it out.“Help,” she says, waving it at me.“That’s exactly why I’m up here,” I reply, taking it from her.Standing behind her, I switch it on and start drying her hair, listening as she chatters on about her dolls. She talks nonstop, barely pausing for breath as she explains something about a royal wedding gone wro
Rook’s POVToday is a fucking disaster, just like last year.We lost by one damn point because I spent five fucking minutes on the bench.By the time I get home, I storm inside, my pulse still hammering from the game and the frustration burning beneath my skin.“Where the fuck is he?” I snap, my voice cutting through the silence.Damon steps forward, his expression careful. “He wasn’t at the warehouse when I went.”I stop dead, turning to stare at him. “You said he was there.”“Well, his phone was, so we assumed he was there. No one would tell us where he was. Apparently, only a few people were told to ensure it was safe.”I want to be angry, to throw something, to blame him for not knowing, but the fact that so few people even know where Kade is means this isn’t something small.I take a slow breath, forcing myself to stay in control. &ld
Kade POVDeclan? He just keeps running his fucking mouth.“You know, I used to wonder why Nikolai kept him around,” he continues, spitting blood onto the floor. “A sniveling, weak little bitch with a name he didn’t fucking deserve. Always throwing tantrums, always being coddled, always needing someone to clean up after him, “pathetic." But then I realized it.” His lips curl, a cruel glint in his eye.“Rook’s not here because he’s strong. He’s here because people like you keep spreading his legs for him. He’s never fought for a damn thing in his life, never had to work for it, never had to be worth shit, just sat there and let men like his daddy, men like you pick up the pieces when he breaks like the fragile little cum-dumpster he is."My breathing is steady. My heart rate doesn’t spike.But my fingers twitch.Declan leans in slightly, smirking
Kade POVAs soon as he's got the door open his daughtersteps out fast and slaps him across the face. “This is your fault!” she yells.“To be fair, it’s also on you,” I cut in, smirking when she whips around to face me. “You told me everything.”Her glare sharpens, but I don’t flinch. “You can leave now.”She hesitates, looking between me and her father.Declan sighs, pulling her in for a hug. “Go, princess. I’ll be fine.”I scoff. “Debatable.”She turns her fury on me, storming forward. “If you hurt him—”“You’ll what?” I ask, stepping closer.She falters, stepping back slightly.“Exactly,” I say lowly. “Nothing. Now get out.”She spins and storms off, her heels echoing across the concrete floor.Declan watches her leave before turning to me, conf
Rook POVBy the time I pull up to the rink two hours later, my frustration is boiling over. Neither Kade nor my dad have answered my calls. I tried both of them multiple times, but nothing. Not a damn response.Gripping the wheel for a moment, I exhale slowly before getting out of the car. I grab my bag and Kade’s, heading inside without bothering to check my phone again. If he was coming, he’d be here already.As I step into the rink, the usual pre-game energy is buzzing around, but I barely register it. I spot Taylor on my way past and shove Kade’s bag into his hands without stopping.“He’s late,” I mutter, not waiting for a response before continuing toward the locker room.The second I step inside, I can feel eyes on me. The tension in the room is thick, unspoken. The guys glance at me, some shifting awkwardly, but no one says anything outright.I force myself to focus, setting my bag down and pulling
Rook’s POVWhen I wake, I’m alone. I glance at my phone, but there’s nothing from Kade. Sighing, I get up and get ready. When I head downstairs, I see Harlow sitting with Rose.Kade’s mother is in a separate room with the capo at the door. I’m glad they did that since I don’t want her anywhere near Harlow. Rubbing my face, I walk to the office, but no one is there.“Where are they?” I ask.“Your dad mentioned he was going to meet Lucas,” Damon shrugs.“Yeah, I know him. He does that often, just decides to go visit him without notice,” I laugh. “And Kade?”“From what I hear, he hasn’t left the warehouse.”Sighing, I nod and head to the kitchen to grab a coffee. Walking back through, I sit with Harlow and Rose.“You and Mercer are playing today, right?” Rose smiles.“No, it’s tomorr
Kade POVI take another slow step toward the far side of the warehouse, letting my eyes sweep the space. “What’s in the other rooms?” I ask, keeping my tone light, like I’m just making conversation.She shrugs, finishing another drink before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nothing. Just old storage spaces, I think.”“Isn’t it a bit foolish not to check? What if someone else is here?”That makes her pause. Her head tilts slightly as she glances around, like the thought only just occurred to her. “Yeah… maybe we should check.” She smirks, nudging me with her elbow. “But you go first.”“Figures.” I let out a short laugh, shaking my head.Making my way toward the first door, I place my hand on the rusted handle before pushing it open. The room inside is small, half-empty, and useless. The window on the far wall lets in too much light, an