Rook POVHis breathing is wrecked, his body completely still, and I know it’s killing him that he let it happen, that he let me see him like this. The fact is, he wanted it and he asked for it in so many ways before actually saying the words. So I gave it to him, even if he hates himself for letting me touch him.Slowly, I drag my fingers down his back, my touch softer now, teasing, and almost lazy. He flinches, but he doesn’t pull away. No, he doesn't try to escape and he doesn’t say a word either.I grin, pressing my lips against the back of his neck, letting the weight of what just happened settle between us. “You don’t have to say it,” I murmur, my voice is deep, low, and possessive. “We both already know.”His fingers twitch, his wrists still bound to the bed, but he still doesn’t answer. He's not going to, maybe because he's still too fucking stubborn to admit the truth? Too stubborn to accept he wanted this and wants me.I pull out slowly, watching the way his body reacts, the
Kade POVWaking up, my body feels heavy, and everything comes flooding back instantly. I fucked up. I should have stopped pushing and taunting him, but when do I ever fucking learn? I know that, in his mind, me telling him not to fucking stop was just me making myself his.Opening my eyes, I see him asleep beside me, that smug fucking expression still somehow plastered on his damn face.Moving carefully, I ignore everything and search for my clothes, but there’s no sign of them. Slowly pulling open a door, I grab some of his instead and throw them on, noticing my shoes in the corner. Moving quietly, I slip them on, trying not to wake him.I swear it feels like he’s awake and just waiting to laugh, but maybe that’s just my fucking paranoia. Glancing around, I spot his jacket. Walking over, I search his pockets and grab my phone.Reaching the door, I place my hand on the handle and smirk back at him. “You’re fucking delusional,” I whisper, turning the handle, only to find it locked.Fuc
Kade POVI need to stop thinking. I need to fucking stop.“Jesus, Mercer, you good?”The voice snaps me out of it, and I slow slightly, glancing over my shoulder to see someone skating toward me. Jensen. He eyes me like I might lose my shit at any second, which, yeah, fair.“Fine,” I mutter, straightening up and forcing the tension out of my shoulders.Jensen snorts, coming to a stop beside me. “Yeah, that’s convincing. You’ve been skating like you’re trying to outrun the fucking devil.”I roll my neck, exhaling slowly. “Just needed to move.”He studies me for a second, his gaze sharper than I’d like. “You look like shit, though. Long night?”My muscles lock up automatically, and it takes everything in me not to react. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it. “Something like that,” I say, keeping my tone flat.Jensen doesn’t push, just nods and starts skating alongside me. We fall into an easy rhythm, gliding across the ice in silence, the only sound the scr
Rook POVThe first thing I notice when I wake up is the emptiness beside me. The second is the faint chill in the air, the kind that doesn’t belong inside.I shift onto my side, eyes opening lazily, scanning the room. The bed is empty, but I already knew that. The sheets are rumpled, the space still holding the lingering warmth of where Kade had been. My gaze drifts toward the door, but it’s still locked.Then my eyes catch on the window that is slightly open.A slow smirk spreads across my face as I push up onto my elbows, amused despite myself.He climbed out the fucking window.I laugh under my breath, running a hand through my hair as I swing my legs over the side of the bed. Of course he did. It’s exactly the kind of thing Kade would do, desperate, reckless, but still strategic enough that he actually managed to pull it off without waking me.Smart, but not smart enough.He can run all he wants, but we both know where he’ll end up.Yawning, I roll my shoulders before standing, st
Rook POVI lean back in my chair, fingers tapping against the armrest, only half-listening to the plans being laid out in front of me. I don’t give a shit about this part of the business. Not really. But I listen anyway because I know how this game is played, and pretending not to care is just as dangerous as being too invested.Oliver steps into the room, his presence barely registering until he leans down and murmurs something into my father’s ear. Whatever he says is enough to make my father rise from his seat without hesitation. Without a word to me, he turns and walks off, disappearing down the hall, leaving me alone with him.Axel shifts, adjusting his posture slightly before chuckling under his breath. “You really don’t like that I’m deep in your family’s business, do you?” His voice is filled with amusement, like my discomfort is just another source of entertainment for him.I smirk, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I meet his gaze. “Deep? That right there,” I
Kade POVI haven’t left my apartment other than for training. Every day, it’s the same routine, drive to the rink, train, and drive straight back home, avoiding anything that might put me in Axel’s path. He’s a complication I don’t have the time or patience for, one that’s only going to make things worse if I give him the chance. But today, something feels off. It isn’t the usual pre-game nerves or the weight of expectation pressing on my shoulders. This is something deeper, something unsettled, a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that refuses to leave no matter how much I try to push it aside.By the time I step into the locker room, the team is already fired up, laughing, talking shit, slamming their gear into place like they’re ready to tear the other team apart. I can’t blame them. They lost the last game, the one I bailed on. They should have won without me, but they didn’t, and now they’re ready to prove a point.Tyler claps me on the back as he passes. “We’ll give you yo
Kade POVThe game moves on, and I push harder, skating faster, focusing on anything but him. Rook crosses into my vision, passing by in a blur of black and red, cutting across the ice with a fluidness that seems calmer tonight. We aren’t locking heads for once, aren’t pushing each other into the boards or shoving at every opportunity. It’s a shift I don’t have time to fully process, but it’s there.Axel, though...Axel won’t fucking stop.He skates close again, barely a whisper of contact as he lines up beside me. “You know, I could have knocked. Walked right in. Pushed you down. Watched you break in real-time instead of waiting for after the game.”Something in my chest tightens. He chuckles, the sound low and private, like this is some inside joke between us. “Maybe I still will.”It happens before I even register moving. One second, I’m skating, hands locked on my stick, vision locked on the play. The next, my gloves are off, and I’m grabbing Axel by the collar of his jersey, shovin
Rook POVI’m not sure what the fuck is going on with Kade. I expected the usual fight, the usual tension between us, but he won’t even look at me. His focus is locked on something else, his movements sharp, too aggressive, and it doesn’t take long to figure out why.It's because of Axel.Kade isn’t playing the game, he’s reacting, and it’s to him. Twice now, he’s been sent off for going at Axel, and there’s been no real reason for it. No dirty hits, no obvious provocation, nothing anyone else can see. From the outside, it looks like Kade is just losing his mind on his own. He’s throwing himself off, fucking up plays, and if he keeps it up, he's going to lose because of it.I don’t get it. I skate up to him between plays, try to figure out what the fuck is going on, and the only response I get is him snapping at me like this is my fault. Like I have any idea what the fuck is happening in his head right now.“Fuck off. You caused it.”I back off, letting him go, but the words sit in my
Rook POVOnce everything is plated, I pour a cup of coffee and grab the tray, balancing it as I make my way back upstairs. Kade’s still in bed when I step inside, but I can tell by the way his eyes flick open that he’s been drifting in and out.His gaze shifts to the tray in my hands, then back to me. “What’s this?”“Breakfast,” I say simply, setting it down on the nightstand.He smirks, pushing himself up against the pillows with a wince. “You bring me breakfast in bed now? What happened to calling me a stubborn asshole and telling me to get up?”I cross my arms, giving him a look. “You’re on bed rest today.”Kade raises a brow. “Excuse me?”“You heard me,” I say, grabbing the tray and setting it in front of him. “Eat. Then go back to sleep, watch a game, whatever. But you’re not getting out of that bed today.”Kade scoffs, picking up a piece of toast. “That’s cute. You really think you can keep me in bed all day?”“Yea
Rook POVI watch as Kade walks around the back of the building to go through the back ways so Harlow won’t see him. I didn’t expect that. Him saying we’re going somewhere alone.Honestly, I was expecting to get back and for things to be the exact same. Still, I’m trying not to expect things to be different because if they aren’t, and I gave myself hope, that would destroy me more than just expecting him to do what he did before.Pushing back the issues, I walk inside, and the moment I step through the living room doors, I hear Harlow.“Daddy Rook!” she screams and runs at me. Leaning down, I catch her, and she hugs me, crying.“I’m sorry, princess,” I whisper. Watching her cry for me while Rose dragged her out was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. She looks at me, then behind me.“Where’s Daddy Mercer?” She continues to look around.“You know how Daddy Rook sometimes forgets things?” I ask.She nod
Kade POVRook helps me up despite my protests, and soon, we’re in the car, the quiet hum of the engine filling the space as we pull away from the runway.Rook glances at me, eyebrows raised. “So, we're heading straight home and through the back.”I shake my head. “Not yet.”He frowns. “What do you mean, not yet? You just got drugged into sleep, and you still look like shit.”I lean in slightly, lowering my voice so only he hears. “I want to go somewhere. Just us.”His brows knit together. “Where?”I let a slow smirk tug at my lips. “We never got the final moments of our holiday together.”Something flickers in his gaze, surprise, then understanding. He exhales, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head with a small, exasperated smile.“You really are a stubborn asshole,” he mutters.I shrug. “So, we going
Kade POVPain drags me from sleep, and I move slightly, opening my eyes to see we’re on the plane. I can’t remember anything after Rook getting me. I turn, and he’s sitting beside me.He looks wrecked, he’s worried. Smirking, I nudge him, and he turns to face me. “Sorry I was late home.”Groaning, he punches my arm, and I grunt. “Shit, sorry,” he mutters.“It’s fine, that was the only part of my body that didn’t hurt. Now it feels included,” I mock, and he groans.“Like I care that you were home late. Fucked-up thinking, Kade.”I shrug slightly. “Shame, if you were angry, the sex to punish me would have been fucking epic.”“You’re totally fine, clear. Go back to sleep, nob.”Smirking, I lean my head against his shoulder and hold in the groan. At least now he’s smiling and not so worried about me. “Where&
Kade POVPain drags me from sleep, and I move slightly, opening my eyes to see we’re on the plane. I can’t remember anything after Rook getting me. I turn, and he’s sitting beside me.He looks wrecked, he’s worried. Smirking, I nudge him, and he turns to face me. “Sorry I was late home.”Groaning, he punches my arm, and I grunt. “Shit, sorry,” he mutters.“It’s fine, that was the only part of my body that didn’t hurt. Now it feels included,” I mock, and he groans.“Like I care that you were home late. Fucked-up thinking, Kade.”I shrug slightly. “Shame, if you were angry, the sex to punish me would have been fucking epic.”“You’re totally fine, clear. Go back to sleep, nob.”Smirking, I lean my head against his shoulder and hold in the groan. At least now he’s smiling and not so worried about me. “Where&
Rook POVI tilt my head, watching him writhe. “You’re holding out for them, huh? You think they’re watching? That they’re waiting to see if you can handle a little pain before they decide you’re worth saving?”He chokes on his breath, his fingers twitching against the blood-slick table.I grip his chin, forcing him to look at me. “They don’t give a fuck about you. Every second you sit here thinking you’re being loyal, you’re just another second closer to dying for people who don’t even know your fucking name.”He sucks in a broken breath, but his lips stay pressed together.“Fine.” I grab his pinky, and before he can even brace for it, I snap it back. A sickening crack echoes through the room, his strangled scream tearing from his throat as he thrashes.I let him writhe, let the pain settle deep into his bones before I lean in close. “You've got a few fingers left. You ready to waste them all for people who wouldn’t piss on you if you were o
Rook POVI yank the knife out and slam my fist into his ribs. He chokes on a breath, curling in on himself, but I don’t give him time to recover before I drive my knee into his stomach. He crumples to the floor, coughing, blood dripping from his mouth.“You’re making this worse for yourself,” I warn, crouching in front of him. “You think you’re gonna hold out? You think you’ll last?”“I don’t—” His voice cuts off in a strangled cry as I grab his fingers, wrenching one back until it snaps.His scream rips through the room, raw and desperate.I grip his hair, forcing his head up to meet my eyes. “You’ve got nine more before I move onto something worse. Now tell me. Where. Is. He?”Tears spill down his face, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His lips tremble, but he still doesn’t fucking answer.“Stubborn,” I mutter before grabbing another finger and snapping it just as easily as the first. His body jolts, another scream tearing from
Rook POVThis is impossible. There’s no footage from the back of the restaurant, the lead that Lorenzo found is a dead end. I’m beginning to think that note was planted to bait Kade, and now I wonder, did he even see it? Did he walk into this blind?Every fucking move I’ve made has led me in a circle. There’s nothing. No trail, no whispers of where he might be. I’ve had a list of names from Lorenzo, people in this country who might have had the balls to pull something like this. I went through them one by one. Each name dragged in, each one screaming in pain, but all swearing the same thing—they don’t know anything.How the fuck can none of them be involved? My eyes shift to the men in the room, the ones we brought with us. And for the first time, I wonder, are they all innocent? Something isn’t adding up.Nine hours.Nine fucking hours since Kade disappeared, and my father’s words echo in my head.Find him, or he’s dead
Kade POVDanielle watches, waiting, maybe hoping that I’ll finally break. I don’t. I inhale slowly, shaking the blood from my lips, and laugh.“How long do you think you’ve got left?” I ask, my voice rough but still steady. “Every minute you waste here? That’s more time my men have to find me. And when they do? You’ll be fucking wishing you killed me the second I walked through that door.”The guy in front of me hesitates, glancing back at her, waiting for an order.“Keep going,” she snaps, her voice sharper now.He does. Another punch to my ribs, another to my jaw, but I don’t stop grinning. The pain is sharp, burning through my body, but I don’t let it show. They want me to break. They want me to plead. That’s never going to happen.Danielle steps closer, her eyes locked onto mine. “You think you’re so fucking smart, don’t you?” she