Kade’s POVI’m fucking exhausted. I got so used to having Rook beside me that sleeping without him was virtually impossible. I don’t know if I’m hungover from drinking last night before Amelia showed up, if I’m still running on fumes, or if I’m just that fucking drained from everything happening at once.Either that, or I’m still drunk, and when I finally get some sleep and wake up, I’ll have to ask my dumbass, drunk self what the fuck I did.“You’re arguing with yourself,” Rook mutters, his voice laced with amusement.I glance at him, already annoyed. “What?”“I can tell,” he says, shrugging. “Just forget whatever it is. First, we do the press conference, right?”Sighing, I nod. “Fine, but then I need a fucking drink.”“I think you’ve had enough. I can still taste it on your mouth,” he winks.I groan, rubbing my face. “You’re not funny.”He smirks, clearly enjoying himself. “I’m hilarious.”I don’t bother arguing. My head is already pounding, and I don’t have the energy to deal with
Kade POVThe moment the words leave my mouth, the room explodes. Reporters are shouting over each other, cameras flashing wildly, all of them desperate to get the next piece of the story. My jaw clenches as I glance toward Rook, who’s sitting there looking way too pleased with himself.This was not how I wanted this to go.The moderator tries to calm everyone down, raising his hands. “One at a time, please,” he says, motioning toward another reporter.A man in a dark suit leans forward, his expression sharp. “So, just to be clear, are you saying this was a relationship during the time the pictures were taken, or is this still ongoing?”I shift slightly, glancing at Rook. His smirk hasn’t dropped, but there’s something in his eyes, something unreadable. This is the moment where we’re supposed to stick to the script, where we say it was casual, something that was but no longer is.But we both know that’s a fucking lie.“It’s ongoing,” I say, feeling the weight of it as soon as I say it.
Kade POVI search through my jacket, my bag, anywhere I could’ve put them, but I come up empty.“Looking for these?”Rook’s voice is smug as he dangles my keys in the air, smirking like the asshole he is.“Give me them,” I snap, reaching for them, but he steps back just enough to keep them out of reach.“No,” he says, smirk widening. “Because now I’m even more convinced you’re drunk. You didn’t even notice me taking them.”I grit my teeth. “I haven’t had a drink in over six hours. Give me the damn keys, Rook.”His eyes scan me, that cocky amusement fading just enough to tell me he’s actually considering whether or not I’m telling the truth.I don’t care. I just want to go home, get the baby sent back, and finally get some fucking sleep.Rook doesn’t hand over the keys. Instead, he tilts his head, watching me like he’s already won some kind of silent argument. “You’re not driving,” he says again, like I didn’t already hear him the first ten fucking times.Frustration burns through me a
Rook’s POVI thought he’d be fine. I figured he’d just go back to whatever he did before I came into his life, the same way he always did when we weren’t in each other’s orbit. But the more time I’ve spent with him today, the more I realize he’s completely unraveling.The cameras, the news, all of them will assume he’s stressed because he suddenly has a baby in his care. That’s what they’ll focus on. The poor, overwhelmed hockey star juggling an unexpected responsibility. But that’s not the real story, is it?He’s a fucking mess.He hasn’t been sleeping. He hasn’t stopped drinking. He’s so far past the point of exhaustion that his body is barely keeping up. And worst of all? He literally just admitted he considered quitting.Giving up hockey?Kade Mercer would never say that if he was in his right mind.All I can do is sit here and watch him, taking in the wreckage of what’s left of him. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t look at me. He just sits there, body heavy with exhaustion or maybe i
Rook POVMy father is already there, holding her in one arm, her tiny body barely anything against his broad chest. He’s got the bag open on the coffee table, rummaging through it, probably looking for something to shut her up.“She’s been fussing since we got in,” he mutters, not looking up.“No shit,” I grumble, stopping just inside the room.His eyes flick to me, sharp, assessing. “Mercer still out?”I nod, crossing my arms. “Didn’t even flinch when I dropped him on the bed. He’s gone.”My father exhales through his nose, adjusting the baby slightly, but she only cries louder. His hand moves, patting her back lightly, but it doesn’t do shit.“She needs feeding,” he states simply.I stare at him. “Yeah? And what the fuck do I do about that?”He doesn’t even blink. “Feed her.”I blink back. “You feed her.”“She’s not my responsibility.”“She’s not mine either!”My father sighs like he’s already over this conversation, then reaches for the baby bag and pulls out a small, premixed bott
Kade’s POVWaking up feels like slamming into a brick wall.Everything is heavy, my body, my head, even the air around me. My limbs are stiff, weighed down like I’ve been out for days. My mouth is dry as hell, my tongue thick and useless, and when I force my eyes open, everything feels too damn bright.What the fuck?I groan, pressing my hand to my forehead as I try to sit up, but the second I do, my entire body protests. A sharp ache digs into my skull, my stomach twisting in on itself. It’s the kind of exhaustion that seeps into my bones, dragging at every muscle like I just got out of a game that went into three fucking overtimes.How long have I been out? How the fuck did I get here? I blink hard, trying to clear the fog in my brain, and then it hits me.My drinking, amelia showing up, her leaving the baby, then me taking her to the press conference.Everything crashes down at once, and suddenly, I’m sitting up way too fast, my head spinning so violently that I have to grip the bl
Kade POVI set the mug down harder than I mean to, running both hands through my hair as I let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t fucking know, alright? I don’t know what the fuck to do. I just woke up to all this shit, and I don’t have a goddamn plan.”Rook studies me for a moment, then shifts the baby in his arms, his voice quieter when he speaks again. “You’re not alone in this, you know.”I glance at him, my chest tight, but before I can respond, the baby stirs slightly, letting out a small, tired whimper.Rook grins. “See? Even she thinks you’re being dramatic.”I groan, turning away before I end up doing something fucking stupid—like letting this feel normal.Because nothing about this situation is normal, and if I let myself forget that? I’ll never fucking survive it.I turn away, trying to refocus, to think about what the hell I’m supposed to do next, but of course, Rook doesn’t give me a second of peace.“You think we can keep her?” he asks casually.I freeze mid-sip of my cof
Rook POVI keep the tone light, cracking jokes, throwing smirks, anything to keep Mercer from completely losing his shit. He’s already on the edge, and if he spirals any further, he’ll drown himself in guilt, frustration, and that stubborn need to fix everything when he can’t.The baby shifts in my arms, fussing slightly, and I adjust my hold, rocking her gently. It’s weird, but she settles almost instantly, like she already knows I’m better at this than Mercer. Not that it’s a high fucking bar.Mercer glares at his phone, jaw tight, shoulders rigid. He hasn’t said a word since the last call with his mom, but the tension radiating off him is thick enough to choke on.“Don’t blame your mother,” my father’s voice cuts through the silence.I glance up to see him walking into the room, his expression unreadable.“What? It’s her grandchild!” Mercer snaps, frustration clear in every word.“She’s been living in hell, Mercer,” my father replies evenly. “She’s almost free of it. All her kids a
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
Kade POVI hiss through my teeth, more from the annoyance than the pain. “There you go. That’s a little better.”She glares, dragging the blade in a shallow cut across my side, but she’s still holding back. Testing me. I shake my head, sighing.“See, this is why you’re not going to win,” I say, my voice steady despite the sting. “You don’t actually know how to do this.”Danielle scoffs. “Oh, I don’t?”I tilt my head. “No. If you did, you wouldn’t be wasting time with this weak shit.”She presses the knife in harder, and I grin, feeling her frustration build. “You want to break someone? You don’t start here,” I say, nodding toward my ribs. “You start small. Fingers. Knees. Maybe a little nerve damage if you want to get creative.”She stills, something flickering across her face. Disgust. Uncertainty.&ldq
Kade POVHer nostrils flare as she presses the blade harder, drawing a thin line of blood. “You don’t hold the power here.”“Don’t I?” I whisper, locking eyes with her. “Then why are you the one trying to prove something?”Her grip tightens on the knife, but she hesitates. That’s her biggest fucking problem. She doesn’t commit. She doesn’t know how to follow through.“Let me tell you how this plays out,” I continue, voice smooth despite the sting on my cheek. “You keep me here, keep trying to break me, but it doesn’t work. Eventually, you get frustrated, you get sloppy, and then my men find me. And when they do, you don’t walk away from this.”Her eyes narrow. “You sound pretty fucking confident for someone tied up right now.”“Because I know how this ends.” I smirk. “And so do you.”Danielle exhale
Kade POVLorenzo is weird. Not in a bad way, just… he’s always had that tone in his voice that says he’s not right in the head, and sitting here, talking to him, I know he’s far from right.I glance at my phone again. I know it’s disrespectful, but I want to stay on time and prove to Rook that I won’t mess up.“You keep looking at it,” Lorenzo taps the phone.“Sorry, I just want to stay on schedule.”He nods. “I understand that, which is why, as soon as the hour is up, my watch will vibrate to remind me,” he laughs, and I nod.Maybe that’s what I need to do—rather than constantly checking my phone.I go back to focusing on our conversation, making sure he knows exactly who I am and the kind of person I am. He talks a bit about Nikolai and the time they spent together when he had just started taking over here. He respects Nikolai&mdash
Rook POV“Find him!” I shout, turning back toward the others, fury and fear bleeding into every word.“We’re working on it,” Damon says quickly. “But his phone was found out the back of the restaurant. Smashed.”No. No, no, no. That phone was the only way to find him.“Track my phone,” I demand. “Whoever it is has my phone. Track it!”“We already tried when you didn’t answer my calls,” one of the men mutters. “It’s not giving off a signal.”My head shakes violently. “Nothing? You’ve had nothing? Not a single fucking thing to give you a hint of what they want?”Damon hesitates.I step toward him. “What is it?”His jaw clenches before he finally speaks. “Lorenzo dug into it and he mentioned there were three targets. Kade, you… and Harlow.”Everything inside me stills.
Rook POVHarlow is still relaxed against me.“You having fun, princess?” I murmur, resting my chin on top of her head.She nods against me. “I like it here. It’s quiet, and you and Rose aren’t talking about boring grown-up stuff.”Rose chuckles from where she’s sitting nearby. “I’ll have you know I’m very fun, Harlow.”Harlow tilts her head back, grinning. “You’re fun, but you still say boring stuff sometimes.”I laugh, squeezing her a little. “Well, you got me there.”She sits up a little, looking at me seriously. “Can we stay here forever?”I raise an eyebrow. “Forever is a long time, princess.”She sighs, playing with the edge of my sleeve. “I know, but I like when it’s just us. No busy stuff, no people being mad about things, just us.”Damn. I feel that. I know exactly what
Rook POVFor the first time in a long time, I feel myself fully relax, knowing that he won’t be stretching himself thin anymore. He won’t be trying to do too much, won’t be running himself into the ground trying to be in three places at once.He made the decision, and I know he won’t go back on it.“You okay with it?” he asks, like my opinion actually matters in this.I press a kiss against his forehead. “Yeah. I am.”Kade lets out a quiet breath, his body sinking into mine again. I feel the way his hand tightens around mine, the way he clings to me just a little bit more.For once, he’s letting go of something that doesn’t serve him anymore. And for once, he’s choosing himself. Choosing us.This week has been amazing. It’s weird, I didn’t know what I was missing, I just knew things weren’t right. The more of this week that passed, the more time
Rook POVThe house is simple, almost too simple. The walls are bare stone, the furniture minimal, just enough to make it livable. It’s not extravagant, not dripping in wealth like the places we usually stay, but somehow, that makes it better. There’s nothing here to distract us. No reminders of the world we left behind for the week, no ringing phones, no people demanding our attention. Just us.I walk further in, dragging my fingers along the edge of the wooden table in the center of the room. Kade doesn’t say anything, just watches me with that unreadable look on his face. I know what he’s thinking. This place isn’t like us. But maybe that’s why he chose it.He disappears into the bedroom, and I follow, finding him already stripping off his clothes. He tosses his shirt onto the chair by the window before moving onto his pants. I smirk. “Eager?”He doesn’t bother looking up as he kicks
Kade POVThe meal continues with Rottami di Pollo in Padella, a rustic dish of pan-fried chicken finished in a wood oven. The skin is golden and crisp, the aroma rich and inviting.Rook picks up a piece, biting into it with an appreciative groan. “Okay, I’ll admit, this is really good. But no pasta? No pizza? What kind of Italian meal is this?”I chuckle. “Authentic, traditional. Not the tourist menu.”His lips quirk up as he leans back. “Still think pizza would’ve been a nice touch.”A wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano is placed on the table, the waiter cutting thick slices straight from the wheel. Rook stares at it, his eyes widening slightly.“That is an excessive amount of cheese,” he mutters.“Think you can handle it?” I tease.He grins, taking a generous piece. “Watch me.”When we finally finish that, the final course arrives, Arance all