Kade’s POVHis body stills, his eyes locking onto mine, sharp and searching. “What the fuck does that mean?” he whispers.“It means your family caused us to be living like this, Rook! That’s what it fucking means,” I snap.His gaze flickers around, like he’s trying to piece it together, trying to make sense of something that’s been a fact in my life for years. “I don’t get what you’re saying.”I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. “When I visited, I told her, about everything. And she pulled out a picture. My father, about eighteen, standing with your grandfather.” I shake my head, jaw clenching. “I don’t know the whole story, but whatever happened, he lost everything. And he never got it back.”Rook exhales sharply, his posture shifting. “That wasn’t me. I’m not like that.”I scoff. “No? Then where are we sleeping tonight, Rook? Let me guess, you got a nice, fancy hotel nearby, right?”His head tilts, his brows pulling together, confusion flickering across his face.I laugh bitterly,
Kade POVShe crosses her arms tighter. “So, what? You’re keeping tabs on him now? Dragging him around wherever you want? What happens when you get bored, huh?”Rook’s expression shifts just slightly. Not much, but I catch it. He exhales, his smirk softening into something almost unreadable. “I’m not leaving him,” he says simply.Mom’s jaw tenses. “That’s not what I asked.”I grit my teeth. “Mom—”“No, Kade.” She turns to me, her voice firm. “You told me what he did. You told me what his family did. You told me everything, and now you’re standing in front of me like it doesn’t matter anymore.”I don’t respond. I can’t, because she’s right. It should matter.But it doesn’t, at least, not in the way it did before.Mom’s gaze flicks between us again, her lips pressing into a thin line. She’s seeing something, I don’t know what, but it’s making her more on edge, not less.She exhales sharply. “I want to talk to my son alone.”Rook glances at me, waiting. He’s not going to leave unless I te
Kade POVHe glances at me for half a second before turning back to her, his voice lower when he speaks.“Because I’m not leaving him,” he says simply.The words hit harder than they should. I shift, staring down at my drink, pretending like that didn’t just mess with my head.Mom, however, isn’t buying it. “And what happens when your father doesn’t give you a choice? When the next time you need to prove your loyalty, it’s Kade who gets caught in the crossfire?”Rook doesn’t flinch. He just watches her, unreadable, before he says, “That’s not gonna happen.”She scoffs. “You sound real sure of that for someone whose family could end all of this in a second.”Rook’s jaw tightens slightly, but his smirk stays in place. “Then I guess I’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”Mom shakes her head, looking like she wants to argue, but I cut in before she can. “It’s late. If you want to fight, can we do it in the morning?”She exhales, rubbing her temple. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”I
Rook’s POVThe room is still dark when I wake. The faint glow from the window tells me it’s early, probably around 5:30, but I don’t need to check to know I won’t be falling back asleep.Kade is still curled up against me, his body warm, his breathing slow and even. He’s completely relaxed, something I don’t think I’ve ever seen when he’s awake.I let myself look at him for a moment longer than I should. Then, carefully, I shift away, moving slow enough not to wake him.I climb out of bed, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs before grabbing my clothes from where I tossed them the night before. I pull on my jeans, then my shirt, running a hand through my hair before stepping toward the door.The second I step out of the bedroom, I freeze.Kade’s mom is already awake.She stands in the small kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand, her gaze locking onto me the moment I enter the room.And she glares. The kind of glare that says she’s already been thinking about what she wants to say to me
Rook POVI shake my head, forcing out a breath. “My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by people who only take what’s useful, who only keep what benefits them. People who don’t give a single fuck about anything that doesn’t serve their own goddamn purpose.” My gaze meets hers, my throat tight. “And then there’s him.”Her expression doesn’t change, but something in the air shifts.I huff out a breath, shaking my head. “He’s the only one who doesn’t treat me like I’m some fucking legacy waiting to happen. Who doesn’t care about my name, my family, my power, he only cares about me. He fights me like he means it. Pushes back when I go too far, calls me out on my shit because he actually gives a damn.“And somehow, with him and when I’m around him, I don’t have to be Rook fucking Volkov, heir to a goddamn empire. I can just be. No expectations, no pretending, no need to prove anything.“He doesn’t want anything from me. Not money, not power, not protection.“But he chooses me. Again and agai
Rook’s POVKade sleeps perfectly fucking fine, but I can’t. Not just because I never go back to sleep once I wake up, but because of what he said.Lying here with my arms around him, I’m actually comfortable. Comfortable enough that if my mind would shut the hell up, I might even fall back asleep.But it won’t. The weight of his words keeps pressing into my skull, dragging me under in a way exhaustion never could.Carefully, I slide out of bed, moving quietly as I step out of the room. The trailer is silent except for the faint hum of appliances, the world outside still dark.I drop onto the couch in the small living space, pulling out my phone and scrolling to the name I need. I hesitate for half a second, then press call.It barely rings twice before the familiar voice answers.“Rook? Everything good?”“Yeah,” I mutter, keeping my voice low. “I need you to do something.”There’s a pause, then a quiet chuckle. “What now? I already got you days off.”I sigh, rubbing a hand down my fac
Rook POVHe leans back, stretching his arm across the back of the couch, settling in like he owns the place.“We just get each other,” he continues. “We have this thing where no matter how much time passes, it’s like nothing changed when we see each other again. We just pick up where we left off.”I hum, my smirk widening. “That so?”Paul nods. “Yeah. It’s not something you find often, you know?” He grins, his eyes flickering toward Kade’s room before settling back on me. “But I guess you wouldn’t know much about that.”I chuckle, keeping my expression easy, relaxed, while my patience thins by the fucking second.“Sounds like you two had something real special,” I say, my voice light, taunting.Paul smiles, like he’s pleased with himself. “Yeah, we do. Kade’s not the kind of guy to settle down, but he always comes back.”I nod slowly, watching him like I’m actually considering his words.I’m not.I’m watching the way his shoulders straighten slightly, the way his confidence builds the
Kade’s POVI step out of my room, rubbing a hand down my face, still half-asleep. My head’s not fully caught up with being awake yet, but the moment my eyes adjust, I realize something’s off.Paul is here, he's sitting in my fucking living room. And across from him, sitting way too relaxed in the chair, is Rook.What the hell is going on? I blink, my brain sluggish as I try to make sense of it. Paul’s standing now, moving toward me, his expression easy, familiar, like this is normal. Like I’m supposed to expect this.But it’s not normal. “What the fuck is this?” I mutter, my voice rough with sleep.Paul gives me a small grin. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”I stare at him, my mind still catching up. I don’t get it. Why the hell is he here? Why is he with Rook? What the hell could they have possibly been talking about?Before I can string together a question, Paul closes the distance, his arms lifting, wrapping around me like this is some kind of reunion.I barely have time to react before
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