Rook’s POVThe locker room is humming with the usual pre-game energy, the guys are stretching, taping their sticks and adjusting their gear. They are all going through the motions like this just any other game. It's not. At least for me it isn't. Sitting on the bench, I lace up my skates with slow deliberate movements, letting the anticipation settle deep into my chest. This game isn't important in our standings, and such, it's just a charity game. it's meant to be a time when we put on a good show, winning and losing means nothing. I don't care about the show, the only thing that matters to me right now, is that Kade Mercer is on the other side of the ice. For the first time in years, I don't know what version of him I'm going to get on the ice. Yesterday I felt it, the shift in him, something told me he wasn't himself. Mercer is always cocky, reckless and for some reason, he's always pushing forward like he doesn't give a fuck about anything but winning. Yesterday though? He was s
Rook POVKade is playing like a man possessed. He’s not setting up plays, not following his usual style of controlled chaos. No, this is something else entirely. Every shift, he’s gunning straight for me, reckless in a way I’ve never seen before. There’s no reason for it, no build-up, no words exchanged that should’ve pushed him over the edge. But every time we’re near each other, he goes for me.And I fucking love it.Every hit, every shove, every time his body collides with mine, I can feel it under my skin, feeding something dark and hungry inside me. I’ve spent years pushing him, pulling him into my orbit, forcing him to acknowledge me. But this? This is different. He’s not just reacting, he’s initiating.I catch his eye after another brutal check, my back slamming into the boards. The crowd reacts, the play keeps moving, but all I care about is the look in his eyes. His chest is rising and falling fast, his gloved hands clenched tight, jaw locked like he’s fighting himself. But h
Kade’s POVMy knuckles throb, the sting of raw skin pulsing with every beat of my heart. Blood is smeared across my fingers as I flex them, testing how bad the damage is. The refs tossed me into the penalty box like a rabid dog, shoving me down onto the bench while the game moved on without me. I should be cooling off, getting my breathing under control, letting the adrenaline settle. But I can’t. Not when he’s still out there.Rook fucking Volkov.He’s on the other side of the ice, looking as smug as ever, his lips split from my punch, his grin only widening when he catches me watching him. I should have known he’d enjoy this. The bastard always does. He doesn’t care about the game, doesn’t care about the fight itself—he just cares that I lost control first. That I was the one who snapped, the one who gave him exactly what he wanted.I drag a hand through my hair, gripping the back of my neck as I try to shake the feeling of him off me. I can still feel the press of his body against
Kade POVThe bar is packed when we get there, the energy buzzing, drinks flowing easily. It’s one of the places hockey guys always hit after games, filled with a mix of fans, reporters, and the usual crowd looking to get close to anyone with a shot at the big leagues. I let the guys pull me toward the bar, already ordering rounds, the familiar rhythm of celebration settling over us.I grab a drink, lean against the counter, and try to let the noise drown out everything else, but then I feel it. A stare, someone is staring at me. I don’t have to turn to know who it is. My grip tightens around my glass, my jaw clenching as I finally glance over my shoulder.Rook.He’s across the bar, sitting in a booth with a few of his teammates, but his eyes are locked onto me, unwavering, unreadable. He hasn’t looked away once, like he’s been waiting for me to notice. There’s no smirk this time, no cocky grin, no teasing insult waiting to be thrown across the room. Just him, watching me.And the wors
Rook POVI’ve not been able to get the other night out of my head. My body pressed against Kade’s, the way his tongue pushed into my mouth like he was begging for fucking more.Practice has been fucking hard, mainly because I’m constantly hard. Every time one of the guys barrels into me, my mind goes straight to Kade. I see flashes of that night, his body arching, the way his breath hitched when I pushed him just far enough but not all the way. I could’ve had him. I know it. He knows it. And that’s exactly why I didn’t take him.I don’t just want him. I want him ruined for anyone else. I want him addicted to the way I play with him, stalking him, tormenting him, owning him. I want him to crave me like oxygen, to shudder at the thought of me not being there. So I walked away, and ;eft him standing there, breathless, confused and desperate.That’s how he makes me feel every fucking day.Today’s game is another chance to get inside his head, to tighten the grip. Like a snake, coiling aro
Rook POVWhen I reach his locker room, he’s alone, shirtless, pacing. His muscles flex as he mutters curses under his breath, hands raking through his hair. His whole body screams frustration, but it’s the anger in his eyes that holds me still for a second.I glance down the hall and catch sight of my father walking away. Yeah. He’s been here. He’s made sure Mercer knows exactly what’s expected of him.The moment my father’s footsteps fade, Kade stops, lifting his head. His eyes lock onto mine, and the fire burning there makes my blood fucking race.“Here to fucking gloat?” he sneers, his voice is thick with venom.I step inside, slow and steady, watching as he yanks on his gear. His movements are sharp, and rigid, like it’s taking everything in him not to slam his fist into something.“Don’t go getting dressed for me,” I say, smirking. “I’d much rather you were naked.”His glare sharpens, but I don’t stop. I close the space between us, enjoying the way his jaw clenches, the way his b
Kade POVI feel like I’m going to be sick. Every second on that ice, every forced mistake, every moment I hold back when I should be driving forward, it eats at me like fire in my veins. The weight of it presses down on me, making my entire body burn with frustration. I want to fight back, to do something, to show them that I’m not just some pawn they can move around at will, but what can I do? There’s no escape from this, no way to break free without tearing my entire life apart in the process.Walking away from hockey isn’t an option, so when the final buzzer goes, I don’t wait for anyone, don’t stop to acknowledge the loss or pretend I care. There’s nothing to celebrate. I rip my helmet off before I even step off the ice, storming down the tunnel and straight into the locker room. My jersey is off in seconds, thrown to the bench like it’s the problem, like it’s the reason I feel like my own skin is suffocating me.“What the fuck was that, Mercer?” Coach is on me instantly, his voic
Kade POVThe drive to my hometown is nothing short of hell. Every mile that passes should bring relief, should make it feel like I’m gaining distance, like I’m putting space between myself and the people trying to own me, but it doesn’t. The weight in my chest doesn’t lift. The knot in my stomach doesn’t loosen.But it doesn’t matter. For now, I have a few days of freedom, a few days where I can breathe. I’ll see my mother, spend time with my two little sisters, remind myself that there are still pieces of my life that belong to me.That’s all I need right now. The drive feels like it’s stretching longer than it should, each mile dragging, like my body knows I shouldn’t be doing this. My grip tightens on the wheel as I finally turn onto the gravel road leading to the trailer park, the familiar sight hitting me like a punch to the gut.Nothing’s changed here, the trailers are lined up in uneven rows, some looking better than others, but most bearing the wear and tear of too many years,
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