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CHAPTER THIRTY
publish date:
2026-03-22 17:49:05
Latest chapter
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
The office felt smaller than usual. Or maybe it was just the tension. Lance stood near Ragnar’s desk, trying and failing to act normal. His hands were shoved into his pockets, shoulders slightly stiff, like if he moved too much he’d somehow make everything worse.Ylva, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed. Too relaxed. She leaned against Lance’s side, her arm casually wrapped around his, her fingers tracing slow, absent patterns on his sleeve like this was the most natural thing in the world. Like nothing had changed. Like he hadn’t spent months slowly losing his mind over someone else.Lance swallowed. “Ylva…” he muttered under his breath, trying to subtly shift away.She didn’t budge. If anything, she leaned in more. “What?” she asked softly, glancing up at him with a small smile. His chest tightened and not in the way it used to. Not like before. Now it just felt… complicated.“I’m working,” he said quietly, hoping she’d get the hint.“Oh?” she tilted her head slightly,
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Several months passed, and whatever Lance had hoped would fade… didn’t.If anything, it got worse.By the time his body fully healed and he was back on regular duty, it meant one thing, he was around Ragnar even more.And that was the problem.Because Lance wasn’t even pretending anymore, at least not in his own head.He liked being around him.No, he loved it, more than he should have.Every briefing. Every mission. Every quiet moment where Ragnar stood there, calm and unreadable while everyone else shifted under pressure.Lance noticed everything now.The way Ragnar spoke, low, controlled, like he never wasted a word.The way people listened when he did.The way he carried himself like nothing in the world could shake him.It got to a point where Lance had to actively check himself.Like that one time.They were all gathered in the main hall, Ragnar standing in front of them, going over the aftermath of a shootout. His tone was flat as he listed numbers of casualties, losses, what
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER THIRTY
The room fell into a brief, stunned silence as both Lance and Tamera looked at Ragnar.Then—Tamera burst into laughter.Bright, unbothered laughter, like nothing about what he had just said was strange at all.“That’s so cool,” she grinned.Lance just stared at Ragnar, completely thrown.“You just told her a child’s nightmare.”Ragnar raised a brow, entirely unfazed.“You’re the one who asked. I told the truth.”Lance opened his mouth, then paused.“You’re amaz—” he caught himself abruptly, turning his head away, “—I mean unbelievable.”Ragnar didn’t respond, but his gaze lingered on Lance for a second longer than necessary.“Weird kid,” he thought.The rest of the hour passed quicker than Lance wanted.It slipped through his fingers in small moments, Tamera showing him more drawings, dragging him into another round of the game, laughing at things that didn’t make sense but somehow felt important anyway.And before he knew it, it was time.The realization settled heavily in his ches
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Tamera sat cross-legged on the carpet, surrounded by toys that looked like they had slowly taken over the entire living room. Colorful blocks, stuffed animals, puzzle pieces, half of it was scattered around like a tiny battlefield of childhood chaos.Lance sat across from her, holding a stuffed dinosaur she had forced into his hands.“No, Lance!” she giggled. “The dinosaur can’t fly!”“Why not?” Lance argued dramatically. “Maybe he believes in himself.”“That’s not how dinosaurs work.”“You’d be surprised.”Tamera laughed and grabbed the toy from him, pushing one of her dolls forward instead.“This is the princess and the dinosaur is protecting her.”“Oh,” Lance said seriously. “So the dinosaur is the bodyguard.”“Yes!”Lance glanced briefly toward the other side of the room.Ragnar was still there.He stood near the large window, arms folded loosely across his chest, his posture relaxed but watchful. He hadn’t spoken since they arrived. If anything, he seemed perfectly content to re
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
The wait finally ended when a knock sounded at the office door.Ragnar glanced toward it. “Come in.”One of the guards stepped inside and gave a short nod.“The car is ready.”Lance shot up from the couch so fast that Ragnar immediately narrowed his eyes at him.“Careful.”“I’m careful,” Lance said quickly, already halfway to the door.He stopped only when another wave of pain reminded him that his body strongly disagreed with that statement. Lance slowed his pace slightly, pressing a hand briefly against his bandaged stomach before straightening again.“I’m fine,” he muttered.Ragnar stood from behind the desk, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair.“Let’s go.”The walk through the halls felt shorter than usual. Lance’s mind was racing too fast to notice anything around him. By the time they stepped outside, a black car was already waiting near the entrance.One of the drivers opened the back door.Lance slid inside first, Ragnar following a moment later.The car pulled away f
COLLATERAL DESIRE CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Ragnar didn’t respond to Lance’s last comment.He simply stood there for a moment, watching him carefully as if making sure he wasn’t about to do something equally stupid again. Once he seemed satisfied that Lance had stopped trying to tear his stitches open, he returned to his desk and sat down.“Stay seated,” Ragnar repeated calmly as he picked up his work again.Lance leaned back into the couch cushions with a quiet sigh. The pain in his stomach had dulled again, leaving behind that familiar tight ache that reminded him not to move too quickly.“Bossy,” he muttered.Ragnar ignored him.For a few minutes the room returned to its quiet rhythm, the soft clicking of Ragnar’s keyboard, the faint hum of the air conditioner, and the distant sound of traffic far below the building.This time Lance actually tried to behave.He folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, though every now and then his eyes drifted back toward Ragnar without him meaning to.It still felt stra
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