Chapter 4


Chapter 4: The Rival’s Claim

My hand trembled as I took the phone from Dante. Marcus’s voice slithered through the speaker like poison wrapped in silk. “Serena. You ran from your father’s promise. But deals like ours do not die so easily. Come meet me tonight or I burn everything the Voss brothers own. And I take you anyway.”

The safe house suddenly felt smaller. The golden warmth from the brothers’ touches moments earlier clashed with the cold dread pooling in my stomach. I had chosen them over Marcus to save my family. Now that choice dragged us all into open war. Dante’s eyes burned with fury beside me. Leo stood like a wall at my back. Nico’s usual teasing smile had sharpened into something lethal.

“We meet on neutral ground,” Dante said, taking the phone back. His voice left no room for argument. “The old pier in one hour. You come alone or the deal ends in blood.”

Marcus laughed. “Bring your curvy prize. I want to remind her what she gave up.”

The line went dead. Dante pulled me against his chest immediately. His hand stroked down my back, possessive and reassuring. “He will not touch you. You are ours. Every soft curve. Every breath. He does not get to claim what we worship.”

His words sent heat through me even now. I pressed closer, letting their strength steady the fear. I did not need saving. I had run from Marcus once. I could face him again. But with three men who looked at my body like it was sacred, the fight felt different. Stronger.

We dressed quickly. They armed themselves with quiet efficiency. Leo helped me into a coat, his big hands lingering on my waist. “Stay between us,” he murmured. “Your body is for our hands only.”

Nico kissed my temple. “Think about how we will reward you after this. Those thick thighs spread wide. Our mouths showing you exactly why you chose right.”

The drive to the pier stretched in tense silence broken only by the rain drumming on the car. Blue shadows from the stormy night pressed against the windows while their presence wrapped me in golden heat. I replayed my father’s final days in my mind. His desperate deal with Marcus. My refusal. The night I slipped away and offered myself to the Voss syndicate instead. That single choice had sparked this fire. Now it threatened to consume us all.

The pier appeared ahead, deserted and slick with rain. Marcus waited under a single flickering light, flanked by two guards despite the agreement. He looked exactly as I remembered. Sharp suit, colder eyes, the kind of man who saw women as assets to break.

His gaze raked over me as we approached. “Serena. Still as lush as ever. Your father promised you to me to clear his debts. Running to these three does not erase that contract. You belong to me.”

Dante stepped in front of me, his body a shield. “She chose us. She signed our terms. Touch her and you die.”

Marcus smirked. “Brave words. But I have allies. Resources. And proof of the original agreement. Hand her over tonight or the war escalates. Warehouses are just the beginning. I will take her piece by piece until she begs to come back to me.”

The threat hung heavy in the wet air. Leo growled low beside me, his hand finding mine. Nico shifted closer, his usual playfulness gone. I felt their tension like a live wire. Yet even here, in the middle of danger, Dante’s hand brushed my hip. A silent reminder. You are worshipped. You are safe.

I stepped forward before they could stop me. My voice came out steadier than I felt. “I ran from you because I refused to be sold like property. These men see me. All of me. They do not want to break me. They want to own me because they crave every curve.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “Foolish girl. Your body will tire of their games soon enough. When it does, I will be waiting.”

The air crackled. Dante moved like lightning, grabbing Marcus by the collar. “Threaten her again and this ends now.”

Guards drew weapons. Leo pulled me back protectively while Nico covered our flank. Rain poured harder, turning the pier into a slick battlefield. My heart pounded between fear and a strange thrill. I had chosen this. Chosen them. And I would not let Marcus take it away.

A shot rang out in the distance. Not from us. Chaos erupted. Marcus shoved free and retreated toward his car with his men. “This is not over, Serena! You will be mine!”

Dante shielded me with his body as we rushed back to the car. Bullets whistled past in the storm. Leo took a grazing hit to his arm but kept moving, his face set in grim determination.

We piled inside and sped away. Blood trickled down Leo’s sleeve. My hands pressed over the wound, heart racing. The war had truly begun. Marcus would not stop.

Back at the safe house, the brothers tended Leo’s wound quickly. The adrenaline left me shaking. Dante pulled me onto his lap on the couch, his hands roaming my curves with urgent need. “You were brave tonight. So fucking beautiful standing up to him.”

Nico knelt in front of me, spreading my thighs. “Let us remind you who you belong to. Right now.”

Leo’s good hand joined them, eyes dark with pain and desire. Their touches chased away the fear, building that fire again. I moaned as fingers and mouths explored me, praise falling like rain.

But as pleasure crested, another alert buzzed on Dante’s phone. Marcus had struck again. This time closer. At one of our hidden assets.

The brothers tensed around me. Dante’s voice was steel. “He wants you badly enough to bleed for it. We end this soon, Serena. But tonight you stay right here between us.”

I nodded, lost in their heat, but the edge of danger pressed closer. Marcus knew my past. He knew my choice. And he would use both to destroy everything we were building.

The real fight was only beginning. And I was right in the center of it.