MasukTyler went back to rifling through drawers. He was moving fast, like he could feel the clock ticking too. I stayed on the floor, rolling the loose tile over in my hand. It had been cut clean, too clean. Whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing. It slipped back into place so seamlessly you’d never notice unless you were already suspicious as hell. She was smart. I had to give her that.I set the tile back in place and stood up, still in my towel. Water dripped from my hair onto my shoulders. "If there’s videos on here, we end this today. I’m done with her games. Done with her living here like she owns the fucking place."Tyler paused, then crouched and dug through the bottom drawer of the nightstand. His fingers hooked around something and he pulled out a charger."Here. Let’s plug it in and see," he said, tossing it to me.I caught it, and the cheap plastic cord tangled in my fingers. I plugged the phone into the wall outlet near the bed and the little red light blinked on. I
Landon's POV I woke up with a stream of freezing water being dumped over my face.I sucked in a sharp breath and jerked upright with a strangled sound somewhere between a cough and a swear. The water was dripping down my nose, soaking into my beard, and sliding straight into my ears."What the fuck?"Tyler stumbled backward, laughing like an idiot, the empty plastic jug still in his hand. Water sloshed at the bottom as he tried—and failed—to look innocent"Oh, you're still alive," he said, wheezing through his grin. "I’ve been shaking you, slapping your cheek, and yelling your name for like five minutes. You were out cold. Thought you were fucking dead or something."I wiped my face with the back of my hand and opened my eyes again. The concrete ceiling of the underground garage swam into focus above me, with the strip lights buzzing faintly. My back ached where I’d apparently passed out against one of the parked bikes, with my legs stretched out in the narrow corridor between two ro
I slumped back, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. "You idiot," I whispered to the empty room. "You colossal, hormonal, thoughtless idiot."How could I be so careless? Darren trusted me with that secret, and I almost blew it. How could I say his boyfriend's name without confirming whether we were truly alone? And yeah, it could pass for a girl's pet name if you stretched it. But still... what if Ilya pieced it together?I reached for my phone on the side table, thinking about calling my mom. Or maybe someone back home. But what would I say? "Hey, Mom, got robbed at knifepoint, Darren got stabbed, and I passed out from shock. Oh, and the baby's fine." They'd freak out, drive straight here, and make everything worse. No, it was better to keep it quiet and let things settle.I set the phone down and tried to sink back into the pillows, squeezing my eyes shut. Sleep. That was all I wanted.But the door creaked open again, and my eyes snapped wide. Ilya stepped in, closing it be
I nodded, my head bobbing stiffly, almost on autopilot. Panic clawed at my chest, but I forced it down. I couldn’t let him see it."Yes," I said. "A robbery. He shot one of them… in the hand.""Good." He turned to Darren, who was fading, with his eyelids already fluttering. Ilya took the pistol, wiped it clean with the towel, and pressed it into Darren’s bloody hand and closed his fingers around the grip. "Darren. You hear me? You fired a shot. You scared them off. That’s the story. You'll have to go along with it, or there will be more trouble. I have to go. I have to… dispose of this." He said the last part softly, almost like an apologyDarren’s eyes opened slightly. He looked at Ilya, and for a moment, all the anger from before was gone. There was just exhaustion, pain, and something else. A raw, unguarded trust. "Okay," he whispered. "Be careful."Ilya’s throat worked. He stood up and glanced at me. "Ride with him in the ambulance. I’ll meet you at the hospital."Without anothe
Oh God. We were getting robbed. Right there. In broad daylight. My hands shook as I fumbled with the wedding ring on my finger. It felt impossibly tight around my ring finger. Finally, I managed to slip it off and let it drop with a sharp clink into the grubby palm the man held out. My phone followed, then my small purse.Darren hadn’t moved. He sat perfectly still with his eyes on the gaunt man. "You can have the rings," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Take the money and the phones too. But not the watch."The robber’s sneer deepened. "You think this is a negotiation? Give me the fucking watch or we’re gonna have a fucking problem."He yanked a knife from his pocket and flicked it toward Darren. My stomach dropped. I squeezed my eyes shut for a split second wishing I could disappear or at least stop shaking so violently then opened them."Darren," I whispered, panic clawing up my throat. "Just give it to him."He ignored me. "Listen to your girlfriend, pretty boy." The robber who
I stepped out of the house with Darren, the warm sun hitting my face as we walked toward the garage tucked away in the corner of the compound. It was one of those fancy setups where the wealthy kept their cars lined up like trophies, all shiny and protected under a wide roof with high walls around it. Darren clicked the remote, and the sleek black SUV beeped to life. He opened the passenger door for me with a small smile, like he was trying to make this feel normal."Your chariot awaits, milady," he said, and I felt my lips stretch into a ridiculous, shit-eating grin that threatened to split my face. My cheeks burned, and I had to press a hand against my mouth to stop myself from laughing outright."Very well," I said solemnly, lifting my chin as I slid into the seat. "But pray tell, good sir, does this noble steed come with refreshments, or must I endure the journey in royal thirst?""Only the finest for my esteemed passenger," he beamed. "Climate-controlled comfort, imported sound







