LOGIN"You don’t mean that. He’s still your brother. Why the hell do you want to see him lose everything?" I muttered under my breath.Andrew stopped pacing. His face twisted like I’d slapped him. "He made me lose everything too, you little shit," he snapped back. "I’ve spent years trying to pay him back. Ambushed his shipments, sent shooters after him and his whole damn family. Hell, I even risked going after William Antonellis himself, hoping the attack would wipe out Vince’s heir so he’d know exactly how it felt when he stole my life from me."My hands curled into fists against the ropes."You sick bastard," I growled. He leaned in closer. "But your old man’s been too fucking lucky every single time. Slipped through every trap. Until now. Look who’s got the upper hand, nephew. Me."My stomach turned over. All those attacks that took my brothers from us… this bastard had been behind them the whole time. Every funeral, every scar, every night I stayed up wondering who the hell was gunnin
Landon's POVThe first thing that hit me when he walked in wasn’t fear.It was confusion.I didn’t know who the hell I had expected to see but it sure as hell wasn’t him.For a split second, my brain told me it was my old man.Same height. Same build. Same sharp jaw. Same eyes that looked like they’d already judged you before you even opened your mouth. It was like staring at a version of my father that had been dragged through hell and left there a little too long.But then I actually looked at him and everything in me went cold. Because it wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.My dad didn’t look at people like that. Not like they were something to break apart just to see how they worked. Not like they were already dead and just hadn’t realized it yet.This man did.I had never seen my old man’s twin before. I heard stories, yeah. Bits and pieces. Enough to know he existed. Enough to know he was bad news. But seeing him in the flesh? It was like someone had taken my father and twisted somethin
Kasey’s POVI lay on that lumpy little bed, staring at the plate Kendra had shoved under my nose again. The same gray mush she’d been feeding me since the day she dragged me here at gunpoint. It smelled like nothing and looked even worse, like boiled cardboard mixed with old gravy. My stomach twisted just looking at it. Five days of this crap, and I couldn’t take another bite without wanting to throw up right there on the floor."You have to eat something," she said. Her voice was tight like she was trying to sound nice but failing. "You’re not helping yourself by starving."I didn’t answer. I just kept my eyes on the wall across from me, avoiding her gaze. I pushed the plate away with the back of my hand."I’m not hungry," I muttered.She let out a sharp breath. "Stop acting up and just eat the damn food."I turned my whole body away from her then, curling toward the other side of the bed so my back was to her. My hand went to my belly without thinking, resting there like it always d
Landon's POVWhere did things go wrong?That question had been stuck in my head for five days straight, playing over and over until it stopped sounding like a question and started sounding like a punishment. Everything had lined up perfectly for once in my life. I had taken back control. I had ended things with Kendra, burned every last piece of leverage she had over me and walked away from that mess for good. Darren wrapped up his divorce from Kasey without any big blowup and the minute she was free, I dropped to one knee and asked her to be my wife.I could still see it. The way her eyes had softened, the way her lips had trembled just a little before she nodded. The way she’d laughed through tears and said yes like it was the easiest thing in the world. Like choosing me had never been a question.So how the hell did I lose her minutes later? How did I go from that moment… to this? We were supposed to start fresh, just the two of us and the baby on the way. How did I end up here wi
He nodded, still swaying us to the music. "Yeah. Our families too. But only them... no one else. I had to ask your parents and mine for their blessings first. Couldn’t do this without that.""You really asked them?" The idea of Landon formally asking my parents for permission to marry me sent a new wave of tenderness through me."Of course I did," he said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "I wanted everything done right. I warned them not to say a word to you, though."A warm rush of love filled me up. I rose up on my toes and kissed him softly. He kissed me back fiercely with one hand cupping the back of my head like he couldn’t get close enough. When we pulled apart, he looked dazed."I can’t believe you’re my wife now," he breathed."We’re not even married yet,""We are in my books," he stated firmly. "Both families have given their blessing. You’ve agreed to be my wife. You’re wearing my family’s ring. And you’re carrying my baby." He squeezed my hand. "That screams married
The blindfold pressed softly against my eyes, shutting out everything except the sound of my own breathing and him. I could feel Landon’s hand wrapped around mine firmly, guiding me forward with careful steps."Landon, where are we going?" I asked, my voice coming out a little shaky. The air smelled like pine and fresh earth, and a light breeze brushed my cheeks. "Just tell me, please."He squeezed my fingers gently. "You’ll see, baby. Just a little farther. Trust me."I did trust him. With everything. But this past week he had been sneaking around, disappearing for hours and whispering on the phone when he thought I wasn’t listening. My stomach had been in knots the whole time. I kept imagining all kinds of things; maybe a doctor’s appointment he didn’t want me to worry about, or William still threatening him, or something worse.Today, he’d told me to wear the emerald green dress he’d bought me last week and my favorite heels. He’d said we were going somewhere special, but he’d refu
Headlights from the other car washed over the road we had just left. I could see the glow through the leaves and branches around us. I sank lower in my seat and held my breath, afraid even the smallest movement would give us away.The car slowed. Then it stopped. Right where we'd been."They went t
My eyes lit up. "Really? Oh man, I miss them so much. It's been forever since I've seen anyone.""You’re smiling," Darren said quietly."I know," I replied, unable to stop. "I can’t help it."He studied me for a second, like he was trying to memorize that expression."I didn’t realize you missed th
My mouth fell open. "Ilya! What are you—""I’m sorry," he said quietly with his head bowed. "I’m so fucking sorry. For everything. For the way I treated you. For acting like you didn't exist. For disrespecting you in your own home. For sneaking around with Darren behind your back. All of it. I’m so
Kasey’s POVI woke up with my mouth tasting like sour grapes and my neck sore from the way I’d been curled up on the couch. For a moment, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to shake off that thick, heavy feeling that came with sleeping too long. It felt like my body ha







