LOGINOrana’s Point of ViewThe drive home was quiet, the silence between us thick with everything we had yet to figure out. While we were in the car, he told me everything, and if I ever wanted to know something, I could just ask him.So I asked him about connections, but the biggest question I couldn’t bring myself to ask him.I knew if he ever killed someone, it was for a good reason now, but I couldn’t ask him.By the time Vaughn was getting on the highway, exhaustion took over, and I drifted into a deep sleep.Vaughn carried me to bed and tucked me in. The only way I knew he did was because I was mumbling something, and he kissed me while I drifted off to sleep as he tucked me in.When I woke up in the morning, I instinctively reached across the cold sheets for Vaughn, but his side of the bed was empty.My heart instantly skyrocketed. Panic seizing my chest, I scrambled out of bed, searching our bedroom and the walk-in closet. He wasn’t there.Did he leave again when he promised to ans
Orana’s Point of ViewI stood in the chilly night air, looking at my husband, and for the first time, I could physically feel him drifting away from me, pulling back into the dark shadows to protect me from himself.“Vaughn,” I whispered, my voice breaking.“Let’s get you home,” he mumbled, taking a step toward me, but I instinctively took a step back, shaking my head.“Fuck, Vaughn. I’m tired,” I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. “Just fucking tell me what’s going on. Tell me why you didn’t tell me my brother knew, or what else there is to come.”“I can’t!” he whisper-yelled through gritted teeth, his jaw clenching as he fought to keep his composure.“Why not?”He closed the distance between us in two quick strides, taking me gently by the shoulders and steering us several feet away from Sean, James, and his security detail.“Because if I did, and things went to shit, you would be considered complicit,” he whispered, his eyes wide and burning with desperate intensity. “And I need y
Vaughn’s Point of View“What the fuck happened?” I roared, storming into the basement where we had been keeping my father-in-law.The cold concrete floor was empty, save for two of my most trusted men lying dead, their wide, unblinking eyes staring up at the low ceiling, one of them Paul. An icy rage ignited in my chest.I whirled around on my heel to block the entrance, trying to stop my wife from coming any further into the bloodstained room, but she shoved past my arm, her jaw set and body shivering. She had told me she wanted to know everything about my life, and I couldn’t hide the dark reality of my life from her anymore.“Did the cameras capture anything?” I demanded, turning to my lead security detail.Ray shook his head, his face pale in the dim fluorescent lighting. “The cameras went dark thirty seconds before the breach, boss. It was a clean, targeted hit.”I slowly turned my eyes toward James, and a heavy, silent moment passed between us. He didn’t need to say a word; he k
Orana’s Point of ViewThe moment the doors shut and the engine started, a heavy silence settled between us again, as if we were strangers.That moment in the bathroom felt as if it had happened ages ago. He felt so distant. For a minute, I wish he could just hold me.Vaughn glanced at me from the driver’s seat. “I’d like us to talk tonight, Orana.”I leaned my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes. “Can it please wait until tomorrow?”“No,” he said, his voice quiet. “I’ve been waiting for weeks. We’re talking tonight, please.”When the car finally pulled up the long driveway of the mansion, Vaughn didn’t head for the front doors. Instead, he turned off the ignition, stepped out, and opened my door. “Walk with me,” he murmured, offering his hand.I wasn’t exhausted yet, so I decided to follow him. We walked in the opposite direction of the main house, heading toward the grand, sprawling hedge maze that bordered the river.The night air was cool, carrying the scent of fresh wa
Orana’s Point of ViewVaughn kissed me like a man who had been starved for years. His touch was electric, his hands sliding possessively up my thigh, sending a wave of heat straight through my veins. “Should I remind you of who you belong to?” Vaughn whispered in my ear. Before I could even gather my thoughts, he turned me around, pressing me flat against the cool marble of the vanity. “Vaughn.” My breath hitched as he bunched the silk of my dress around my waist, his dark eyes locking onto mine through the massive mirror, forcing me to look at him, to see the intensity of how much he wanted me.He put his leg between my legs, and using his foot, he nudged my heels, forcing me to spread my legs.It was intense, raw, and completely intoxicating—the most amazing thing I had missed about us.“Is this what you wanted? Seeing me lose control like this?” Vaughn whispered against my ear, while his hand cupped my sex, his fingers brushing over my thong.“Vaughn,” I whispered, almost out of
Vaughn’s Point of ViewMy jaw clenched so hard the bone ached. The possessive beast I kept locked in the dark clawed its way to the surface, screaming for blood. Before I could think twice, I excused myself from the senator and walked straight over to them. The asshole shifted slightly. I bet he was fixing what was bothering him between his legs.“A stór,” I said, my voice dripping with dark possessiveness. No one looks at what’s mine like that. I didn’t wait for an invitation.I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her back against my chest so hard her shoulder blades hit my ribs. I looked the motherfucker dead in the eye, my gaze icy. “I don’t think we’ve met.”The asshole didn’t back down. He stood tall, offering a tight, challenging smile. “Kameron Davis,” he said, extending a hand. “Orana and I went to high school together.”I stared at his hand for a beat too long before taking it, giving him a grip tight enough to make my knuckles turn white. “Vaughn Carson,” I said, my voi
Orana’s Point of View“Are you ready for this, Orana?”The question cut through the low hum of the jet engines just as the door opened, letting in a rush of New York air. I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I stood at the top of the stairs, my fingers curling tightly around the rail as my gaze s
Orana’s Point of View“Mama, you’re staring at me again.”I blinked, dragged back into the present by a small, sweet voice.My daughter stood in the middle of the room with her tiny hands planted on her hips, already dressed, already impatient. Her curls framed her face in soft chaos, and her green
Callahan’s point of view“Did you read the divorce papers?” My friend and lawyer, Maddox, asked as he walked into my office.It took her a fucking week to finally decide to send the documents back.I raised my eyebrows, wondering what he was talking about. I thought I just needed a signature, and I
Orana’s Point of ViewI knew Callahan hated people who didn’t keep time, and he said I had to meet him exactly at ten, which means I have less than two hours to eat, shower, and head to the other side of town with this traffic.By the time I was getting to his office, it was just fifteen minutes be







