LOGINThe house they had brought him too this time was smaller, much smaller than the villa, but not modest. Not even close. And that was the first thing Noah noticed when the SUV finally slowed and came to a stop. It sat tucked away behind a wrought-iron gate, but the wealth could not be hidden. Clean lines, dark windows and no lights on outside except for the faint glow near the entrance. The place was quiet.“Out.” The man said as the SUV door slid open.Noah stepped down onto the pavement, his eyes adjusting quickly as he took in his surroundings. The air felt colder here. Or maybe it was just the way his body reacted to being brought somewhere like this again.“Nice place,” he muttered and no one responded. Maybe he really didn’t know when to stop talking.They didn’t bother with the cloth bag this time. There was no need for theatrics as Noah already knew who he was dealing with and he could already guess where this was going. They led him inside. The interior was just as controlled a
Wednesday, 6:30 AM. Almost a week had passed since Adrian Voss had “assigned” him to be under Chase. Normal, that’s what he needed to be, normal with no Adrian Voss and no late-night threats wrapped in polite conversation. Just hockey.The rink was already alive by the time he stepped onto the ice. The cold hit him first, cutting through the lingering fatigue in his bones. Then came the sound, skates carving into ice, sticks clashing, bodies colliding with controlled aggression. The rhythm of it all was familiar enough to anchor him, even if everything else in his life felt like it was slipping further out of control.“Hayes!”Noah glanced up as one of his teammates signaled for a pass. He didn’t hesitate to send the puck clean across the ice. It connected, smooth and precise.“Better,” the guy muttered, almost impressed. Noah didn’t respond, he skated harder instead.After the last clash with Chase, the team dynamic had shifted. Not quite division, not quite unity either. Just awaren
The Voss villa on Barton Hills didn’t feel like a house, it felt like a statement of wealth, power and control, and it looked even more intimidating at night with the long driveway stretching ahead of him, lined with low lights that cast a soft glow over the perfectly trimmed hedges. Or maybe Noah just noticed it more.He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as he approached the gate, the cold evening air biting at his skin. It had taken him longer to get here because he had to do a little of walking and waiting for the bus. By the time he arrived, it was well past seven.He stepped up to the security post and one of the men straightened, his gaze sharp as it landed on him. “You’re late.”“Yeah. Turns out I’m not rich enough to have a car waiting for me.” Noah replied dryly. The man didn’t react and he didn’t even look remotely amused. “Follow me.”Noah huffed under his breath but said nothing else, falling into step behind him as the gates slid open with a quiet mechanical hum.
Thursdays were scheduled for Noah to leave school right after class and come down to Detroit to be with his brother, but he hated how room 402 on the fourth floor of DMC was becoming too familiar to him, like something permanent. He slowed as he reached the door and for a second, he just stood there, hand hovering near the handle before he pushed it open. Eli was standing by the window, the last afternoon sun spilling through the glass caught on his shoulders and outlined him in a way that made him look smaller than Noah remembered, but stronger than the last time he’d seen him lying in that bed and that eased something in his chest. “Hey,” he said. Eli turned immediately and his face lit up, bright and unguarded in a way that caught Noah unexpectedly.“Noah!”He crossed the room faster than he probably should have, but Noah didn’t say anything about taking it easy, he just caught him when he got close, pulling him into a brief, tight hug. He felt lighter, but still, he was standing
“Figures. The marble floors gave it away.” Noah replied reluctantly, like it was not his first time in such an up-state, expensive house.Chase ignored that as his eyes dragged over Noah again, this time not assessing but judging. “You walk in, run your mouth, and suddenly he’s interested,” he said. “You have any idea what that means?”Noah tilted his head slightly, a slow smirk playing on his lips. “Sounds like a you problem.”Chase smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Yeah, it is.” he said and paused before adding, “And soon, it just might be a deadly “you” problem, but for now, you’re mine.”The words landed differently. It wasn’t quite like ownership but something close enough to feel like it and Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly. He did not like that one bit.“Didn’t realize I signed up for that.”“You didn’t have to. He did that for you, and he is going to be making a whole lot more of these kinds of decisions for you, and a scholarship kid doesn’t get to have a say.” C
The door closed with a soft, final click and silence, heavy and deliberate, pressed in the second Adrian Voss left, settling into the space. Even in his absence, his presence lingered, like the room had not quite adjusted yet. Noah did not move at first but his wrist was still aching faintly from the restraints, a ghost of the pressure lingering under the skin. The file was no longer in his hands, but the weight of what had just happened had not left him.“Do you have death wish?” Chase’s voice cut through the quiet, cold and flat, and Noah glanced up, exhaling slowly. “You don’t seem to know your place.”Chase was still standing near the desk, his shoulders were squared, jaw tight, and tension was coiled tight in his frame. The relaxed and almost amused version from earlier was gone, replaced by something sharper and colder. Irritation, sharp, controlled and personal as he just watched him.“Funny,” Noah said, huffing lightly under his breath as he rolled his shoulders and fliexed h







