Chapter 2

Ryan’s POV

I adjust the cuff of my tux one last time and take a deep breath, feeling the leather of my shoes on the polished floor. The hotel key card is no longer in my pocket. I pressed it into Evan’s hand just minutes ago, a promise, a lifeline, proof that tonight is ours better than any night before.

God. The look on his face when he said yes. Wide-eyed, nervous, trusting… it nearly breaks me on the spot. Evan Brooks isn’t just my boyfriend. He’s my sanity, my anchor, the one reason I survived senior year without completely losing my mind. And tonight—tonight is supposed to seal everything we’ve ever whispered in the dark, every secret we’ve tucked between us.

I murmur the room number under my breath. “Room 312.” The numbers echo in the corridor, small and intimate. I press the elevator button. My reflection stares back at me in the mirrored wall, tousled blond hair, a sharp jawline, and eyes still blazing from the kiss we just shared. I look like a guy standing on the edge of happiness, maybe about to fall into it.

The doors slide open. I made two steps in then slammed hard. I’m shoved into the wall before I even realize it.

“What the…” I start, but a fist hits my ribs and pain explodes through my side. My breath escapes in a sharp hiss. I clutch my middle for balance, but another blow catches my jaw. My vision sparks, flickering white.

“Shut up,” a low, growling voice murmurs in my ear.

I twist, but the hallway’s fluorescent lights make everything harsh and jagged. Two figures loom over me, too big for anyone I know from school. Hired muscle, maybe. One pins my arms, the other drives another punch square into my stomach. I double over. Air rips from my lungs.

“What the hell do you want?” I choke out, tasting blood. My voice sounds alien to me weak, hoarse, strangled.

The first one sneers. “Orders.”

Then, without warning, my head slams against the wall. White-hot pain shoots through my skull. My knees threaten to buckle. I try to fight back, push, kick, throw my weight, but it’s useless. They were outnumbered and outmatched.

Somewhere through the haze, I hear new footsteps smooth and familiar.

“Well, well. Didn’t take much to bring the golden boy down.”

Mason.

Of course.

I spit blood onto the floor, glare fixed on him. “You.”

He crouches in front of me, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. My chest tightens at that damn smirk. Mason plucks the hotel card from the ground, the one I just gave Evan, and twirls it between his fingers like a trophy.

“You know, you make this too easy, Hale,” he says lightly. “Setting up secret little dates, handing out keys like candy. Honestly, it’s almost like you’re begging me to ruin you.”

I strain against the grip on my arms. “Stay the hell away from Evan.”

Mason’s grin widens, predatory. “Evan? Don’t worry. I already visited him. Poor kid looked like the world just collapsed when I told him the truth about you and me.”

Cold, icy fear washes over me. “What did you do?”

He leans closer, eyes glinting like he’s savoring my panic. “Just a little reality check. You’re not untouchable, Hale, and your boy? He deserves to know you’re not the saint he thinks you are.”

I shake my head, but my voice is hoarse, weak. “You’re lying.”

Mason tilts his head, mock sympathy dripping from his tone. “We’ll see if he believes that.”

He flicks the card toward one of the guys restraining me. “Nice work, Jake. Get him inside. The bathroom’s ready. We don’t want lover boy finding him too soon.”

Pain shoots down my arms. I struggle, try to twist, but it’s useless. I glance at Mason, the bastard’s smirk as wide as ever. His satisfaction radiates off him, and my jaw clenches so hard my teeth hurt.

I don’t want to show weakness, but my body is screaming. Every nerve is on fire. My chest heaves and my vision narrows. My thoughts fight the fear clawing up my spine. Evan’s out there. He’s walking toward our room, smiling, trusting, holding that key card like it’s everything and I’m… stuck here, being humiliated in the worst way possible.

“Say goodbye to your little paradise, Hale,” Mason hisses.

I bite back a curse, try to push, swing, anything. My fists land against muscle and concrete, but it’s useless. Mason crouches lower, closer, like he’s tasting my fear.

“You really thought you could have it all, didn’t you?” he sneers. “Perfect prom night, perfect boyfriend, perfect little secret. Life’s funny, isn’t it?”

I glare at him. “You don’t get to touch him. You don’t get…”

Snap. He twists the hotel card in his fingers, snapping it in half. The pieces flutter to the floor, taunting me like broken promises. My gut twists.

“Then we’ll see about that,” Mason says, patting my cheek with a mocking lightness before walking away, his laughter trailing down the corridor like a dark wind.

I gasp for air, the room spinning. Pain radiates from my ribs, my jaw, my arms. My body wants to collapse, wants to surrender, but I force myself to stay upright. Every second I spend on this floor is a second closer to Evan. I can’t let him see this. I can’t let him know how close I am to breaking.

Jake and the other guy muscles like iron drag me across the polished floor. I’m dazed, blood taste thick in my mouth. My legs wobble under me. Every step is agony.

The bathroom door of Room 312 slams open. Cold tile greets me as they shove me inside. My body hits the floor with a thud that knocks the wind out of me. Chest heaving, I taste copper. My temples throb and I can feel every bruise forming already, every aching muscle.

The door clicks shut behind me. The lock turns with a finality that feels like a nail driven straight into my heart.

Somewhere down the hall, I hear faint footsteps. Evan, my boy. Clutching half a broken key card, full of hope and trust, walking toward me, believing tonight is ours.

I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry. My head throbs, my arms burn and I can barely lift them. My heart pounds, rapid and uneven. Evan has the storm that’s waiting. The night that was supposed to be ours is slipping through my fingers before it even begins.

I press my fingers to the tile, trying to rise, trying to stand, trying to be anything more than a beaten shell. My body trembles with a mix of rage and fear. Mason’s words echo in my head, poison sharp and cold. You’re not untouchable, he deserves to know the truth.

I bite back a curse, gritting my teeth, forcing myself upright. My reflection in the bathroom mirror though smeared with blood and sweat shows the golden boy beaten but not broken yet

I press my hands to the cold tile floor, feeling the sting run up my arms, reminding me I’m alive, reminding me I have to fight and get to Evan. I have to protect him, even if it kills me.

I won’t let Mason win tonight.

I close my eyes, take a shuddering breath, and try to push off the floor. My body screams in protest, but my mind screams louder. Evan’s out there, walking toward our room, walking into the nightmare Mason has set up and I will not let him face it alone.

The pain in my ribs, the blood in my mouth, the throbbing in my skull, they’re all temporary. I am not done or defeated. Mason may think he has the upper hand, but he doesn’t know the fire he just lit.

I will survive this, I have to for me and for Evan because tonight was supposed to be ours and I will make sure it still is.