Rook POVI should have known he’d run. It’s Mercer. Running is practically his second nature. I gave him space for one damn second, and now here I am, standing in front of him again, watching him dig his heels in like the stubborn bastard he is.His jaw is set, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes dark and unyielding as he stares me down. He’s daring me to push him, to give him a reason to throw a punch or bolt again.“You’re making this harder than it needs to be, Mercer,” I say, my patience already worn thin.His lip twitches, that smug little smirk appearing just enough to piss me off. “And you’re making this a bigger deal than it is, Volkov.”I grit my teeth. “You’re coming with me.”He chuckles, shaking his head. “Not happening.”“Then I’ll drag your ass out of here.”That gets a full laugh out of him, one of those mocking, slow ones that makes me want to put my fist through a wall. “And I’ll just run the moment I get the chance. What, you planning to lock me in a room again
Rook POVThis isn’t about me at all. It’s about Mercer’s team, his supposed family, treating him like an outsider now that he’s with me. Like he doesn’t belong anymore, like his loyalty is suddenly in question. Which is fucked up as he's the reason they win against my team every time.I smirk, reaching out to pat his thigh. “Mercer, you’ve never belonged anywhere, let’s be real. That’s why you keep clinging to this idea that hockey is all you’ve got. But it’s not.”His leg tenses under my touch, and he glares at me again. “What the fuck does that mean?”“It means you belong with me,” I say simply, squeezing his thigh before turning back to the road. “That’s why you’re here, tied up in my car instead of sulking in some bar, trying to fight guys who were supposed to have your back.”He doesn’t say anything to that, but I can feel the weight of his glare burning into the side of my face.I just grin.When we pull up to my place, I park the car and turn to him, tilting my head. “Now, are
Kade POVRook’s weight presses into me, pinning me down, his grip tight and unwavering. He’s waiting for me to fight back, waiting for me to push him off like I always do. Maybe that’s why I don’t. Maybe that’s why I just lay there, breathing hard, staring up at him with a smirk that I don’t quite feel.I know what he wants. He wants me to break, to submit, to admit that no matter how hard I try to fight it, I end up right back here—under him, beneath his control. And yeah, maybe there’s truth to that, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give him the satisfaction of hearing me say it.“You think pinning me down is going to make me beg?” I murmur, shifting just enough to feel the way his grip tightens. “Because I hate to break it to you, Rook, but I don’t break that easily.”His lips curl, amusement flickering through the frustration darkening his eyes. “You sure about that, Mercer?” His voice is low, smooth, filled with something dangerous. “Because every time I push, you give in just a little
Kade POVI don’t reply. I can’t. Because I know he’s right. This tension between us, this constant back-and-forth, the way I push him just to feel him push back, it’s not about winning. It never was.Rook watches me for a beat longer before his hands move lower, gripping my hips, keeping me pinned. “Since you’re feeling honest, let’s make one thing clear.” His lips brush my ear, his voice a near-growl. “I don’t play fair, and you? You fucking love it.”I jerk against the restraints again, a last attempt at resistance, but he just laughs, dragging his teeth along my neck. “Keep fighting, Mercer. It just makes it better.”I grit my teeth, trying to suppress a shudder as Rook’s mouth moves down my neck. His teeth graze my pulse point, and I can’t hold back a sharp inhale.“Fuck you,” I spit out, but there’s no real venom behind it. We both know I don’t mean it.Rook chuckles against my skin. “That’s the idea, sweetheart.”His hands slide down my sides, gripping my hips hard enough to bru
Rook POVClimbging out of bed carefully, I try not to wake Kade. He’s still out cold, his body relaxed in a way that tells me he hasn’t had real sleep in days. I grab my clothes and pull them on, keeping my movements quiet. Before stepping out of the room, I lock the door behind me. He can try climbing out the window again, but I already learned my lesson. The locks are in place now. He’s not running.Heading downstairs, I find my father sitting in one of the chairs, a bottle in one hand as he feeds Harlow. The sight is something I never expected to see. A fucking mafia boss, one of the most feared men in the city, casually feeding a strangers baby like it’s nothing.“Don’t get attached,” I mutter, eyeing the way he watches her. He barely glances at me.“I’m sure I told you the same thing about Mercer,” he replies with a smirk, and he’s right. He did. I ignored it then, just like he’s ignoring me now.“Is he sleeping it off?”I nod. “Yeah. He was about to beat the shit out of one of h
Rook POVHe leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She was used. You know as well as I do, a high percentage of women who were raped or manipulated by the man either give up the baby or terminate the pregnancy. The child becomes a permanent link to what happened.”My teeth grind together. He’s right, and that pisses me off even more.“Why do you always have to be so damn smart? Still you shouldn't be assuming,” I mutter, turning to walk away.“I’m not assuming,” he corrects, watching me with a knowing look. “I’m looking at the facts. What she did. The statistics of people in her situation. It leads to a conclusion, not an assumption.”I roll my eyes, turning to leave. “Yeah, well, I’m sticking with you don’t know shit.”He chuckles behind me, but I don’t wait around to hear whatever else he has to say. Kade doesn’t need this in his head right now, and I don’t need to be thinking about it either.Getting back to the bedroom, I slip into bed beside Kade. He doesn’t stir, his b
Rook POV“You’re assuming I’m pretending it didn’t happen. I know it did.” His voice is cold, detached, like he’s already decided how this conversation is going to play out. “Just get it over with, Rook. Tell me it was fucked up, tell me it was wrong. Complain that I went too far, that I shouldn’t have killed. The quicker you say it, the quicker you can leave me the hell alone.”My fingers twitch, and for a second, I want to grab him, shake some fucking sense into him, but I don’t. Instead, I exhale slowly, clenching my jaw. “I’m not about to tell you it was wrong, or that you went too far.” I let the words settle between us, watching as his shoulders tense, like he wasn’t expecting that. “I want to know why you left. You snuck out like you were trying to hide the fact you weren’t coping from me rather than just telling me.”His back is still to me, the water running over his skin, but he doesn’t move. Doesn’t react. It pisses me off.I reach out, my fingers gripping his wrist, forcin
Kade POVRegret clings to me, thick and suffocating. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve let Rook pull me back instead of running, instead of chasing something reckless, something worse. I knew he could’ve helped, could’ve forced me to stop, to listen, to let go of whatever the fuck is wrong with me. But I ran because I wanted to lose control. I wanted to kill someone again, or I wanted to be forced, to be pushed so far past my own limits that I had no choice but to give in.I breathe out sharply, dragging the towel through my damp hair before tossing it onto the bathroom counter. It doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t clear my head. The weight is still there, pressing down on me, coiling tight in my chest.Once I'm dressed, I grab my phone, hesitating before unlocking it. I need to call my mother. I need to tell her the truth about Paul.She hasn’t been answering me for days, but this? She won’t ignore this.I press call and lift the phone to my ear, listening to the dial tone stretch on. J
Kade POVI let out a sharp laugh. “What’s there to deal with? She didn't care, she used me for money and tried to gain more. She made her choices. She doesn’t get to come back now just because she’s running out of time.”“You don’t have to forgive her,” he says, leaning forward against the desk. “But you’re going to regret it if you don’t talk to her before it’s too late.”I scoff, shaking my head. “No, I won’t.”“You will.”The certainty in his tone pisses me off more than anything else. “You don’t know that.”“I do, because I’ve seen it before,” he counters, voice sharp now. “I’ve watched men in this life lose people they swore they didn’t care about, and then I’ve watched them drown in the weight of it after they were gone.”I shake my head, refusing to listen.
Kade POVHarlow is relentless. She’s covering me in pink plasters, wrapping me in bandages, and holding ice directly against my skin. Not an ice pack, not wrapped in a towel, literal chunks of ice.Rook, of course, is grinning like this is the best thing he’s ever seen.I don’t complain, though. At least I get to see her, spend time with her, even if it means enduring her questionable medical care. She sticks another plaster onto my arm, nowhere near the actual injuries, and I can’t help but wonder why.“Daddy Rook,” she nudges him, her little voice full of authority. “Daddy Mercer needs ice cream.”Oh, this is good. I lean back more, smirking. “Yeah, Daddy Rook, I need ice cream.”Rook glares at me before turning back to her. “We don’t have any, princess. You finished it before we left.”She gasps dramatically. “No! Not our ice cream, Gelato Heave
Rook POVFacing her, I decide to ease into it. “So, I spoke to Daddy Mercer,” I say, watching as her eyes light up instantly.“Is he having fun with Aunt Amelia?” she asks, tilting her head.“He was,” I say, dragging out the word before shaking my head like I’m disappointed.Her little brows furrow. “What did Daddy Mercer do now?” she exclaims, throwing her hands up like she already knows it’s going to be something ridiculous.I sigh dramatically. “Well, he went to play hockey.”She blinks at me. “That’s not stupid. Daddy Mercer does stupid stuff.”Snorting, I nod. “True, but him trying to check someone and instead tripping over his own feet, slamming into the ice, and smashing his face definitely was.”She gasps before bursting into laughter, her giggles so loud even the soldiers and capo glance over. She clutches her stomach, barely able to catch her breath. “He fell?” she wheezes between laughs.“Flat on his
Rook POVWhen I wake, I’m still in bed with Rook wrapped around me. My eyes fall on the ring, and I’m glad I gave it to him. Even if the whole thing was hard. We need something so that I don’t have to stay locked in this bedroom, avoiding Harlow.If I’m going to be home resting, I should get to spend time with her. But I also know I have no idea my mom is still here. Courtesy of my father. Not today. For today, I can stay in the bedroom, and Rook will figure out something to tell Harlow to explain the bruises and broken fingers.Sliding out of bed, I go downstairs, and she’s already in the kitchen with Rose.“Let me guess, pancakes?”“No!” Harlow smiles at me.“Wait, no? You can’t go changing the routine, I want pancakes!” I joke, and she laughs.“She’s discovered the waffle maker.”Oh... “Well, I’m on board with waffles as well.”Standing here, we make waffles, and she talks away. After, I grab a plate and take them up
Kade POVA lump forms in my throat. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could say them on our wedding day. But why now? Why were you going to give them to me on our anniversary when I had gotten worse, not better?”“Part of me hoped it would make you realize. The other part of me was ready to not give it to you at all and hide it for another five years. Honestly? I probably wouldn’t have given it to you. I just told myself I would.”I roll the ring between my fingers, the weight of it sinking into my palm like a stone. It’s not just a ring. It’s everything I missed, everything I ignored, everything Rook held onto when I didn’t even realize he was waiting for me to catch up.I swallow hard. “You really thought you’d have to hide this for another five years?”He watches me, and there's something heavy in his eyes. “I didn’t just think it, Kade. I knew it. I told myself I’d give it to you on our anniversary, but deep down, I knew I wouldn’t. Because y
Kade POVNow what do I do? I stare at the ceiling, watching time pass by. It’s been an hour, maybe two. I don’t fucking know because I refuse to check my phone because then I'll be tempted to do business from it. The temptation is there, but I made a promise, and I’m actually trying this time.I sit up, then lay back down. I flip onto my side, then my stomach, then back again. I’m going fucking insane.My fingers itch for something to do. I’ve already looked around the room, checked every inch like I was in a damn prison cell. Nothing, there's nothing to help distract me.Getting up and I pace the floor, stopping at the window to look outside. It’s not like I can go out there. I’m not meant to be seen by Harlow yet. That was the rule, and for once, I’m actually following it.Sighing, I flop back onto the bed. I should have asked for a book or something. How the fuck do people sit in a room and do nothing? This is torture.I run a hand throug
Kade POVWorking wasn’t me running. It was me trying not to go crazy sitting in this room alone. I get that Harlow can’t see me yet, but being locked up in a bedroom is making me lose my mind.Still, I agreed to three hours. Just three hours of work. Which means I need to figure out how to make this room feel less like a prison cell. It’s not like I can go anywhere else, not when they play hide and seek and every room is fair game except the bedrooms people are sleeping in.“How’s Harlow?” I ask, sitting down on the bed.“She was safe the entire time,” Rook says.“That doesn’t answer the question, Rook.”Sighing, he sits down beside me. “She was scared, obviously. We had to put a vest on her. Mostly, though, she was mad at me for sending her away with Rose instead of letting her stay.”I nod, smirking. “Which is why you look like a princess.”He nods slowly. “I’ve never made her cry before, and I did that. Then
Kade POVThen, slowly, his expression shifts.Oh, no. “Rook—”He doesn’t let me finish. His hand fists in my shirt harder, and before I can dodge, his mouth is on mine, hot and insistent.I try to pull back, try being the key word, because Rook is stronger right now, and he’s stubborn, and there’s no way in hell he’s letting me escape.I groan against his lips, gripping his shirt as I kiss him back despite my earlier refusal. His other hand slides up, tangling into my hair, keeping me exactly where he wants me.It’s messy. heated and when he finally pulls back, breath heavy, I know my lips are definitely stained red.I stare at him, trying to glare but failing. “I told you—”Rook smirks, swiping a thumb over my lower lip. “Worth it.”I shake my head, but I can’t even be mad, because, yeah. It kinda was.Exhaling, I rub a hand over my face as Rook glares at me, still standing too close, still looking far too smug w
Kade POVDarren is not fucking happy, but I don’t give a shit. He keeps trying to negotiate, like there’s some way to fix this, like he can worm his way back in if he just says the right thing.There’s no coming back. He’s out. He should be grateful Nikolai agreed to keep him, otherwise, he’d have nothing.“Be grateful you have the team,” I tell him flatly. “I wanted to leave you with nothing.”His eyes narrow. “This is fucked up. What’s the point in me working under Nikolai when he won’t be doing this or have power?”“Would you rather have nothing?”He glares at me. “So what, I work under Nikolai and you get all the fucking rewards? All this because I faked wanting to fuck you for a few pictures?”“Are you done?” I ask, barely restraining my patience. This is because Rook won’t let him near me, I’m saving his fucking life.“No. What the fuck is Nikolai thinking? He would never have agreed to this. So because y