Rook POV **This chapter contains torture**Letting out a low chuckle, I tap my fingers against his knee. “Now, see, that’s interesting. The others? They weren’t getting to you. The ones on your shirt, your arms, even the ones near your throat. But this?” I nod toward his hand, where a faint red mark is already starting to bloom. “That one actually got a reaction.”Axel breathes hard, his fingers twitching again, and I know exactly what’s happening. His brain is desperate to believe that if he moves the right way, if he angles his hands just so, he can maybe get free.He won’t, but I like that he’s still holding onto that sliver of hope.It makes this even more fun. I reach into my pocket again, pulling out a zippo lighter this time instead of another match. I flick it open, and let the small blue flame flicker higher.Axel stiffens, his whole body going rigid, and I tilt my head slightly, watching him. “You know what’s coming, don’t you?”His jaw locks, his breath sharp. “Rook, listen
Rook POVI press my boot harder against his thigh, pinning him to the chair, keeping him in place. “It amazes me, really,” I muse, dragging the tip of the knife along his arm, barely any pressure, but enough to send another shudder through his body. “You were brutal on the ice, weren’t you? Hard, merciless, fucking relentless.”I dig the blade in suddenly, just below his wrist, watching as the skin splits open, a fresh trail of red weaving down his arm.“But off the ice?” I tap the hilt of the knife against his forehead again, mockingly. “Your body is weaker than most.”Axel exhales sharply, his entire frame shaking.“Oh, look,” I murmur, watching as the blood drips, slow and steady onto the floor. “You do bleed. Just like the last guy I killed.”His throat bobs violently, his breath catching, and I see it—that flicker of horror, the realization setting in.I grin wider, leaning in, my voice dropping low. “You’re going to beg me for death, Axel,” I whisper, letting the knife hover jus
Rook POV **Contains Murder**A full, sharp laugh that echoes through the warehouse, bouncing off the walls, filling the space like it belongs there.Behind me, my father sighs, already done with my shit. “Rook, don’t fool around,” he mutters, arms crossed. “Just finish this.”But I’m already shaking my head, already grinning as I step forward, pressing the knife against Axel’s cheek again, just enough for him to feel the weight of it.“I’m bored of playing alone,” I say, voice low, sharp with mockery.Axel still thinks he can take me? After all this?Fine, let’s play.I cut the rope from around his ankles. Then, I step behind him, cutting through the ropes, letting his arms drop limply to his sides. He doesn’t move right away, his body still stiff from being restrained for so long. But he will.I grab his wrist and press the handle of the knife into his palm.“Go on,” I murmur, stepping back, stretching my arms lazily. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”Axel doesn’t move. His fingers twitch
Kade POVA hand wraps around my waist, dragging me from unconsciousness, and before I even register what’s happening, my body reacts on instinct. My fist slams forward, hard and fast, followed by my knee thrusting upward in a sharp, brutal motion.My eyes snap open just in time to see Rook dodge at the last second.“The fuck is wrong with you?” he snaps, staring at me like I’ve personally offended him. “Do you also kill people in your fucking sleep?”I groan, shoving him away, maybe too hard, because he topples off the bed with a loud thud. Good. I don’t give a shit.“I was sleeping,” I growl, glaring down at him. “Don’t fucking touch me when I’m sleeping.”Something shifts in his expression, and fuck, I realize I just gave him exactly what he wanted—another thing to push, poke, and test. “I swear down, Rook,” I warn, narrowing my eyes. “I will sleep with a fucking knife in my hand. You touch me, and you die.”He chuckles, the sound low and amused as he climbs back onto the bed, compl
Kade POVI thrash immediately, trying to shove him off, but Rook is a fucking tank. He’s got the weight advantage, the strength, and worst of all, the audacity. My body still hasn't fully recovered which makes it harder otherwise it would be an even fight.“Get the fuck off me!” I growl, pushing against his chest, but he barely budges.“Nah,” he replies, smug as ever. “I think I like it here.”I grunt, twisting, but he just shifts his weight to keep me pinned, arms braced on either side of me, practically caging me in.“This is abuse,” I hiss.He grins. “Oh? What are you gonna do, Mercer? Call the authorities?”I glare. “I will."He leans in, voice mocking. “What’s the emergency? Oh yeah, some guy won’t get out of his own bed.”“Rook,” I warn.“Help,” he gasps dramatically, “he’s keeping me here against my will!"I snap and shove him hard, managing to roll us over, but he just laughs, the absolute bastard.“You think you’ve won?” he taunts, letting me sit up for half a second before h
Kade POVHe’s not consistent, he’s not safe, he’s a goddamn wrecking ball. At best, a bulldozer tearing through lives without a second thought. I’ve heard the stories—how deep he gets into people, how he worms his way in so far that by the time they realize what’s happening, it’s already too late. He ruins them. Leaves them craving him, desperate for even the smallest scrap of his attention.When he finally gets it, then? He refuses. I just realized it. I’m his next fucking victim.All the games, all the taunting, the constant energy, the push-and-pull bullshit, it’s exactly what he does to all of them. I don’t know the details, but I can guess this is the same exhausting, overwhelming, over-the-top bullshit he uses to reel them in.He’s not as bad as Axel. At least Rook has some limitations. Axel would fuck anything that moved. Rook? He at least picks his targets, And somehow, I just became his latest fucking mission.Rook shifts beside me, his attention locked onto my face, and I do
Rook POVMercer doesn’t move and I can see the thoughts running behind his eyes, the way his jaw tightens just slightly, the way his chest rises and falls unevenly. He’s processing.Processing the fact that I let Axel fight me, that I still won and that I tortured Axel before all of that.I should be focused on his reaction, but instead, all I can focus on is how fucking close he is to me right now. The space between us is gone. I can see the tension in his body, see the way he’s still lingering, hovering, not pulling away.That's interesting. I grin, tilting my head slightly, watching him. “You look surprised, Mercer.”His eyes flick up to mine, and I can see it, the battle raging inside his stupid, stubborn brain. He doesn’t want to care, but he does. Doesn’t want to acknowledge it, but he’s standing here, close enough to feel my breath, looking at me like I just did something unexpected.I did, didn’t I? He expected Axel to be dead. Expected me to kill him outright, not play with h
Rook POVI grin against his skin, laughing breathlessly. “Took you long enough,” I mutter, teeth scraping against his pulse, feeling the way it pounds against my tongue.“Shut the fuck up, Rook,” he hisses through his teeth, but his fingers tighten, pulling me down, pulling me closer.Finally, he stops running. He gives in completely, as my mouth wraps around him.Mercer’s breath shudders, his grip tightening in my hair like he’s trying to ground himself, but there’s no hesitation left. No more internal war, no more trying to fight something that’s already been decided.He’s done pretending.I drag my hands down his sides, feeling the tension in his muscles, the way he tries to keep himself composed, controlled, but he’s losing. My mouth slowly, sucking gently. His fingers twitch, his breath catches, and fuck, I know I have him now.I pull back, smirking at him. “Still thinking about running?” I murmur against his skin, my teeth scraping over his collarbone, my hands gripping his thig
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
Rook POVBy the time she’s done, she has six dresses draped over her arms, all some combination of sparkles, lace, and ridiculous amounts of tulle.Rose laughs. “You really set yourself up for that one.”“I’m aware,” I mutter, watching as Harlow beams at the pile of dresses in her arms before glancing at me again. A thought flickers across her face, and suddenly, I don’t trust her, it’s the same damn look that Mercer gets when he’s planning my demise.“Since you can’t get a dress,” she says sweetly, already walking toward the accessories section, “you have to wear something else!”I stare after her, dread settling in my stomach. “Harlow…”She ignores me completely, grabbing something from the shelf before turning back with an innocent little grin, holding up a bright pink tiara covered in fake gemstones.I blink. “No way.”“Yes way,” she says, walking right up to me and standing on her tiptoes to try and reach my head. Groaning
Rook POVMy nails shine like there are thousands of tiny little diamonds on them. Harlow is chuckling, highly amused as we get out of the car and she drags me into the next place.“You’re really going to do this?” Rose looks at me.“Yeah,” I mutter, looking at Harlow as she climbs onto a chair. “She’s fucking happy. If I say no, that goes.”“Daddy Rook!” Harlow waves her arms, and Rose just smirks.“You realize she’s going to go big and bold, right? No natural tones. You’re going to come out of here looking like a clown.”“Well then, I’m her clown,” I state and walk over, sitting beside Harlow.“What’s the plan?” the woman looks at me.“Ask Rose,” I say, pointing to Rose. The plan is they pretend to put makeup on her. She gets lipstick and eyeshadow and a bit of blush, but everything else is fake. I don’t want her having whatever else on her face.I think Rose mentioned foundation? Maybe it was primer? I’ve got no fuckin
Kade POVI let myself sit for a moment, drumming my fingers against the desk as I think through what Callum just told me. No major problems, nothing burning down, but there’s always something shifting in the background. Always someone watching, waiting to see what I’ll do next.Time to make it clear. I press the intercom again. “Send in the hockey guys. One at a time.”A few minutes later, the door opens, and the first guy steps in. I recognize him immediately, Liam Carter, a defenseman for one of the teams Nikolai had under his thumb. He’s young, early twenties, still wide-eyed but with a layer of arrogance that tells me he thinks he’s untouchable. Dark blonde hair, sharp cheekbones, built like a guy who’s used to throwing his weight around on the ice.He hesitates only slightly before stepping forward. “Mercer,” he says, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes, the same curiosity I saw in DeLuca’s guy.“Volkov,” I correct, watching him clo
Kade POVStaying in bed is not me. I’m going out of my damn mind, and it’s only been an hour. Getting showered and dressed, I go downstairs, careful not to be seen by Harlow, then go out to the cars.The guys look at me like I’m crazy, but I’m not. I won’t do anything big, just small things. Getting in the car, my head falls back, and just the noise from the car helps. I don’t think it would have been that bad if I wasn’t alone in the room.The moment the car stops, I’m out of it and walking into the building. There’s a lot I need to get sorted. One side is the hockey. Not me giving it up, but the side Nikolai ran.I’m not comfortable using people’s personal shit against them to get what I want. Purely because I know how much it can fuck with your head.Stopping it, though, isn’t ideal. It’s part of the structure that Nikolai built, and I don’t want to be tearing it
Rook POVOnce everything is plated, I pour a cup of coffee and grab the tray, balancing it as I make my way back upstairs. Kade’s still in bed when I step inside, but I can tell by the way his eyes flick open that he’s been drifting in and out.His gaze shifts to the tray in my hands, then back to me. “What’s this?”“Breakfast,” I say simply, setting it down on the nightstand.He smirks, pushing himself up against the pillows with a wince. “You bring me breakfast in bed now? What happened to calling me a stubborn asshole and telling me to get up?”I cross my arms, giving him a look. “You’re on bed rest today.”Kade raises a brow. “Excuse me?”“You heard me,” I say, grabbing the tray and setting it in front of him. “Eat. Then go back to sleep, watch a game, whatever. But you’re not getting out of that bed today.”Kade scoffs, picking up a piece of toast. “That’s cute. You really think you can keep me in bed all day?”“Yea
Rook POVI watch as Kade walks around the back of the building to go through the back ways so Harlow won’t see him. I didn’t expect that. Him saying we’re going somewhere alone.Honestly, I was expecting to get back and for things to be the exact same. Still, I’m trying not to expect things to be different because if they aren’t, and I gave myself hope, that would destroy me more than just expecting him to do what he did before.Pushing back the issues, I walk inside, and the moment I step through the living room doors, I hear Harlow.“Daddy Rook!” she screams and runs at me. Leaning down, I catch her, and she hugs me, crying.“I’m sorry, princess,” I whisper. Watching her cry for me while Rose dragged her out was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. She looks at me, then behind me.“Where’s Daddy Mercer?” She continues to look around.“You know how Daddy Rook sometimes forgets things?” I ask.She nod
Kade POVRook helps me up despite my protests, and soon, we’re in the car, the quiet hum of the engine filling the space as we pull away from the runway.Rook glances at me, eyebrows raised. “So, we're heading straight home and through the back.”I shake my head. “Not yet.”He frowns. “What do you mean, not yet? You just got drugged into sleep, and you still look like shit.”I lean in slightly, lowering my voice so only he hears. “I want to go somewhere. Just us.”His brows knit together. “Where?”I let a slow smirk tug at my lips. “We never got the final moments of our holiday together.”Something flickers in his gaze, surprise, then understanding. He exhales, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head with a small, exasperated smile.“You really are a stubborn asshole,” he mutters.I shrug. “So, we going