LOGINJEREMIAHMy vision tunneled. The glowing screen in my hand felt like a live grenade.WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.The crude, photoshopped image burned into my retinas, but the sick, mocking caption written across her chest snapped the last remaining shred of my restraint.Grabbing Donovan by the front of his gray hoodie, I twisted the fabric tight into my fist."Hey! Ashford, chill!" Donovan panicked, his hands flying up in a useless gesture of surrender."Chill?" I shoved him backward, driving his body through the swinging double doors of the locker room.He stumbled into the humid space, his heavy boots catching on the rubber mats. He hit a wooden bench hard enough to rattle the metal lockers bolted to the far wall.The room went dead silent. Two dozen guys stopped unlacing their skates, dropping their tape rolls and water bottles. The faint sound of rap music playing from a portable speaker in the corner felt violently out of place."Jeremiah?" Carter stood up, dropping his chest pad o
ATHENA Gripping the door handle of Jeremiah's SUV, I stood my ground, refusing to get into the passenger seat. He stood across from me, his massive frame blocking the open driver's door, his jaw locked in a rigid line."Jeremiah, stop moving for one second," I said, my voice tight. "Look at me. We cannot go down this road.""She put Talia in a hospital bed, Athena," Jeremiah replied, his deep voice carrying a lethal edge that echoed against the concrete ceiling. "She tried to ruin your career with a forged contract. She sent a creep to stand in the bushes outside my car to take photos of us. How much more do you want to ignore?""I am not ignoring it!" I shouted, stepping around the hood of the car to stand directly in front of him. "I want her held accountable! But throwing gasoline on a fire doesn't put it out. We give Talia's statement to the detectives. We let the system work."Jeremiah let out a harsh, dry laugh. "The system? Her dad owns half the commercial real estate in South
ATHENAI tightened my nose at the smell of bleach and rubbing alcohol that hung heavy in the fourth-floor corridor of Saint Vincent’s Medical Center.Stepping past the nurses' station, my hand stayed locked in Jeremiah's grip. When we got there, Jeremiah pushed the heavy door open, stepping inside first to hold it for me.Talia lay in the center of the room, her bed propped up at a slight incline. Thick white bandages wrapped around her forehead, covering the deep surgical incisions, and a navy blue sling immobilized her left shoulder. Monitors beeped in a steady, rhythmic cadence behind her. Her skin looked pale, but her eyes were open, focused, and sharp as ever."Look who finally decided to show up," Talia said, her voice raspy and low, but carrying that familiar, sarcastic edge.A massive, breathless laugh escaped my throat. I rushed to the side of the bed, carefully leaning over the railing to wrap my arms around her right shoulder, avoiding her neck and injuries."You're awake,
JEREMIAH The security guard in the lobby of the Ashford Tower didn't even try to stop me.Recognizing my face, he simply tapped his access card against the VIP turnstile and let me pass. Riding the private elevator sixty floors up, the pressure built in my ears, but it was nothing compared to the roaring, lethal rage pounding against my ribs.The doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing the marble foyer of Arthur's private corporate suite. His executive assistant, an older woman in a sharp gray skirt suit, stood up from her mahogany desk with wide eyes."Jeremiah, wait, he is in a private meeting—"Ignoring her, I kicked the heavy double doors open.The wooden panels slammed against the interior walls with a deafening crash, echoing through the massive glass office. Arthur sat behind his polished glass desk, a fountain pen in his hand, reviewing a stack of real estate contracts. He didn't jump. He didn't even look startled. He just slowly capped his pen and set it down."Get ever
AUTHOR’S POVTessa leaned against the laminated wood of her dorm desk, staring at the closed bathroom door. The steady hum of the exhaust fan barely muffled the sound of Athena pacing back and forth on the tile inside.Unlocking her phone, Tessa tapped through her contacts until she found Jeremiah's name. She hit call and pressed the phone tight against her ear.It rang twice before his deep voice cut through the line. "What's up, Tessa?""Hey, so, don't freak out," Tessa whispered, keeping her eye on the bathroom knob. "But Athena is acting totally unhinged right now. Like terrified."The line went silent for two seconds. "What do you mean terrified? Did someone talk to her?""I don't know, man! She bolted into the dorm ten minutes ago like she was being hunted by a hitman," Tessa said, her voice rising in pitch. "She made me lock the deadbolt and draw the blackout blinds. She won't tell me anything, but she is shaking so bad she can barely hold her water bottle. It's horrific.""I'm
AUTHOR'S POVPulling up to the red curb outside the campus athletic center, the lead driver killed the engine. He stepped out onto the concrete to open the rear passenger door.Arthur Ashford stepped into the afternoon heat. The reception staff offered panicked whispers, but nobody stepped into his path to stop him.Reaching the faculty lounge, he pushed the door open. The room sat empty. The air smelled of burnt coffee and whiteboard markers. A long oak table dominated the center of the space.Arthur walked to the head of the table. He set his leather briefcase down, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He took a seat. Resting his hands flat against the wood, he waited. The girl would come. She always sought coffee after the morning drills. He had her schedule. He had her financial records. He had every intimate detail of her pathetic life.ATHENASweat glued my t-shirt to my spine. Practice ran an hour long. I pushed the defensive line through brutal transition drills until they begged fo
(Athena's POV).For a second, I thought I heard him wrong because there was no way Luca Ryder had just looked straight past me and called who?“Sienna?” My rival?The crowd screamed, while I just stood there, frozen at the edge of the rink with my hand still over my mouth like a complete idiot, t
(Athena's POV)“Ew. Girl! Stop staring at him like that before I throw up.”I laughed under my breath, gripping my hockey stick tighter as I turned to look at Tessa, my best friend.We were near the player's bench, the rink screaming loud around us as both schools packed the arena like tonight mean
ATHENAThe Ashford training facility gym smelled intensely of iron, chalk, and exertion. A heavy metal track blasted from corner speakers, vibrating against the concrete walls. It was raw, unpolished, and exactly what I needed to clear the sterile scent of Hayes’s office from my memory.Navigating
ATHENACrossing my arms over my chest, I shifted my weight and looked dead at Jeremiah Ashford. The air in the gritty hallway of the facility felt thick, smelling faintly of stale ice shavings and floor wax."I’m not doing this for revenge, Ashford," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet.His d







