LOGINJADENThe problem with secrets? They never stay secrets. Not when Knox digs. Not when Steel broods and definitely not when Jasson and I decide we’re tired of being kept in the dark so we decided to investigate ourselves and found that the man who has always disliked mom is her birth father; karma also has a comic side to her.So, yeah. By the time I walked into Sheriff Valour’s office, I already knew. He was my grandfather. Not in the storybook way. Not in the “let me bake you cookies, grandson” way. No—more like the “surprise, I screwed up thirty eight years ago, and here you are” way.He looked up from his paperwork, frown already in place, like my existence was an interruption he didn’t sign off on.“Jaden,” he said, voice even. “What brings you here?”I shut the door behind me, leaned against it, crossed my arms. “Cut the act. You and I both know why I’m here.”One eyebrow ticked up. “Do we?”“Yeah. We do.” I tilted my head, studying him. “You’re my grandfather. Congratulations, o
JASSONSteel’s mansion had a certain vibe to it—like the air itself was aware of who lived here. The kind of vibe that pressed down on your chest and dared you to breathe wrong. Jaden and I had gotten used to it by now, but tonight it was heavier, mostly because Steel was pacing like a caged wolf, scowling at non-existent images that weren’t even moving. All of this space and he'd dismissed all the help possibly in hope of spending time with mom alone but reality gave a different picture.I’d just opened my mouth to tell him to quit acting like he was seconds from chewing through the walls when the doorbell rang. Not once. Not twice. A steady, arrogant press, like the person outside, was daring Steel to open up.Steel swung the door open with the kind of hostility that could burn wallpaper off walls.And there he was. Boyce. My mother’s husband. The man I hated with every fiber of muscle I owned. He walked in like he owned the place, his designer suit sharp, his cologne obnoxiously st
STEELThe world looked a hell of a lot different when your balls weren’t threatening mutiny.Two months of pent-up rage, and Sin had finally—well, let’s just say she found a loophole in the doctor’s rules. I wasn’t technically breaking orders, but I sure as hell felt like I’d just won a battle.By the time we walked out of that men’s room, her lips swollen, my shirt untucked, my mood had gone from “put everyone six feet under” to “maybe I’ll only maim them today.”Jasson was leaning against the wall outside, arms crossed, raising a brow at me like he’d been standing there for years. The smart kid didn’t say anything, though. Just smirked like he knew exactly what his mother had been doing.“Car’s out front,” he said dryly, pushing off the wall. “You two are done, or should I come back in an hour?”Sin turned scarlet. I shot him a glare. “Watch it, kid.”He shrugged, unbothered. “I’m just saying—Mom’s lipstick’s smeared, and you’re smiling for the first time in weeks. Do the math.”Sin
SINThe door slammed shut behind me, slapping against the tile men's room. Overhead florescents hummed, still smudged with gunpowder on Steel's clothing as he wrapped hands on the counter, his own face a storm in the broken mirror.He didn't even look my way when he barked, "What the hell are you doing in here, Sin?"I rested my back against the door, pounding along, staying on like I was not going to do something stupid. "Someone had to keep you from intimidating every newbie off the range and since yelling at you out there didn't work… " I shrugged. "Here I am."Finally he faced me, eyes black as coal, jaw clenched so hard I was sure he was going to crack a tooth. He was angry—not really. He looked hungry at the same time."You shouldn't be here," he growled.I tilted my head, moved in. "Says who?"His eyes pierced me, as if he wanted to swallow me whole and kill me at the same time. "Says the doctor. Says sense. Says every damn thing about me that's been battling for supremacy the
JADENI don’t know what the hell is worse—Steel being told to stay celibate for three months or me being the unlucky bastard stuck babysitting him through it.Two weeks left on the doc’s sentence, and the man’s acting like the world owes him every orgasm he’s ever been denied. Which, considering the way women throw themselves at him, might actually be true.I had the genius idea to bring him to the shooting range today. Thought it would help him blow off steam. Instead, it looks like I’ve just given him more ammo—literally—to channel his rage.“Your stance is garbage, kid,” Steel snaps at some poor trainee three booths down. “You’re holding it like it’s a water gun at a carnival. Fix your grip before you blow your damn hand off.”The trainee freezes like a deer in headlights, mumbling a shaky “Yes, sir.”I sigh and rub my temples. “Steel, he’s just learning. Maybe don’t terrify him into quitting on day one?”Steel slams another clip into his pistol like he’s about to duel the grim rea
SHERIFF VALOUR The phone rang while I was elbow-deep in paperwork. Always paperwork. People think being sheriff means chasing bad guys with sirens and glory. Truth? It’s forms, signatures, and budgets that never add up.I glanced at the screen. Steel.I sighed. “This better be good,” I muttered before picking up.“Dad.” His voice was tight. Too tight. “It’s urgent. You need to come to my office. Now.”I leaned back in my chair. “You do realize I have an actual job? One that doesn’t involve playing babysitter for your dramatic ass?”“Not a request,” Steel said. “Office. Ten minutes.”Then he hung up.I stared at the phone. “Well, shit.”The last time Steel used that tone, two people ended up in the ER and one building nearly caught fire. So yeah, I grabbed my coat and headed out.By the time I pushed open his office door, he was already there — pacing, jaw tight, looking like he’d chewed glass and wanted more. Knox was sitting at the desk, calm as ever, sipping coffee like this was a







