Cassian’s POVHe didn’t have to talk after that.The fear alone had loosed his tongue like a blade. “He’s a regular,” he rasped. “He comes in every other morning. Black coffee, no sugar. Sits in the back. Talks to no one. Name’s Joshua. Joshua Rivera. That’s all I know, I swear—”Joshua Rivera.Didn’t ring a bell. But the face—I tapped the screen and zoomed in on the image of the man again. There was something there, something in the cut of his jaw, the way he held himself like he was always ready for a confrontation. My mind ticked like a metronome on fire.Familiar.Too familiar.But it didn’t matter.Within minutes, we had what we needed. My men ran a quick search, and in the time it took for me to pull a cigar from my coat pocket, we had his address. Westside loft. Down floor. Typical. Predictable.We were on the road before the ash even hit the tray.Lucas drove. I sat in the back, staring out at the city through tinted windows, my mind alive with smoke and questions. I smiled d
Reina’s POV“Joshua,” I whispered, my voice like sandpaper.He was in the kitchenette, pulling two mugs from the cabinet like we were just any couple settling in for a quiet night. But my feet wouldn’t move. My pulse was trapped in my throat, thudding wildly.He looked up immediately. “What is it?”“I—I saw something.” I gestured toward the window, backing away. “Outside. Just past the porch light. It moved.”Joshua’s face shifted—his usual softness replaced with quiet alertness. He didn’t laugh it off. Didn’t call me crazy. Instead, he crossed the room in three long strides and peered out the window.The glass was smudged, but clear enough. The porch bulb buzzed faintly, illuminating nothing but weeds and shifting shadows.Still, he watched.“I don’t see anything,” he murmured.I didn’t breathe.But then his shoulders squared. He looked a little too long. Like he was pretending to see nothing so I wouldn’t panic.“Could’ve been a deer,” he said carefully, still staring. “Or a raccoon
Reina’s POVMy consciousness returned in pieces. A shrill pulse behind my eyes. Pins and needles prickling down my limbs. My mouth tasted of metal and something bitter. The air was thick—damp, suffocating.When I opened my eyes, darkness swallowed me whole.No window. No moonlight. Just the dim, flickering hum of a single bulb above. My arms ached—burning, twisted behind my back. Ropes dug into my wrists. My ankles were bound too, something coarse slicing into my skin every time I moved.Then I remembered. Joshua storming in. The gunshot. “Ohmygod,” I cried. What if…No. I shouldn’t think that way. But what if? And where the fuck am I? Who took me? Andrew? Mr Morelli?Panic surged up my throat like bile.“Help!” I screamed. “Somebody—please!”My voice cracked, raw from disuse or screaming—I couldn’t tell. I tried again, louder, until my lungs were burning.Then— A low chuckle answered from the shadows.Mocking. Cruel.“Shut up,” a voice said coldly. “You don’t get to scream.”A fig
Reina's POVI watched the smile on his face widen as he looked down at me.He knelt in front of me again, unmasking—his face now seared into my memory like a brand. And worse… when I looked at him, it wasn't just his face anymore. It blurred with Andrew’s. The same darkness. The same sick hunger.“I can’t be cheated out of life. I must take my own pound of flesh,” he barked with a crazy look in his eyes.I thrashed. Hard. My shoulder twisted painfully, but I didn’t care. I had to move. Had to stop what I knew was coming.He lunged forward—fingers clawing at the waistband of my shorts. The rope around my ankles burned as I kicked out wildly, but he gripped my legs and yanked them down hard, slamming my spine against the cold cement. Pain shot up my back as my breath hitched.My heart slammed so hard I thought it might give out.Stall him.Make him think he’s winning.Play the game.“Wait,” I gasped, forcing my voice to tremble—not just from fear, but desire. I hated myself for it, but
Cassian’s POV “What do you mean she’s gone?!” My voice split the air like a whip, raw and laced with fury. The room went dead silent. Even the low hum of the ventilation seemed to retreat as every man in the room shifted uncomfortably under the weight of my stare. Ethan stood stiff, jaw clenched, eyes locked on the polished marble floor like it could save him. He knew better than to stutter, but I could see the fear prickling just beneath the surface of his usually composed demeanor. “I gave an order! Her face—first thing I see when I wake up. So why am I seeing your faces instead?!” I barked. “We're sorry boss. We tracked them down just like you ordered,” he said carefully. “Got there just after dawn. Everything looked normal outside the trailer, but—” “But what?” I snapped, stepping forward. He exhaled slowly. “The man she was with at the cafe, was inside. Unconscious. Bleeding out on the floor.” “And Reina?” I demanded, my blood already boiling, heat rushing to my ea
Cassian’s POV“We burn them to the ground,” I growled.“All of them.”I didn’t need to explain further. The answer was loud and clear.The sea of faces blurred behind the smoke curling from the aged cigars and vintage whiskey glasses that decorated the long table. The meeting had shifted from the aggressive tones of invasion plans to hollow camaraderie and clinking glasses. It was all meaningless noise now. Laughter bouncing off walls thick with secrets. They called it tradition—these “family” gatherings. I called it a charade. A necessary one. But a charade, nonetheless.I wheeled my chair forward slowly, the low hum of its motion swallowed by the ambiance. My fingers tapped the polished armrest, steady, composed. No one here could suspect the storm boiling beneath my skin.They thought I was weakened. A cripple held together by steel rods and vengeance. And they were right—except for the weakened part.The night that stole my legs took more than bone and muscle. It ripped out my so
Cassian’s POV The rain started before dawn. Not the kind that sings against windows, soft and rhythmic—but the kind that claws at glass like it’s trying to get in. Like it knows something is about to happen and wants a front-row seat. That message I got during the meeting set the pace for new discoveries. I haven't made much progress in capturing the monster that crippled my world. Until yesterday. I stared at the monitor in front of me, watching the surveillance feed from yesterday's gathering on loop. Marcello hadn’t touched his wine after I left. He didn’t even flinch when he opened the envelope. Just stared at the word like it was a verdict he’d known was coming. ‘Soon.’ He didn’t panic. Didn’t blink. That was what intrigued me. Because if he wasn’t afraid… it meant he had already made peace with something. Or someone. That thought alone had me eager to have blood on my hands. Men like Marcello don’t make peace unless they’re sure they’ve already won. Lucas
Cassian’s POVElias?The same incident that made me cut ties with Vasili? I gripped the arm of my chair tighter as a wave of pain gripped my legs, real enough to make me see stars.The incident that changed my life. My first mistake in the game.I barely remembered his name before now. It was a job gone sideways. A child turned into a ghost. I thought he’d died with the fire I lit to erase my failure.But ghosts don’t burn, do they? They wait.The crimson thread pulled tighter across my chest. I felt an invisible hand grip my throat and loosened my tie. I couldn't breathe.“He wears a new face now. The fire you set peeled the old one off,” Vasili added, as he continued working on his art.“Where is he?” I asked, after steadying my breathing.“Closer than you think, brother Cassian. Much closer.”Closer than I think? Who could it be?Is he among my men? The organization? A rival gang?I didn’t wait after that. Because I knew he wasn't going to spill more.As I turned my chair to leave,
Reina’s POVFocus Reina.“Can you lift your shirt a little?” the doctor asked gently. “I just need to see if there are any signs of internal bleeding.”Roman tensed beside me.“Mr Roman,” I said, narrowing my eyes, “If you turn into an overprotective caveman the second someone touches me, I swear I will file a noise complaint and report your muffins to the HOA.”He didn’t blink. Just muttered, “I’d like to see him try touching you wrong.”The doctor raised a brow. “You two together?”I choked on my own spit.Roman coughed. “No.”We both spoke at the same time.I added, “God, no.”Roman added, “Not yet.”There was a beat.The doctor smirked. “Okay, well, there’s a lot of tension here. I’m going to pretend I didn’t walk into a CW drama and continue my job.”Roman cleared his throat and backed away a step, rubbing the back of his neck. I stared at the ceiling, trying not to blush so hard my bruises turned magenta.He was not exactly my type.Except for the part where he was tall, broody,
REINA’S POVI wasn’t sure if I blacked out or dissociated after hugging Roman, but the next thing I knew, I was floating.Warm. Solid. Moving.I peeled one eye open, slowly, like lifting an iron curtain.Roman.He was carrying me. Bridal style. Through the main lobby of the police station like he didn’t just find me half-dead in a holding cell that belonged in a Netflix prison documentary.What of officer Rodney… the file. What if Mr Morelli asked how I carried out the tasks? This is not good.“Is that—?” someone whispered.“She was in the women’s cell…”“Holy sh—”Are they wondering if I’m his wife? Because it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.Roman didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t look at anyone. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, his grip so careful it made me feel fragile—which was annoying, because I hated feeling fragile. But also kind of nice. In a broken Barbie-doll-left-in-the-rain kind of way.“The file… Put me down,” I mumbled against his chest.“No.”“Roman…”“No
Reina’s POV My heart thundered against my ribs.I backed into the corner of the cell, pulse racing, but the girls moved in like a pack of wolves scenting fear. The one with crimson nails led the charge, her hips swaying with too much confidence, her smirk curling wider with every inch as my heart beat faster than ever.Uh-oh. Today was supposed to be perfect. I had a clear picture in my head and none included getting cornered by a bunch of wild looking girls.“I asked you a question, pretty girl,” she sneered. “You think you're better than us?”“I didn’t say that,” I said quickly, voice trembling but trying to find footing. “I didn’t mean anything—this is just a mistake. I’m not even supposed to be here.”“Oh, you’re here now,” another girl said as she stepped forward, chewing her gum like she was chewing glass. “And you gave us that look. That ‘you people’ look.”I shook my head, holding my hands up. “No, no—listen, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I just came to see an officer—”“Ai
Reina’s POVI skipped.Not walked. Skipped. Like a schoolgirl with a prize in her hands.The file pressed against my chest like it was made of gold, my boots thudded softly down the corridor, my smile wide, my heart hammering with victorious rhythm. That was too easy, I thought giddily. My fingers curled tighter around the file. Mr. Morelli hadn’t even looked twice when he handed it over. Didn’t question my competency. Didn’t doubt me for a second.I shoved open my bedroom door and darted inside, already fishing my burner phone out from under the vanity table.Finally, finally they would take me seriously. The police would listen. Officer Rodney would congratulate me. Maybe even apologize for treating me like some worthless street rat with a grudge and a supposed criminal record.I dialed.No answer.I dialed again.Still nothing.A third time.Click.“Yeah?” came the voice—fast, strained, breathless. The background was chaos. Phones ringing. Shouting. Dozens of voices overlapping.“
Cassian’s POVShe stood at the doorway, barely composed from what had nearly happened minutes before. Hair tousled. Lips pink and bitten. Her chest rising and falling under that damn blouse she thought would be the bait.“I’d like to accompany you,” she said, clearing her throat, lifting her chin like she hadn’t nearly lost herself grinding on my body. “You’ve stretched your bones more than you should have. If anything happens, I want to be there to handle it.”Of course she did.Of course that’s why she dressed like that this morning. A sweet seduction, pretending it was just a coincidence. Oversized hoodies all these while, and now this?I almost laughed.If only she knew she didn’t even need to try. She could wear one of those awful worn-out sweatshirts and I’d still be hard under the table. Still want to press her against a wall and make her forget whose side she was on.She didn’t have to play the sexy spy to get my attention. She had it the moment I set my eyes on her picture. T
REINA’S POVHow can I forget what happens if I disobey when he taught me that yesterday?“You’re dressed like that to provoke me?” His gaze slid down my legs, to the soft silk blouse tucked into the short. “Or do you think being pretty earns you control?”I stayed quiet. Every instinct told me to push back. But I needed him to crack first.“You disobeyed,” he said. “And now you’ll learn.”He grabbed one of the resistance bands and tossed it toward my feet. “On the floor. On your knees.”“I’m not here to be punished. I’m here to help you move again.”“You’ll help me when I say you can. Right now—” He wheeled closer, his face barely a breath from mine. “—you’re going to remember your place.”My heart thundered, but I sank to my knees on the mat. Not because I wanted to surrender. Because I needed him to believe I would.And because I knew how ruthless his punishments are.He looped the resistance band around my wrists, tight enough to make my skin prickle.“Hold that position,” he said,
Reina’s POVI stood under the shower far longer than necessary, letting the hot water beat down on my skin as if it could erase the night. As if it could scrub away the filth, the shame, the ghost of his touch still seared into my flesh.But no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come off.By the time I stepped out, my skin was red and raw.I should’ve thrown on my usual oversized hoodie and sweatpants — my armor, my invisibility cloak.But they wanted evidence, didn’t they?They wanted me to seduce the devil himself?Fine.Let them choke on the smoke of what they asked for.I reached for something different. A silky blouse that clung just a little too well to my curves, tucked into a high-waisted short that stopped just above my knee. Not slutty. Not overt.But it whispered of temptation.A brush of color on my lips. A spritz of perfume behind my ears. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back.I hated her.But she would survive.S
Reina's POVThe morning sun mocked me.It slipped through the velvet curtains in warm shafts, lighting the corners of my room like a spotlight on shame. I lay on top of the blankets, wondering how I got to my room. The last thing I remember from last night was being in the garden. Maybe I came up half asleep, that's why I can’t remember. I looked down. Wait, I took my clothes off too?Strange.My body felt wrung out, like someone had twisted every nerve, every bone, every thought, and left me in pieces.I should’ve gone back to bed. But I couldn’t.My thoughts immediately shifted to the feel of his hands still seared into my skin. To the shameful moments of choking on his cock and the sick memory of the tub, of his body brushing mine under the water like it belonged there.My thighs clenched together involuntarily at the thought, and I groaned in disgust.What the hell is happening to me?Last night, I’d tasted something I’d never wanted to know existed inside me — something dar
REINA’s POVShame. That was all I could feel.I have never felt so humiliated in my life.Not even when Anthony ripped me apart years ago, body and soul.Not even when he and his mother left me bleeding and trembling, cursing myself for surviving.Because at least then, I knew what monsters looked like.Now?Now the monsters smiled.They whispered sweet promises with one hand, while wrapping a noose around my neck with the other.Why are men such beasts?Why do they get off on seeing women shatter, on grinding dignity into dust?I hate Cassian Morelli so bad it hurts to look at him.I wanted to run — to tear myself out of this room, lock myself away in some abandoned island and scream until my lungs gave out.I wanted so badly to plot a thousand ways to make him pay for this, to return the kindness in full.But then Joshua’s face flashed in my mind.That radiant smile that I dragged into my mess. An image flashed in my mind. The look on his face when the bullet pierced his body. His