CHAPTER 5

"Where the hell do you think you’re going, Ethan? The cameras are still rolling."

Caleb’s hand clamped onto Ethan’s elbow like a vice. He didn't look at Ethan; he kept that plastic, billionaire smile plastered on his face for the benefit of the press corps. They were standing in the gilded foyer of the Metropolitan, the gala for the 'merger' in full swing behind them.

"Get your hands off me, Caleb. Now." Ethan wrenched his arm away. His shoulder throbbed. The skin there was still tender, a map of purple teeth marks hidden under his bespoke tuxedo. "I've played the part. I stood on that stage. I let you gut my renewable energy project in front of the board. We’re done for tonight."

"We’re never done." Caleb stepped closer, crowding Ethan into a marble pillar. The scent of expensive gin and dominance rolled off him. He reached out, his thumb dragging slow and heavy over Ethan’s lower lip. "You’re staying until the last bottle is empty. You’re my supportive partner, remember? Smile for the vultures, pet."

"I'm not your pet," Ethan hissed, his jaw creaking as he ground his teeth. He shoved Caleb’s hand away, but the heat where the man had touched him lingered like a burn. "I'm the guy who’s going to find the hole in that poison pill clause and bury you in it."

Caleb chuckled, a low, dark sound that vibrated in Ethan’s chest. "You keep telling yourself that while you’re shaking under me tonight. Seven sharp at the penthouse. Don't make me come looking for you."

Caleb turned back to the crowd, the perfect image of a triumphant CEO. Ethan stayed in the shadows, his pulse hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He needed air. He needed a way out of the cage Caleb had built around his life.

"He’s got a tight leash on you tonight, doesn't he?"

Ethan stiffened. Lucas Reed was leaning against the balcony railing, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Lucas was Caleb’s oldest rival—and twice as vicious. He didn't play for companies; he played for blood.

"Lucas. I didn't think you’d show up to watch Caleb’s victory lap."

"I like a good funeral," Lucas said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the damp night air. He pushed off the railing and walked toward Ethan, his eyes tracking the way Ethan stood—stiff, guarded, used. "You look like shit, Ethan. Caleb’s really putting you through the wringer, isn't he? I heard about the assets. I heard about the liability integration. He played you like a cheap fiddle."

"Is there a point to this, or are you just here to tally my losses?"

"I’m here to offer you a match." Lucas leaned in, his voice dropping to a jagged whisper. "I’ve got a short-selling scheme. It’s dirty, it’s illegal as hell, but it’ll trigger a margin call that Caleb can't cover. It won't just break the merger. It’ll erase the Morgan name from the exchange. You’d get your independence back. And I’d get the wreckage."

Ethan looked across the ballroom. Caleb was laughing, a glass of champagne held loosely in his hand. He looked untouchable.

"Why me?" Ethan asked, his fingers curling into his palms.

"Because you have the access codes," Lucas said. "Meet me at the docks at midnight. Gate four. Bring the ledger. We burn him together."

Ethan didn't say yes. He didn't say no. He just walked away, the temptation of revenge a fever in his blood. But as he reached the edge of the balcony, a hand caught his wrist.

"Don't do it, Ethan."

It was Caleb. The smug mask was gone. His face was pale, his eyes wide and sharp with a look Ethan had never seen before.

"Get lost, Caleb. I’m going for a walk."

"Ethan, listen to me." Caleb’s grip tightened, his knuckles turning white. "I saw you talking to Reed. If you go to those docks, you aren't coming back. Lucas isn't looking for a partner. He’s looking for a witness to silence."

"Oh, what? Now you’re my guardian angel?" Ethan laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. "You scammed me, Caleb! You took my company, you trapped my assets, and you’ve been using my body like a goddamn stress ball for a week! You don't get to play the protector."

"I scammed you because Lucas was already inside your board!" Caleb stepped into Ethan’s space, his voice a raw, desperate growl. "He was the one who triggered my initial bankruptcy. He wanted me to fall so he could use the domino effect to swallow Walker Enterprises next. I 'trapped' your assets because they were the only thing Reed couldn't touch once they were tied to my debt. I had to make you a target so I could keep you in my sight."

"You’re lying," Ethan breathed, his heart stopping. "This is just another layer. Another move on the board."

"Then why am I shaking, Ethan?" Caleb grabbed Ethan’s hand and pressed it against his chest. Caleb’s heart was thudding like a trapped bird. "I love you in the only way I know how—by winning. But Lucas... he just wants to destroy. If you meet him, you’re dead."

The doors to the balcony burst open. Two men in black suits—Lucas’s security—stepped out. They didn't look like they were there for a chat.

"Mr. Walker," one of them said, his hand moving toward the inside of his jacket. "Mr. Reed is waiting for you at the car."

Caleb didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of Ethan, his shoulders broad, his stance shifting into something lethal. "He’s not going anywhere."

"Caleb, don't—"

The first man lunged. Caleb met him with a blunt, heavy punch to the throat. The second man swung a baton, a heavy piece of steel that whistled through the air. Caleb ducked, his movements a blur of desperate violence, but the baton caught him across the temple.

Crack.

Caleb went down on one knee, blood immediately blooming against his pale skin, staining his white shirt.

"Caleb!"

Ethan didn't think. He grabbed a heavy marble bust from a pedestal and swung it with everything he had, catching the second man in the ribs. The man crumpled.

"Run!" Caleb gasped, grabbing Ethan’s hand and hauling himself up.

They sprinted through the gala, ignoring the gasps of the socialites as they burst through the front doors into the pouring rain. Ethan’s black sedan was idling at the curb. They dove inside, Ethan slamming the pedal to the floor before the doors were even shut.

The tires shrieked against the wet pavement. Ethan checked the rearview. The black sedan was already following.

"Check the glove box," Caleb wheezed. He was slumped against the leather seat, blood dripping from his eyebrow, soaking into the upholstery. "There’s... there’s a drive. Everything on Lucas. The sabotage. The laundering. I was going to give it to you tonight. After."

Ethan looked at the drive, then at Caleb. The man looked broken. The "villain" was bleeding out in his passenger seat because he’d taken a hit meant for Ethan’s head.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Ethan shouted over the roar of the engine.

"Because you wouldn't have believed me," Caleb said, his voice fading. "You only listen when I’m holding the leash, Ethan. It’s the only language we speak."

Ethan swerved into a dark alley, killing the lights. He watched the black sedan streak past on the main road. The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the sound of the rain hitting the roof and Caleb’s ragged breathing.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Ethan said, his hands shaking on the wheel.

"No. Penthouse." Caleb reached over, his hand fumbling for Ethan’s. "I need... I need you to see the rest of the files. I need you to understand."

Ethan looked at Caleb’s blood on his own hands. The resentment was still there, a hot, jagged stone in his gut, but something else was rising up. A dark, twisted loyalty. He had been so focused on Caleb’s betrayal that he hadn't seen the shadow behind him.

They reached the penthouse in record time. Ethan practically carried Caleb inside, the man’s weight heavy and grounded against him. He dumped Caleb onto the oversized sofa, his movements frantic as he grabbed a first-aid kit.

"Sit still," Ethan commanded, his voice raw.

He cleaned the wound on Caleb’s temple. Caleb watched him the whole time, his eyes dark and dilated. The air in the room was thick, charged with the same electricity that always sparked between them, but this time it felt different. It felt like survival.

"You really took a hit for me," Ethan whispered, his thumb grazing Caleb’s jaw.

"I told you," Caleb said, his voice a low growl. "I own you. Nobody gets to break my things but me."

He lunged forward, grabbing the back of Ethan’s neck and pulling him into a kiss. It tasted like rain and copper. Ethan fought it for a second, his pride screaming, and then he gave in. He collapsed into Caleb, his hands tearing at the man’s bloody shirt.

They didn't make it to the bedroom.

Ethan shoved Caleb back against the sofa, his movements messy and desperate. He stripped Caleb’s trousers off, his breath coming in short, sharp fragments. He wanted to feel the man. He wanted to prove they were both still alive.

"Suck it," Caleb commanded, his voice thick.

Ethan dropped to his knees. He took Caleb’s length into his mouth, his tongue working with a frantic, animalistic hunger. He licked the head, his eyes locked on Caleb’s as the man’s head fell back against the cushions. Caleb groaned, his fingers digging into Ethan’s hair, pulling him closer.

Ethan worked him hard, sucking until Caleb was shaking, his hips jerking off the sofa. Caleb reached down and hauled Ethan up, flipping him so Ethan was face-down against the leather.

"You want to know the truth, Ethan?" Caleb hissed into his ear, his breath hot and wet. He slicked his fingers with a bottle of oil from the coffee table, shoving them into Ethan without warning.

"Ah! Caleb—" Ethan’s fingers clawed at the leather, leaving deep streaks.

"The truth is, I’ve been obsessed with you since the first day you outbid me in London." Caleb added another finger, stretching Ethan out, his movements blunt and demanding. "I had to ruin you. It was the only way to make sure you’d never look at anyone else."

He replaced his fingers with his cock.

He drove in with one heavy, agonizingly slow push. Ethan screamed, the sound muffled by the sofa cushions. He felt every inch of Caleb sliding into him, the weight of the man pressing him flat.

Caleb began to pound.

It was a brutal, rhythmic assault. Every thrust sent a shockwave through Ethan’s body. Caleb didn't hold back. He gripped Ethan’s waist, his thumbs bruising the skin as he hauled him back into every strike. The leather squeaked under their weight, the sound of skin hitting skin loud in the quiet room.

"Say it," Caleb grunted, his pace increasing. "Say you’re mine."

"I'm... yours," Ethan sobbed, his vision blurring. "God, Caleb... harder."

Caleb obeyed. He pounded so hard that Ethan’s entire frame shook. He changed positions, hauling Ethan up and pinning him against the floor-to-ceiling window, the rain-slicked glass cold against Ethan’s chest while Caleb’s heat burned into his back.

Ethan’s cock was crushed against the glass, the friction bringing him closer to the edge. He was vibrating, his knees buckling. Caleb’s breath was a jagged snarl against his neck.

"Look at the city, Ethan. It’s ours. We’re going to burn Lucas Reed to the ground."

Ethan spiraled. He came hard, his release smearing against the cold glass. Seconds later, Caleb let out a guttural roar, his body stiffening as he buried himself deep, his cum filling Ethan, a warm, heavy weight that felt like a brand.

They stayed like that for a long time, the weight of Caleb’s body pressing Ethan into the glass. The physical "hangover" set in—the shaking limbs, the stinging skin, the salt of sweat and blood.

Caleb pulled away and slumped onto the floor. He looked at Ethan, a slow, tired smile on his face.

"We leave at dawn," Caleb said. "I’ve got a safe house in the mountains. We hide the drive, we leak the files, and then we take back what’s ours."

Ethan looked at the man who had ruined him and saved him in the same breath. He felt the first spark of a dark, twisted loyalty.

"One condition," Ethan said, his voice raw.

"Anything."

"I get to be the one who pulls the trigger on Lucas."

Caleb’s grin widened. "Deal."

The front door of the penthouse exploded.

Flash-bangs filled the room with blinding white light and a deafening roar. Ethan’s ears rang. He couldn't see. He felt a hand grab his collar, hauling him toward the balcony.

"Go!" Caleb’s voice was a scream in the chaos.

Ethan felt himself being shoved over the railing. He hit the emergency fire escape with a bone-jarring thud. He looked up just in time to see Caleb being tackled by three men in tactical gear.

They weren't Lucas’s men. They were wearing FBI windbreakers.

"Caleb!"

The last thing Ethan saw before he vanished into the rainy night was Caleb being slammed against the glass window, his face bloodied, his eyes fixed on the spot where Ethan had disappeared.