DAMIEN’S POVThe factory smelled of rust and wet concrete.A slow drip echoed somewhere in the dark . I walked across the cracked floor without hurry, boots grinding over broken glass, the weight of the duffel bag pulling on my shoulder. A shaft of weak daylight cut through a hole in the roof, falling across the man who waited near a stack of crates.He straightened as I approached, cigarette dangling from his lips. The glow briefly lit the lines of his face sharp cheekbones, eyes that had seen enough wars to stop caring.“Damien,” he said, his voice low, wary. “Didn’t think I’d see you this far from Russia.”I offered my hand. A firm, deliberate shake. “Business calls.”His mouth twitched into something like a smile. “Business… or something else?”I didn’t answer. He nodded toward the duffel. “What finally brings you here?”“Family,” I said flatly.He arched a brow. “Family business, then.”“Something like that.”He chuckled softly. “Family always comes first.”The words lodged under
IVY'S POVI didn't mean to lean in.It just happened. My lips softened against his, like my body had been waiting for that moment all along. It wasn't the careless kind of kiss I had seen him give before, the kind that burned fast and meant nothing. This one felt different. His mouth moved with hunger but also with something I couldn't name, something that made me tremble inside.Asher kissed me like I mattered. Like I wasn't a distraction or a prize. Like he needed me.For a second, the world disappeared. No fear. No danger. Just his hands, steady but shaking at the same time, holding me as though he didn't know if I would vanish if he let go. My heart pounded so hard I thought he would hear it.Was this more?The thought scared me. If Asher wanted more, what would that mean for Kai? For Levi? For me? Could we survive wanting different things, or would this be the start of the unraveling?I barely had time to breathe before the phone rang.The sound was harsh and final, like the snap
ASHER'S POVI woke before the others.It wasn't unusual as years of discipline had carved the habit into my bones but this morning was different. The room was still dark, the edges of dawn just a faint gray seeping through the curtains. The clock on the nightstand glowed faintly: 4:53 a.m.I didn't move at first.I lay there, eyes half-open, letting them adjust, letting my breathing stay steady. On my left, Ivy was curled in the sheets, her cheek pressed against the pillow, her lashes soft shadows against her skin. She looked impossibly small, fragile, like one wrong move from the world outside could shatter her.On her other side, Kai sprawled like he owned the space. Typical. One arm tossed lazily across her waist, his chest rising and falling in that careless rhythm only he could manage, even in the middle of chaos.And there was an ache in my chest I couldn't name at first.I'd shared before. With Kai. With Levi. Hell, it had never been an issue. We'd split women without hesitatio
IVY'S POVThe silence after Kai's words wasn't silence at all. It pulsed, thick and alive, crawling over my skin.I could feel both of them watching me Kai steady and unreadable, Asher dark and burning. Their stares pinned me where I sat, making my breath shallow, making the air too heavy to swallow.I knew they weren't enemies. They had shared before. They knew each other's edges. But tonight, the edges were sharper, closer to cutting.I stood too fast, nerves fraying. "I should just... sleep. It's late."Asher pushed up from his chair at the same time Kai rose from his crouch. Two predators moving in sync."You're not sleeping alone," Asher said flatly."Neither of us is leaving you," Kai added, softer but no less certain.Their words should have soothed me, but instead they set something hot and restless loose in my chest. My hands shook as I brushed them over my dress. "Fine. "Asher's jaw ticked, but he gave a sharp nod. Kai smirked faintly, like he'd already won something.We le
IVY'S POVThe walk to Asher's office felt longer than it ever had. The night pressed against the windows, heavy and restless, while the silence between the three of us throbbed like an open wound.By the time we stepped in, it was a little past nine. The room smelled faintly of leather and smoke, the shadows from the lamp stretching across the wood-paneled walls. Asher tore at the buttons of his shirt the second the door shut, his movements sharp and furious. The crisp white fabric hit the floor, leaving him in just a fitted white vest, his chest heaving like he'd been caged too long.Kai crossed the room without a word. He went straight for the bar tucked in the corner, pulling down a bottle of vodka, three small glasses, and a tray of ice. His calm was a knife, deliberate and dangerous.I didn't have Kai's composure or Asher's rage. My legs gave out beneath me and I dropped onto the leather couch. My body sank, but my chest stayed tight, every breath scraping like sandpaper. My hand
IVY’S POVKai’s hand clamped around my wrist the instant I whispered his name. The air shifted with him, sharp and purposeful. He yanked the curtain shut and killed the lamp in one smooth movement, plunging the room into suffocating dark.“Don’t move.” His voice was calm, but underneath it pulsed with something dangerous.Moonlight cut across his face, sharpening his jaw, his body strung tight like a drawn bow. I followed his gaze back to the fence and there it was . That tiny, steady blink of red. A camera. Watching. Recording.My chest seized. He was here. On this property. Outside Asher’s walls.My voice scraped out, thin and broken. “Kai…”He didn’t answer. He was already moving swift, silent, deadly.Boots hammered against the wood floor. Asher. He stormed into the room like a wildfire, fists clenched, eyes blazing with fury barely contained.“What the hell happened?” His voice cracked like a whip.Kai’s reply was curt. “Fence. Camera.”Asher’s gaze cut to me, then to the window.