Lahat ng Kabanata ng The College Bad Boy's Target : Kabanata 141 - Kabanata 150

CHAPTER 141 — WHAT I BECOME WITHOUT YOURyder’s POVThe door closed behind Ollie with a sound I will hear for the rest of my life.Metal against metal. Final. Cold.I stood there long after it happened, my body locked in place like if I didn’t move, the moment might undo itself. My hands were still raised, fingers curled like they expected to feel his face again.But he was gone.The woman did not speak right away. She watched me the way someone watches a weapon after pulling the trigger, calm and curious, waiting to see what kind of damage she had done.“You have one week,” she said finally. “Do not come looking for him.”I turned slowly.My vision tunneled. The room felt smaller, tighter, like it was closing in on me. Every sound sharpened. The drip of water. The hum of the bulb. My own breathing, loud and uneven.“If he is hurt,” I said quietly, “there will be nothing left of you to regret it.”She smiled, unbothered. “Threats are unnecessary. He will be safe. He is valuable.”“He

CHAPTER 143 — THE HOUSE THAT BREATHESRyder’s POVNight fell slowly, like it was afraid of what waited in the dark.I stayed in the car at the edge of the hills long after the sky lost its color. The house sat above me, lights glowing softly behind tall windows. From a distance, it looked peaceful. Expensive. Safe.That illusion made my hands itch.Houses like that always hid rot. They were built to look calm so no one asked what screamed inside the walls.I watched the pattern of lights. One on the left wing stayed on constantly. The rest flickered on and off at irregular times. That told me there were people moving. Guards, staff, maybe watchers rotating shifts.She never trusted stillness.I pulled my hood up and stepped out of the car, keeping low as I moved into the trees again. The ground was damp, soft enough to hide my steps. I had chosen this time for a reason. Shift changes always made people careless. They thought the night would protect them.I circled the property slowly,

CHAPTER 145 — MORNING AFTER THE NIGHTRyder’s POVI did not sleep.I stayed awake the whole night, sitting there with Ollie curled against my chest, the blanket wrapped around both of us. His breathing stayed slow and even after a while, but mine never fully settled. My body stayed alert, tuned to every sound outside the cabin. Every creak of wood. Every shift of wind through the trees.I had learned the hard way that danger liked quiet places.The lamp on the side table cast a soft yellow glow across the room. It made everything look calmer than it really was. The couch. The small kitchen beyond it. The door I had locked twice already.Ollie stirred slightly in his sleep, his fingers tightening in my shirt like he was holding onto me even in his dreams. I adjusted my grip and pulled him closer without waking him.He murmured something under his breath.I lowered my head just enough to hear it.“Don’t go.”The words cut deeper than any blade ever had.“I’m not going anywhere,” I whisp

CHAPTER 147 — WHAT WE SURVIVERyder’s POVThe silence after violence is always the worst part.It crept in slowly, heavy and thick, like the world was holding its breath to see what would happen next. The echoes of gunfire were gone. The smell of smoke still hung in the air, mixed with oil, dust, and something sharp that burned the back of my throat. My ears rang faintly, but my mind was clear in a way it rarely was.She was down.Not dead. But finished.That mattered more than blood.I stood still for a moment, my body locked in alert mode, scanning every shadow, every corner. Years of habit refused to shut off just because the fight was over. My hand stayed tight on my weapon, my shoulders tense, my breath slow and measured.Then I felt it.Ollie’s hands.They were gripping my jacket hard, fingers curled into the fabric like he was afraid I might vanish if he let go. He was right behind me, close enough that I could feel his breathing against my back. Fast. Uneven. Alive.That matte

Chapter 149 — Cracks Beneath the CalmRyder’s POVQuiet has a sound when you live the way I do.It is not silence, not peace, not rest. It is the absence of chaos that sharpens every nerve, that makes my body wait for impact that has not arrived yet. I wake before dawn, same as always, before the light can creep through the blinds, before the city remembers how to breathe. Ollie is still asleep beside me, curled inward, knees tucked up, hands fisted into the fabric of my shirt like he might fall if he lets go.I stay still so I do not wake him.Routine is supposed to be grounding. That is what people say. Establish habits, repeat them until the mind believes things are stable again. I try. I really do. I shower, I check the locks, I scan the windows, I inventory the exits. I brew coffee I barely drink. I sit at the small table and clean my weapon even though it does not need it, because my hands need something to do.Ollie wakes an hour later.He smiles when he sees me, soft and autom