All Chapters of Cage to Cage: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

BRYNN POV The gun is heavier than I expected, but it settles into my grip like it belongs there. My stance feels awkward at first—feet too wide, shoulders stiff—but when I raise my arms, something in me clicks into place. “Breathe in. Aim. Breathe out. Squeeze.” The first shot cracks through the room. The recoil jolts, but I stay steady. The bullet punches dead center. I blink. A fluke. It has to be. “Again,” Vex says, his tone leaving no room for argument. Two more shots follow, both tight, precise. The target rattles but stays upright, the holes grouping so close it looks like a single wound. My brow furrows. Maybe he’s just a good teacher. Maybe it’s instinct. I lower the gun slowly, the weight dragging on my wrist now. My gaze lingers on the target longer than I mean to. Three clean holes clustered in the middle. That’s not normal. Not for me. I shrug, forcing a small smile. “Beginner’s luck?” Neither of them smiles back. The silence prickles against my skin.

BRYNN POV Lila laid the dress out on the bed with delicate care, like she always did, as if she were setting the table for a guest of honor. Silk, powder blue, soft enough to slip through my fingers like water. It stopped just above the knee, the spaghetti straps delicate, the neckline cut lower than my comfort allowed. “Powder blue suits you,” Lila said, smoothing the fabric flat. She didn’t look at me when she said it. She didn’t need to. I stared at the pendant resting beside it. Green and silver, understated, but heavy with memory—the one Vex had placed around my neck at the Tang mansion, a claim disguised as a gift. It glinted now in the lamplight, waiting, just like the dress. My fingers hovered before I picked it up. The chain was cool against my skin as I fastened it, the pendant settling into place just above the neckline. Visible. Deliberate. Lila’s eyes flicked to it before she reached for my shoes. “He’ll like that.” I didn’t answer. Tonight wasn’t about what h

BRYNN POV My back stayed pressed against the wall long after he stepped away, the silk of my dress clinging damp to my skin, my pulse beating in my ears louder than the silence he left behind. I couldn’t breathe, not really. My chest rose shallow, desperate, as if every breath had to fight past the memory of his voice, his hands, the cold weight of the gun against my skin. And then… nothing. No comfort. No anger. Not even a glance back. Vex just turned, straightened his cuffs like the whole world was still under his control, and walked out. The door swaying open behind him, no slam of the door, no soft click. Silence, that felt louder than a gunshot. I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching against the wall. My body betrayed me — heat, shivers, the sharp ache of wanting more even as my mind screamed that I shouldn’t. That what he’d done wasn’t desire, it was power. Control. And yet… the worst part was the hollow ache blooming in me because he left. He’d taken everything and then

BRYNN POV The silence after Kade left wasn’t silence at all—it roared in my ears, a crushing weight that pinned me harder than either of their hands ever had. I stayed curled against the wall, dress bunched high on my thighs, my pulse still thundering. My lips tingled with the ghost of his mouth, and beneath it, deeper, was the phantom scorch of Vex’s hands—both of them etched into me like brands I couldn’t wash away. Their touches layered over each other until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began, a torment that made my skin feel too tight for my body. I hated how much I felt it. Hated how much I wanted more, even as I trembled from the wreckage they’d left behind. I wasn’t going to sit here like some broken thing. Not again. I pushed myself up, my legs unsteady, and made my way to the bar cart. My fingers shook as I poured a glass, whiskey sloshing over the rim, but I swallowed it anyway. The burn was welcomed—it cut through the fog, through the ache of want and t

VEX POV I spent the day at the club, buried in meetings I should have cared about more than I did. Three weeks of dealing with Brynn—and the chaos, the fire, the cracks she brought into my world—had put business at a standstill. I could feel it, the weight of deals delayed, shipments rerouted, decisions I should’ve made but hadn’t. Kade stayed behind at the penthouse, making sure Moretti or Robert didn’t try anything. Good. He was the anchor when I couldn’t be. I sat in the back rooms, the pulse of bass shaking the floor beneath my feet, dancers sliding in and out of velvet curtains, their perfume clinging to the air. They laughed, leaned close, fingers brushing my arm or chest, testing. I pushed every hand away. Once, I would have let them linger. Allowed the flirting. Sometimes I would’ve taken it further, let them pull me under for a few hours and forget everything else. But not now. Not with her in my head. Brynn. She’d fucked me up. Twisted me so tight I couldn’t even enjo