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121

And I had to hope that people didn’t think I was lazy.A text message came through on my phone. It was from Hades.I’m picking you up for lunch. The car will be there in fifteen minutes.I knew Hades was busy taking care of the bank and the hotel, so he was making time just to get me out of the house. He knew I was bored, cooped up and alone. Technically, my mother was there, but I’d rather be alone than hang out with her all the time. He did sweet things like that once in a while…when I least expected it.I texted him back. I’ll meet you outside. See you then.I changed my outfit, put some earrings into my lobes, and then slipped on a pair of pumps. I made my way down three flights of stairs until I stepped out of the entryway. A black car sat there, all the windows tinted pitch black. When Hades had a driver, this was how he got around town, invisible with bulletproof windows.I walked to the back door, opened it, and got inside. When I turned to look at my husband and embrace him w

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Maddox.With flared nostrils and white knuckles, I broke down in the middle of my bedroom. My fingers fisted my hair, and my ribs vibrated with every beat of my heart. My wife had been taken from me, and I had no idea where to find her. It was the most excruciating feeling in the world, to lose the thing you loved most. I had been devastated when Damien was taken…but this was a whole new level of bleakness.Fuck.Sweat poured down my forehead and burned my eyes. I had to combat my panic because I needed to focus with everything I had. I had to get Sofia back, no matter the cost, no matter the amount of blood and tears.My phone started to ring.I looked at it, hoping to see Sofia’s name.No. It was Maddox.The timing told me everything I needed to know. My worst nightmare had come to pass. I didn’t fix Damien’s mistake quickly enough, and now my wife was gone, subjected to unspeakable cruelty.It was my job to protect her.I failed.I wanted to ignore the call, but that wasn’t an opti

Book 3 Lover

1HadesThe men let me pass as I stepped into Damien’s home. His maid tried to talk to me, ask if I was staying for dinner, but I ignored her and sprinted up the stairs. I let myself into his bedroom and walked inside to the sight of him clean from a recent shower.Damien stood in his sweatpants, his hair flat and wet. “What the hell are you—”“Maddox has Sofia.” Both of my lungs burst like balloons just from saying those words, admitting the truth out loud. My knees wanted to buckle underneath me and let me collapse to the floor. Instead of being livid someone had crossed me, which was my typical response, I was too broken to feel anything but unimaginable pain.I couldn’t think about what he was doing to her—because I might kill myself.When Damien had processed what I said, his bad temper disappeared and his shoulders dropped with devastation. “What?” His voice came out as a painful whisper, as if he were just as haunted by the revelation. “What are you talking about? Hasn’t she be

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I automatically pulled my legs closer to my body, trying to stay as far away from him as possible.His eyes were focused on me again, the blue color burning like frost. The most alien part about him was his lack of need to blink. He could stare endlessly for minutes straight. Sometimes, he didn’t even seem human because of the trait. It was innately creepy.I was terrified. I did my best to be brave and pretend I didn’t feel anything, but deep down in my soul, I knew Hades couldn’t protect me right now. He wasn’t hiding in the shadows, ready to come to my rescue. I couldn’t rely on his protection anymore—and that was when I realized how much I needed him.And how alone I was.Maddox turned his gaze to his hands. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”“If you’re sorry, just let me go.”“You know I can’t do that. You know I’ll never let you go. You know I’ll do terrible things to you—because I know it’ll hurt him the most. Your husband is my greatest adversary. We have a love-hate relations

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“Why would you want to help me?” I shouldn’t be so spiteful, but I was too depressed to care about my behavior.“You know why.”“I really don’t. You made it clear that you hate me.”“I don’t hate you. And I certainly don’t hate your wife. We’re a family…and I’m here for you.”It was ironic that my brother was sitting beside me, that he’d dropped his venom and put aside our differences. I couldn’t get him to give me a chance whatsoever, and now he was there, being a brother, being a friend. “I’ll take all the help I can get.”“Any idea where he could be?”I sighed in annoyance. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be sitting on my ass in the dark.”Ash wasn’t a smartass in response. “Any leads? Any moles?”“I’ve checked them all…nothing.”“We’ll keep looking,” Ash said. “I’m with you on this…til the end.”I dragged my hands down my face, furious that I had no idea how to fix this. My wife was the victim of god-knows-what, and I was sitting on my ass doing nothing. I pulled my hand

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His face remained blank. “Why?”“I want him to know I’m okay.”“But are you okay?”“Well, I’m not dead…yet.”He faced forward again, dismissing my request.I tried again. “Please.” It was unlikely that I could tell Hades where I was, that Hades could figure out my location, but maybe it was worth a shot.He looked at me again. “And why should I?”“Like you said, I’m innocent.”He considered my request for several minutes before he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He typed in a number and made the call.I held my breath because this actually might work. I might get to talk to Hades again.Maddox smiled just before he began to speak. “How are you, Hades?” He continued to smile as he listened to whatever Hades said in response.I couldn’t hear a single word.“Your wife wishes to speak to you. Should I put her on?”My hands turned slippery once my palms began to sweat. I ached to take that phone, to feel safe, even for a few seconds.Maddox extended the phone to me, a warnin

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Ash stared at me but remained silent.“I’m out of options,” I said. “I’m not even sure he’ll go for it. But if we keep searching at this pace, it’ll be years before we find her. And I don’t have years.”Damien still had disagreement on his face, but he didn’t challenge me. “You should really think this through before you make that offer.”“I already have.” I grabbed the phone and made the call. It only rang a few times before he answered.“Hades, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He was enjoying this far too much, so much that he probably wouldn’t trade her for anything.“You and I have been at war for years. You invaded my territory, and I fought back. We could do this dance forever, and unfortunately, we probably will. But I think we should settle this once and for all. I want to surrender to you…completely.” Just making that statement was humiliating. But I didn’t have time for pride. I had to do whatever was necessary to get Sofia out of there. “Take my surrender, Maddox. I’m the on

127

“Knowing that she’s safe is all I need.” Now that there was nothing left to say, it was time to get out of the car and face my death like a man. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Damien. How did you say goodbye to someone you loved? I extended my hand to shake his. “Good luck, asshole.” I did my best to lighten the mood, to make this easier for both of us.Damien didn’t comply. He pushed my hand away then moved across the seat so he could embrace me. He hugged me tightly and patted me on the back. “I love you, asshole.”I closed my eyes for a second and swallowed the emotion that wanted to explode inside my throat. I gripped the back of his shirt tightly and let the air slowly leave my nostrils. “Yeah…I love you too.”We both exited the car and headed to the no-man’s-land between us. Damien stayed a few feet back with my men.Despite the agony in every single muscle of my body, I stood strong and proud. My shoulders were squared, and I held my head high, taking my execution like a man l

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6Sofia“You need to calm down.” Damien gripped me by both shoulders and forced me into the armchair in my bedroom. “It’s done. No going back.”I slapped his hands away. “Don’t tell me to calm down.” Tears poured down my face and soaked my cheeks. “How could you let him do this? I’d rather live with Maddox for the rest of my life than let Hades sacrifice himself for me.”“Well, he wouldn’t.” He kneeled in front of me, his head slightly bent. His hair was messy, as if he’d fingered it all night long. His eyes were full of moisture, as if he were holding back tears. “I know this is hard. It’s hard for me too, but this is what he wanted.”Watching Damien break down only made me feel worse. We’d both lost someone we loved. My chest heaved as I sobbed my heart out. “I’d rather be raped by Maddox a million times than let Hades die for me.”Damien pulled out a full syringe from his pocket. “I think you should take this.”I was in so much agony that I was tempted. I wanted to forget what had

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8SofiaI didn’t get out of bed.The sheets smelled just like him. If I kept my eyes closed, it was like he was still there. I stuck to his side of the bed and pretended he was there with me. His wedding ring sat on the nightstand, and I stared at it as the hours trickled by.I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’d never needed a man in my whole life, and now I didn’t know what to do without this man.I didn’t know how to go on.He wasn’t just my husband, but my partner, my friend.Everything.Now he was gone.A knock sounded on the door. “Sofia?” It was Damien’s voice. He was probably there to check on me.There was nothing he could do for me.“I’m coming in.” He opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom. He came over to the bed and didn’t care that I was just in one of Hades’s t-shirts. My privacy didn’t seem important anymore. “Sofia, are you listening to me?”My eyes were open, but I ignored him.“I went back to the field, and I found him.”My eyes shifted to his. “What?” I

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