All Chapters of Core of Shadow : 60 Shades Of Pure Evil: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Elias POV I shuffle the remaining cards even though it is not my turn.“I built a system that redirected insurance payouts into accounts that did not exist on paper. When the companies collapsed, the investigations pointed at middle managers who had nothing to do with it. Three of them took their own lives. One drove his car into a bridge support. The state decided I was the root. Fifteen years. Eligible for parole in nine if I stay quiet and useful.”Kai lets out a low whistle. “Cold.”“Necessary,” I say. “At the time it felt necessary.”Jace wins the next hand. “Did you miss anything out there? Real food? Soft bed? Someone waiting?”“Quiet,” I answered. “I miss the quiet that does not come with concrete walls.”Kai takes the third hand. He does not ask a question right away. He just studies the way my fingers rest on the edge of the bunk. “You flinched when the door opened too fast. Old habit or new?”“Old. Committing illegal crimes and money laundering makes one fear when nothin

Elias PovKai works the button of my pants open. The fabric slides down. My cock is already hard, heavy against my stomach.Jace scoops more ice cream and lets it drip along the length of me. The contrast of cold and the heat of the room is sharp. Then he leans in and licks from base to tip in one long, deliberate stroke. The ice cream melts against his tongue and my skin at the same time. I grip the edge of the crate.“Look at you,” Riven says. “Taking it so well already. That is it. Let him have his fill.”Jace works slower now, circling the head, sucking gently, then taking more. The wet sounds fill the small room.Kai kneels behind me, hands spreading me open. His tongue finds the tight rim of my ass and licks in broad, patient strokes. The dual sensation short circuits every careful thought I have left. I push back against Kai’s mouth and forward into Jace’s at the same time.Riven watches for a long moment. Then he steps in, tips my chin up, and kisses me hard. His free hand del

Elias PovJace pushes to his feet. He digs in the small pack he carried out under his shirt and pulls out a folded paper. The paper is damp at the edges from sweat. He holds it like it weighs more than it should.“Change of plan,” he says.Riven’s posture shifts. “Explain.”Jace does not look at any of us when he speaks. “The arson jobs were never just about the money. One of the warehouses I burned held records for a man who still owns half the county outside these walls. He paid me to erase evidence of something worse than what I already did. I kept a copy. Insurance. The paper has coordinates and a name. There is a buyer waiting thirty kilometers from here who will pay enough for all of us to disappear clean. But the deal only works if I deliver it myself tonight.”Silence lands heavy. Kai’s hand drifts toward the metal tool still tucked in his waistband. Riven’s voice drops to the tone he used on Cole back in the cell.“You brought this into the pack without saying it.”“I broug

Jezebel's POV Mom left for her shift at six. She kissed the air near my cheek, told us not to wait up, and closed the door behind her. The house settled into that particular quiet that only happened when she was gone and the pills were still hours away.Jake was on the couch with the television on but the volume was low. I sat on the opposite end. Neither of us spoke for a long time. The only sounds were the fridge humming and the occasional shift of fabric when one of us moved.“Are you still thinking about last night?” he asked without looking at me.“Yes.”He turned the television off. The sudden silence felt louder than the noise had been. He looked at me fully now, eyes dark, jaw set.“Come here.”I didn’t move right away. I made him wait. Then I stood and walked over until I was standing between his knees. He reached up, hooked two fingers in the waistband of my shorts, and pulled me down onto his lap so I was straddling him. His hands went to my ass and squeezed hard enough

Mallory POVI was still raw from the divorce when I walked into that hotel.My ex had been broke, soft, and useless in bed. He couldn’t stay hard long enough to finish me, couldn’t keep a job long enough to keep the lights on, and somehow still managed to act like he was doing me a favor by marrying me. I signed the papers, packed one suitcase, and booked a last-minute solo trip to a mid-tier beach hotel that smelled like sunscreen and cheap carpet cleaner. I needed silence.I needed space. I needed my cunt to stop aching for something that doesn't work.The front desk girl smiled too wide and handed me a keycard. Room 412. Fourth floor. I took the elevator, dragged my suitcase down the long hallway, and stopped outside the door when I heard strange sounds.Deep male grunts. The wet, filthy slap of skin on skin. A low, rough voice saying, “Take it. Fucking take it.”I stood there with the keycard in my hand and my heart slamming against my ribs. The sounds got louder. A moan that