Not just how to replace them. How to destroy them.
I tuck the twins into bed, smoothing Emma’s curls and brushing a kiss over Ella’s forehead. They’ve stopped asking when we’re going home.
And that’s what terrifies me the most.
I whisper soft reassurances, empty promises. I can’t let them see how much my hands shake as I pull the blanket over them. I have to keep them calm. If I fall apart, they will, too.
By the time I step into the hallway, Jason is already there. Waiting.
“You should thank me,” he says smoothly, blocking my path. “I saved you from making a fool of yourself.”
I don’t respond.
He leans in. “Three men, Mia?” His lips pull into a smirk. “I know you’re desperate for attention, but that’s just sloppy.”
I don’t flinch. I don’t let him see the way his words scrape against something raw inside me.
“Damon. Zane. Asher.” He says their names like a curse. Like he’s tasted them on his tongue and found them bitter. “They think they can take what’s mine and just walk away?” His lips curl. “I bet they don’t even know about each other.”
I swallow hard.
“Oh, that’s interesting.” Jason tilts his head, reading the way my breath catches. “They do, don’t they?” His grin is sharp. Cruel. “That’s rich. A whole security firm tangled up over you? Now that’s a first.”
I grit my teeth, my pulse hammering.
“You always did like playing house,” he continues. “Did you pretend with them, too? Let them think they could keep you?” His hand slides to my wrist, squeezing just enough to make me feel small. “You don’t belong to them, Mia.” His lips brush against my temple, a ghost of a touch that makes my skin crawl. “You belong to me.”
I fight the shiver that races down my spine. “You don’t own me anymore,” I say
Jason tuts, reaching out to brush a finger along my cheek. “No?” His breath is warm. “I own this moment.” His hand slideslower, fingers pressing against my pulse. “And the next.” His grip tightens, just enough to remind me he can.
My breath catches, and Jason smiles.
“And every moment until they come for you.” His eyes gleam with something dark, something eager. “Because they will. And that’s what I’m counting on.”
My stomach turns. I finally understand. This isn’t just about punishing me. It’s not even about possessing me.
It’s about them. Jason wants them to come. He wants to watch them burn.
I can’t let that happen.
I won’t.
CHAPTER 23
ASHER
Damon’s truckskids into the driveway, gravel flying. He barely lets the engine die before he’s out, striding toward us with that lethal calm that means he’s barely holding it together.
“Signal’s back,” Zane reports, not looking up from the surveillance maps. “But Mia’s phone is dead.”
Damon doesn’t react right away, but I see the way his fingers flex at his sides. He knows. We all do. Jason has them.
I cut in. "We searched the forest. No tracks leading away. No obvious vehicle marks past the road. He was careful."
Damon exhales sharply, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Where the hell did he take them?”
Zane glances at me, then back at Damon. “That’s the problem. We don’t know.”
