“My house, my rules.”
He steps aside, waiting for me to leave. I let out a breath, feeling the strong urge to throw something at his face.
He closes the door and starts walking; I follow behind. This place doesn’t even look like someone lives here. It’s dark, dark marble floors, black brick walls, huge windows, but the decorations are minimal. A painting of some woods, the view of the docks at night, and that’s it.
We head down the stairs; four men are standing by the front door. They nod.
Flynn turns left, and we go down a hallway. We stop at a set of double doors; he opens them, and Viviana runs to hug me.
“Oh my God, I was so worried.” She steps back and looks me over. “Did he hurt you?”
Flynn crosses his arms, leaning against the wall next to us.
Declan stands near the desk, in a perfect suit as always, but he’s not looking at me; he’s staring at Flynn, and it feels like they’re having an entire conversation with their eyes. It annoys the hell out of me.
“Did you know?” I ask her. She lets me go, stepping back, but her eyes never leave mine.
“Not until it was decided,” she says. Her voice is gentle, but she seems angry.
“Decided?” I look between them. “Who decided to get me kidnapped?”
“I did,” Declan says. No shame. No regret. And my jaw drops.
“Why the hell would you decide that?” I turn to Declan, trying to control the shaking in my voice, trying to stayangryinstead of terrified.
“Who the fuck are you to decide something like that?” I step closer to him, fury rising too fast for me to stop it.
“Careful, trouble,” Flynn warns from behind, his voice calm, low… threatening, but I don’t care. I need answers. I need thetruth.
“Declan!” I snap, my pulse thundering in my ears. He doesn’t move, just stares between me and Flynn like they’re silently communicating, making decisionswithout me again.
“Who the hell are you?”
“The boss,” Kian says, appearing behind me with Connor.
Of course.
Great. Now they’reallhere.
I try to ignore the panic crawling up my spine, coiling tight in my stomach. It’s cold and sharp and getting harder to hide.
“The boss?” I turn to Kian. “Whose boss?”
Viviana steps forward, cautiously.
“If we tell you everything,” she says, her voice soft but heavy, “you’ll be a part of it—in a way we won’t be able to protect.”
I shake my head, backing away, the pressure building in my chest like it might crack me open.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
My back hits Connor. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t even flinch.
“I’ve been running from a stalker for years. I left my home, my family, my friends,everything,just to keep them safe. He destroyed every friendship I had, every boyfriend, every job…”
I bite my lip, swallowing the lump in my throat, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Autumn.” Viviana moves closer.
