Page 17

Ari understands physical pain. He expects brutal torture. If I lock him in the dark and beat him, he will retreat into his Viper training. He will find honor in his suffering. I refuse to give him that satisfaction. His destruction will not come from physical agony. It will come from his need to protect her.

The strategy forms in my mind, cold and ruthless. I will use their natural connection against them. I will force Ari to witness Liv’s absolute subjugation. I will make him understand that his defiance carries immediate, heavy consequences. But those consequences will not fall on his shoulders. They will fall on hers.

When he fights me, I will push her boundaries. When he disobeys, I will make her beg. I will weaponize his deep need to protect the innocent. He will reach a breaking point where the only way to save her is to surrender his own pride. I will make him offer his submission voluntarily. He will trade his freedom for her mercy.

Then, the true education begins.

I will twist the reality he thinks he understands. When he finally breaks and begs me to stop punishing her, I will show him the reward system. I will demonstrate that obedience to me brings her ecstasy. I will force him to watch me dismantle her shame with raw pleasure. The realization will shatter his entire worldview. He will understand that surrendering to Jax King is not a defeat. It is a release.

I set the empty glass on my desk. An unfamiliar weight settles in my chest. A dark, possessive ache beats behind my ribs. I want more than their obedience. Fear is cheap. Compliance is easy to extract with violence. I demand a willing devotion.

I have spent years building an untouchable empire. The Vipers began at Westlake, where I brought Hunter, Ari, and the others into my plans. Men bow to me out of terror. Women spread their legs for the wealth I wield. None of it reaches the cold, empty void inside me. None of it is real.

Liv is already changing that. The way she seeks my touch. The microscopic relaxation of her shoulders when I enter the room. The arousal fighting through her conditioned shame. She associates me with safety. I provide her meals, her structure, her discipline. I am becoming the center of her universe.

I intend to become the center of Ari’s universe, too. He is drowning in meaningless connections. I will give him purpose. I will give him a place where he doesn’t have to perform, where he can let go of the heavy burden of control and simply exist for me.

This requires time. Patience. I have cleared my schedule for the upcoming month. My lieutenants will handle the cartel negotiations. The Vipers can wait. My days will revolve around the reinforced suite on the third floor. I will be present for every victory and every collapse. I will become the architect of their pain and the sole provider of their relief. They will learn to crave my dominance the way a suffocating man craves a single breath of air.

A firm knock sounds at the study door.

“Enter.”

Rourke steps into the room, his posture rigid. “Sir. Reed’s people are still searching. They have been tracking possible routes from Montana since Carter disappeared.”

“He knows I have them both.”

“Yes, sir. Their search has not stopped.”

“Let them plan. Double the outer guard. No one breaches the inner courtyard. I want Carter to rot in the knowledge that his friends are sitting behind their desks while he belongs to me.”

Rourke nods once and exits, pulling the door shut.

Ari called Grayson before he entered the cabin. His friends know he disappeared trying to reach Liv. They did not leave him behind. I need him to doubt them anyway. Every day they fail to find this house gives me something else to use.

I stand up, adjusting the cuffs of my crisp white shirt. I forgo the suit jacket. I want Ari to see the relaxed confidence in my posture. I want him to know this is not a battle. This is a slaughter.

I walk down the silent, carpeted hallway. Anticipation hums in my veins, sharp and electric. I stop outside their suite’s heavy steel door. I press my hand flat against the biometric scanner. The deadbolts retract with heavy, metallic thuds that echo down the corridor.

I push the door open.

Ari freezes in the center of the room. His green eyes lock onto me, blazing with lethal intent. He shifts his weight and drops into a fighter’s stance.

Liv remains in the chair, but her breath hitches, and her chin dips in an automatic gesture of deference.

I step across the threshold, letting the door seal shut behind me. I offer a polite, civilized smile.

“Good evening. I hope you have had time to talk. Now, let’s begin your education properly. You’ll learn I’m not just your master. I’ll become everything you need. And you’re going to thank me for it.”

Ari lunges. He is fast. A blur of dark clothing and contained fury. He throws a devastating right hook aimed at my jaw.

I catch his fist in my open palm. The impact cracks through the quiet room, but I don’t yield an inch. I twist his wrist inward. He grunts, his momentum stalling. Before he can launch his left arm, I kick the back of his knee, forcing his leg to buckle.

I drive his face into the reinforced glass wall.

“A valiant effort,” I murmur, pressing my forearm against the back of his neck. “Predictable. But valiant.”

Ari snarls, thrashing against my hold. His combat boots scramble for traction on the plush rug. He is strong, but I hold the advantage of absolute leverage.