Kai lowered his voice, everyone around us hushed, but the music and partygoers in the rest of the place still went hard. “Who do you belong to?”

“Kai,” someone scolded.

“Quiet, Rika,” he bit out, still looking at me. “Who do you belong to?”

I could feel eyes on me coming from everywhere, and I wanted to take out my pocket knife and sink it into his fucking gut. Goddamn him. Years and years of climbing over shit bags like him to just get a peek over the fence, and here he was, grabbing my ankles and yanking me back down into the pit. Everyone was going to know. Everyone was going to see me powerless here.

I held his eyes, my own burning with hatred. I clenched my teeth so hard they started aching.

Taking a step, I moved to his side and turned around, facing David, Lev, and Ilia.

“To you,” I said barely above a whisper.

And I’m going to kill you for this. A lump lodged in my throat, and I felt nauseous.

“Now…” Kai said, sitting down in the black cushioned chair behind him. “You can take her home.”

I didn’t wait for the guys to do anything. I shot off, pushing through all the people, the guys turning and following me as I passed. I felt a hand rest lightly on my back.

“She knows how to walk,” Kai barked behind us. “Don’t touch her.”

The hand, probably David’s, immediately left me.

Swinging around the corner, we all charged into the elevator, and Ilia pushed the button. Once the doors closed, I was fucking done. I threw my fist into the wall over and over again, swinging my leg back and kicking it, growling at the top of my lungs. “Fuck!”

I swung around, throwing my elbow back, everything in my right arm, from my knuckles to my shoulder, screaming with pain. I slammed the wall again and again, punching and kicking. “Ugh!” I threw another punch.

Thankfully, the guys knew to shut up and stay on their side of the elevator.

I paced back and forth, breathing hard. He’d humiliated me in there. I slammed the wall with my palm again, pain shooting up my arm. Humiliated me…

“What do you want us to do?” David asked.

But I didn’t look at them. Or answer.

I knew what needed to happen. I needed Kai to sign that damn contract. Once he did that, he was all I had to contend with. My brother would be allowed to return and be safe, and father would be out of the picture, having gotten what he wanted. I could do things my way, then.

But I suspected Kai never had any intention of signing it. That was the problem. He was going to drag this out and drag me with him.

I should never have let him touch me.

“Guys just wanna fuck,” I remembered my bother telling me once. “We’ll fuck anything we can get our hands on. No one’s going to love you. Not really. He’ll just lead you on, get what he can take, and eventually, he’ll move on to someone newer and hotter. Promise you’ll never let anyone use you like that. Don’t be a slut. Be strong.”

My brother taught me that men would only use me and hurt me, and from what I’d seen so far in this life, he was damn right.

Kai could get horny just like anyone else, but lust could never overshadow how cruel I knew he could be. How cruel he was to Erika last year and how cruel he’d just proven himself to be.

He was in complete control of me. He knew it, and he’d just proved it.

I needed to stop responding to him. Whether it was lust or anger or fear, I needed to shut down. I needed to bore him.

If I didn’t, we’d both let loose.

And then…it would be war.

Kai

Present

Slamming the locker door closed, I stuffed my clothes into my duffel bag and zipped it shut. It was late, the gym was empty, and I walked out of the locker room not feeling as exhausted as I’d hoped.

After another workout and another shower, I was still far too awake at ten-thirty at night.

Leaving the locker room, I walked down the hall to the office, grabbed my phone off the desk, and locked the door. Everyone was gone by now, the rest of the place quiet and dark.

My phone rang.

Looking down, I saw my mother’s number.

My shoulders fell a little, but I knew she’d be calling. I cancelled on showing up for dinner tonight.

I loved my parents, but I really envied Michael’s parents’ no-hands approach sometimes.

I brought the phone to my ear. “You’re up late.”

“I’m trying to not sleep,” she chirped. “It seems to work well for my son.”

I laughed to myself, walking around the lobby and making sure the computers were shut down.

“Are you calling to bust my chops?” I asked her.

“Maybe.”

“I’m sorry, okay?” I walked toward the front door. “I should’ve been there tonight.”

I made it home on Sundays for breakfast and to train with my father, so it wasn’t like I never saw them. I just found it hard to force myself to be there any more than that when I could still feel his disappointment from across the table.

“Is Dad angry?”

“No,” she replied. “He’s just…”

I nodded. “Disappointed. I know.”

My mother was silent, because even she knew it was true. We’d gone round and round, and while my father rarely yelled at me, his silence was harder to take.

“I marinated a couple extra steaks,” she sing-songed. “They’re waiting for you if you want to come home tomorrow.”

“Maybe.”

Which meant I would see her Sunday, as usual.

“You’re doing well,” she told me. “And he sees it. He loves you, Kai.”

“Yeah, I know.” In theory.

If I died, he’d mourn me. I knew that. I doubted anything else would bring us out of this stalemate we’d found ourselves in since I got arrested all those years ago, though.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” I punched the code into the keypad and opened the front door, walking through and locking it.

“I love you,” she said quietly, but those three words have so many more things she wasn’t saying. I hated that I’d ever made my mother cry.

“Love you, too,” I replied and hung up the phone.

Sliding it into my pocket, I turned around and glanced up at The Pope. If I didn’t find Damon, the shit was going to hit the fan again, and I’d probably never be able to look my father in the eye.

Walking toward the alley around the corner, I spotted Banks leaned up against the brick wall with her hands in her pockets.

“What are you doing?” I’d let her leave an hour ago.

“Waiting for my ride.”

“You don’t have a car?” I asked.

“Have you ever seen me with a car?”

I faltered. Well, no. She was always chauffeured around by those idiots.

And speak of the devil…

I looked up, seeing the same black SUV charge up to the curb, pulling to a quick stop. David and that kid—I forgot his name—sat in the front seats, shooting their eyes between Banks and me.

Whenever she called, they sure came running, didn’t they?

I walked around her and into the alley. “I’ll take you home. Get in.”

“Like I said, it’s covered,” she bit out.

I stopped, turning and meeting her eyes.

“Besides, I’m going to Thunder Bay,” she added. “I need to take care of a couple things.”

“Awesome. I’m heading there, as well.” And I turned, walking for my car and unlocking it.

I wasn’t planning on going to Thunder Bay, but I guess now I was.

And I wasn’t jealous. I just didn’t like how these guys always showed up, acting like she was still theirs.

She wasn’t, and everyone needed reminding.

I opened my car door, staring at her over the hood. “Banks.”

She stood there a moment, shooting a sideways glance at the guys and looking embarrassed. She probably wanted to argue, but she did what she was told. Walking over and opening the door, she climbed in, slammed the door, and didn’t bother putting her seatbelt on.

I shot the guys a look, seeing them scowl back at me. I almost laughed.