My hands tightened into fists. I was this ready to knock some damn sense into him. I wasn't in the mood for this fuckery tonight. All I wanted was to make sure Emma was alright. I'd already spent too much time envisioning all the reasons why she wasn't."Callan, stop trying to fire up Gideon. We all know that's a fight you won't win," Mateo said calmly, but my jaw clenched at the sound of amusement in his voice. I held myself in place though, because even with their joking, the air around them was tense. And I knew, they too, were worried about our girl.1To hell with them for being better than me at managing these pesky feelings.3"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Callan withdrew himself from my area and sat down beside Mateo."I thought you were always the one with the plans?" Mateo asked."Yeah, until I messed it up for all of us. I'll let you guys take the lead tonight."Mateo chuckled. "As if you could ever take a back seat.""Watch me.""Sure, whatever you say. I'm thinking we should talk to her after the shift. See if we can get some answers out of her?" Mateo suggested."And if she doesn't want to talk?" Callan mused. I already knew his mind was making up ideas of what we should do, but he didn't offer any of them up. Huh, seems he really were going to let us make the decision tonight."Oh, she'll talk," I assured them. "We know what she wants. She's just too chickenshit to admit it herself."16"Yeah, but..."I tuned them out, having already decided what I was going to do. They could either sit back or join me. With a lot of effort, I managed to finish up my work right in time for the employees to arrive. Callan and Mateo had already gone by then to the club area.Saving the latest document, I turned off the computer and went after them. I found them sitting at my reserved table, and they were lucky none of them had taken my spot, which had a direct view of the bar.2"Seen her yet?" I asked as I sat down. My eyes scanned the club, but I only saw Mark talking to a new server.1"Nah, she hasn't arrived yet," Mateo informed me.1Good, I wanted to watch her expression when she saw all three of us sitting here. A dark thrill went through me at the thought of cornering her after her shift. She'd be in for one hell of a surprise if she thought we'd go easy on her. It was time to find out why she was avoiding her friend—and most importantly, why she was avoiding us.2At first, I had believed her when she'd said she wanted space, but the longing look she gave me whenever she didn't think I noticed? It told a whole other story. Baby girl wasn't getting rid of us that easily.She wasn't getting rid of us at all. I would make sure of it.You want me to fight for you, baby? Game. Fucking. On.

And that's why you've set up cameras at your place," Callan guessed. He didn't even need me to confirm it. "Has he been in your apartment?"I nodded. "Once. He'd left a box on my bed."The atmosphere in the office as I revealed that, was choking.Callan and Mateo cursed, both of them grabbing a tighter hold on me, but it seemed they did it unconsciously. I snuck another peak at Gideon, he looked deadly calm, and for some reason, that was more terrifying than his fury.3YOU'LL ALSO LIKETHE CONTRACT (The Chosen Series #2)274K13.5K{MATURE +18} I am strong, I am resilient, I am fire... ******************************************************************************************* Grabbing hold of my...Saving Leah2.1M52.3KSaving Leah Series Book 1 Buy an edited and refined version on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PTD577S/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=saving+leah+book&qid=1607281...Paint Me, Professor | Student-Professor Erot...2.8M70K18+| COMPLETE✔️ "Ali..." He sighed, his breath tickling the skin of Alison's neck. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, admiring her beauty, how youthful...My Master, My Husband (BOOK 1)804K14.4KTHIS BOOK IS 18+/ NOW ON KINDLE VELLA WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS! "Alright, I'll tell you the rules twice, and I'll need you to memorize them, write them down and give t...Dominant & Submissive | 18+52.7K1.6K"Good girl, now, call me Daddy!" He whispers, his voice sexy as fuck. "Daddy!" I voiced out, but it came out as a whispering threat. "Louder!&q...They Echo Me129K3.7KCats In the Cradle Sequel Daniel and Emma have been married for nearly one year, and they couldn't be happier. Their marriage is perfect on paper: very-best friends-tur...Yes, Sirs (Book 1 of Desire's Den)62.3M1.4M"You were ours from the second we saw you," he stated as if I didn't have a choice in it, and the truth was, I didn't need to because he was right. I was their..."Has he been in touch with you outside of these notes and gifts?" Callan asked, practically biting out the words. I was finally being honest with them, but they took no pleasure in the type of honesty I offered—neither did I.1Again, I nodded. "He's called me a couple of times. Each time, he used some kind of device or app that made his voice all distorted. All I could make out was that he's a man. I've also received texts from him, and...""And?" Mateo prompted softly.I closed my eyes, trying to stave off the imagery of blood, and the sound of bones breaking. "He beat up Oliver and sent a video of him doing it."Callan jerked, and for once, he looked almost apprehensive. "He did that?""W-what do you mean?" I asked slowly, uneasy about his reaction."Bella...I saw Oliver that night. You're telling me the guy who's stalking you was the one who beat Oliver?""I—" I shook my head, confused. "What were you doing with Oliver?""Sweetheart, you have another thing coming if you think we'll let anyone harass you. I was going to talk with Oliver and warn him off you, but someone had gotten to him before me. Now I know who.""But who told you...?" Of course. Kevin would've told him about the incident, especially now that they were all buddy-buddy with each other."Doesn't matter. What does matter is that he almost killed Oliver. Do you still have the video? We might be able to glean more information about this guy from it.""No." I shook my head. "I wanted to use it as evidence and bring it to the police, but it got deleted right after I'd seen it.""Deleted?" Gideon questioned in that low voice of his. This time though, his tone was dark enough to send shivers through my body. "Did you delete it?""Why would I do that? No, I didn't. It just vanished.""Fucking hell." He slammed his glass on the table and held out his hand. "Give me your phone.""Why?""Baby, just give it to me," he ordered gruffly.84Something in my brain switched at the command. Without registering it, I placed my own glass down and started searching my pockets for my phone. When I found it, I immediately handed it to him.

se two days, I'd been far from unaffected by their words. It meant a lot to me to hear how Mateo was willing to quit the job he loved before his last semester was up. My heart had warmed when Gideon used his words to express himself even when I knew there was a tragic reason behind the fact that he hated to talk. It made me cry when Callan was willing to shoulder all the blame so his friends could be spared—even if it meant us being together without him. He'd begged for me to give his friends a second chance, but he hadn't asked the same for himself.7I filled Kevin in on my conversation with Callan, just like I'd done yesterday after Mateo's and Gideon's. It felt good to share it with someone; it helped sort out my own thoughts and feelings."Choose whatever makes you happy, girly. You don't owe them a thing, but you owe it to yourself to make the choice that's right for you," Kevin said as he patted my knee. "You know my thoughts about this." I did know. Kevin was team Emma all the way, but he'd also said he believed the guys would never betray my trust again. I didn't understand why he was so confident about that, but he was.187"It's not an easy decision to make. What if I forgive them, but it happens again? Or if I don't, and I'll end up regretting it?"27"I know it's not easy, honey, but you can't continue to think about the 'what-ifs.' If you search hard enough, you'll always find something to be uncertain about. Sleep on it. Right now, you're emotionally exhausted, and no one can think straight in that state."32YOU'LL ALSO LIKEHis Slave152K2.4K"Remember what I said at the coffee shop?" He asks, and I cringe. "I can report you, slave. And trust me, I will. And you know full well what that entails...LOVE ME HARDER16.4K166Mature content 18+ only "You are crossing a very dangerous territory, Natalia. I suggest you better stop, before I take things in my hand." He growled in a low...Love & Lust (CURRENTLY BEING EDITED 2024)1.3M23.7K------------------------------------------------------------ I jumped a little at the feel of his cold rings, "How do you think Nathan would feel," he asked, w...DOMINANT✔ (DSD SERIES, BOOK ONE)1.3M31.4K⚠️⚠️Rated Mature ⚠️⚠️ 🌟🌟I do not own rights to images on the cover or the song lyrics in the book. All rights go to the photographers and writers. 🌟🌟 CHRISTINA HASE ...Dream Of Me280K4.7K"Please, fuck me, please!" I cried, tears spilling down my cheeks. "Only because you look so pretty when you beg." He pushed my face to the cement f...Dominant & Submissive | 18+51.9K1.6K"Good girl, now, call me Daddy!" He whispers, his voice sexy as fuck. "Daddy!" I voiced out, but it came out as a whispering threat. "Louder!&q...Nathaniel Lachlan (Billionaire Brothers Seri...1.5M44.9KStating that Elizabeth Paige had a huge crush on "The Nathaniel Lachlan" since high school would be an understatement but she was a shy girl and never handled..."Yeah, you're right," I sighed. "Do we have any ice cream left?" My appetite for food was practically gone, but I craved anything sugary.12"Choose a movie for us, and I'll go get you a bowl." Kevin walked to the kitchen and got us both a bowl of chocolate-flavored ice cream and topped mine off with chocolate chips, just the way I liked it.97"Thank you." I smiled at him before scrolling through Netflix. In the end, I picked a movie called Molly's Game. I needed something less romantic and more drama-filled right now.94We spent the evening watching two individual movies. On the third, I got so tired I went to bed early and fell asleep to the sound of Kevin chuckling from the living room as he continued the comedy we'd picked out for our second movie.

you guys believe it has anything to do with the added security Emma has set up in her apartment?" Mateo continued asking the important question; all of which we'd all wondered about ourselves.2"On that, there's no doubt in my mind," Callan said. "We just need to figure out why the hell she felt the need for the extra security equipment. Hey, Gideon?""Hm?" I grunted, my mood had soured from this conversation, going from angry to well and fucking pissed—I just needed to figure out who I was pissed at; my baby girl who was keeping stuff from us, or someone else.3"Emma hasn't changed her mind about taking her shift tonight?""I haven't heard anything else, so my guess is she'll be here," I answered. My eyes went to my watch unconsciously. Just an hour until the staff would show up, including Emma.1"Great. I'm coming too," Callan informed me, even though I already knew he would."Yeah, me too," Mateo added.16"Ah, so the professor is finally taking a break from grading papers?" Callan joked.1"Nah, dipshit. I'm already finished with the papers."32Figuring we were done with the actual conversation, I hung up and went to the wet bar to make myself a drink. I would need it if I was going to sit in the damn nightclub all night.3My eyes strayed to the cabinet that I knew contained the glass yar filled with cannabis. I was tempted to roll a blunt, but I reached for the bottle and poured me two fingers of whisky. With everything that was going on with our girl, I wanted to be alert when she was around.21I immediately took a sip, savoring the spicy flavor. The burn as I swallowed was addicting, almost to the point that I wanted to pour a couple of fingers more into the cup. Almost. I had more important things to do than get drunk.Half an hour later, when I was deep in paperwork that I couldn't seem to focus on, my door banged open."Make yourselves at home," I said sarcastically, barely sparing Callan and Mateo a glance. The numbers on the screen could've been Greek for all I knew, but I wasn't one to give up.12"Don't mind if we do," Callan fired back, and a moment later I heard the click of a can being opened and the sound of glass clinking.1"So, when does she get here?" Mateo asked, taking a seat by the couch, a glass of Brandy in his hand."Won't be for another half hour, is my guess," Callan answered for me as he made his way to my side of the desk, annoying the hell out of me for stepping into my space. I knocked away his hand when he tried to lean over me to look at the computer screen.1"Fucking personal space, ever hear of it?" I growled angrily.5"Down boy, I'm just trying to look at your numbers. Need a hug or something, man?"58"Get fucked."10"I wish, but the thing is, our girl doesn't want anything to do with us yet. Or are you offering?"

I re-entered the bedroom, Mateo had made himself comfortable on one side of the bed. He gave me one of his cheeky smiles, though I wasn't oblivious to the slight strain to it. All things considered, they were taking the news well—or at least, they were keeping it together for my sake, which I appreciated. I couldn't handle much more today.Callan brushed past me to use the bathroom."You mind if I stay here?" Mateo asked, and while it sounded like teasing, his eyes remained serious enough for me to understand he needed to know if I was okay with it or not. He was on the top of the comforter, still dressed as if he was prepared in case my answer was no.YOU'LL ALSO LIKETHE CONTRACT (The Chosen Series #2)274K13.5K{MATURE +18} I am strong, I am resilient, I am fire... ******************************************************************************************* Grabbing hold of my...Saving Leah2.1M52.3KSaving Leah Series Book 1 Buy an edited and refined version on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PTD577S/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=saving+leah+book&qid=1607281...Paint Me, Professor | Student-Professor Erot...2.8M70K18+| COMPLETE✔️ "Ali..." He sighed, his breath tickling the skin of Alison's neck. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, admiring her beauty, how youthful...My Master, My Husband (BOOK 1)804K14.4KTHIS BOOK IS 18+/ NOW ON KINDLE VELLA WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS! "Alright, I'll tell you the rules twice, and I'll need you to memorize them, write them down and give t...Dominant & Submissive | 18+52.7K1.6K"Good girl, now, call me Daddy!" He whispers, his voice sexy as fuck. "Daddy!" I voiced out, but it came out as a whispering threat. "Louder!&q...They Echo Me129K3.7KCats In the Cradle Sequel Daniel and Emma have been married for nearly one year, and they couldn't be happier. Their marriage is perfect on paper: very-best friends-tur...Yes, Sirs (Book 1 of Desire's Den)62.3M1.4M"You were ours from the second we saw you," he stated as if I didn't have a choice in it, and the truth was, I didn't need to because he was right. I was their..."The more the merrier." I smiled. "I've been sleeping like shit recently, but you guys make me feel safe.""I'm glad you feel safe with us, gorgeous. Trust me, nothing will happen to you as long as we're here." His comment made my heart skip so many beats, I was damn near having a heart attack.3He patted the middle of the bed. "You should probably get your butt in here before Callan comes and take up the entire space with his massive ego."30A startled chuckle escaped me, and I froze slightly at that sound. When was the last time I'd laughed? Like a natural kind of laugh that hadn't been forced? My guess was when I'd still been with the guys.2"Well, what are you waiting for?" he teased, and without even trying, he was easing my tension. Taking his advice, I climbed onto the mattress and settled in the middle on my back, staring up at the ceiling without registering anything but how natural this felt. The strange thing about all of this was...it wasn't awkward. Since I met them, we'd spent almost the same amount of time apart as together, yet, whenever we were around each other, it was like no time had passed at all, and we fell right back into the comfortableness of being together. The butterflies swirling in my stomach told me I liked that, very much. Though, even though we seemingly fit together as we once did, I couldn't help but wonder if anything had changed—the space I'd left between us on the bed was showing how I couldn't quite let my entire guard down and truly believe everything was like they used to. Before today, I had known the guys had wanted me back, but what if they'd changed their minds now that I came with a lot more baggage? What if I were only here right now because they were too good to send me away unprotected?1I stiffened, not liking the road my thoughts were taking me."Hey," Mateo said lightly. I could sense his eyes on me, but I didn't turn towards him. "What's happening in that mind of yours now?""A lot," I admitted. "We probably have much to talk about, don't we?"Mateo made a sound of agreement. "Yes, we do, but it can wait until you're rested and feeling up for it. There's no stress, gorgeous. Take your time. We'll be patient until you're ready.""Thank you, I—" I gasped. My eyes focused on the ceiling, seeing what I'd been too distracted to see."What?" Mateo asked alarmed."The stars..." The ceiling had been painted black and there were stars everywhere, it hadn't been here the last time I'd spent the night. It reminded me of Callan's playroom, but instead of hundreds of miniscule dots randomly places, these looked to be the exact image of the night sky. There were five stars in particular which shone the brightest, which was the constellation of Cassiopeia.38It was breathtaking, and heartwarming.He remembered.

I couldn't understand what I was seeing; the words too strange, too threatening for our sweet Emma. But then I registered it. Adrenalin pumped through my blood in an instant; my hands shaking from the fury of realizing that someone was targeting my baby.77I gave Callan a brief glance, ignoring his questioning stare. "Get her to my office," I barked before I quickly moved through the throng of people to get to the security guards. I needed to describe to the bouncers the guy's description, so they wouldn't let him escape. That was, if he hadn't already left. Then, I would wade through the fucking crowd and find him myself. I'd clocked the guy once, and in my foolishness discounted him because he'd stepped away from the bar and hadn't made a hassle of himself. I wouldn't make that mistake again.1My hand tightened around the piece of paper as I got to work. I would find this fucker and make him pay. No one was allowed to threaten our girl and get away with it. 24Continue to next partAddVote charliej_13FINALLY1d agoReplyHannah730835THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU1w agoReplyShow moreRecommendationsThe Mystery Fighter IIby A_Elin 859K 40.5K 26With her deadly secret out in the open, Cassie must fight even harder to protect not only her sister but her own heart. ...highschoolst