Chapter Six
LUKE
There was something about post-practice exhaustion that made truths come easier. Maybe it was the sweat. Or the fatigue. Or the bruises we never talked about. Or maybe it was just the fact that no one wanted to be the first to leave.
The four of us lingered outside my SUV, hockey sticks leaning against the bumper, gear bags dumped on cracked pavement. The lot had mostly cleared, overhead lights buzzing faintly, throwing shadows that made the asphalt look even rougher.
Theo tossed his water bottle into his unzipped bag, the plastic bouncing off a pile of pads. He leaned back against the fender, lazy on the outside, but I knew better—there was always calculation running under the surface with him.
“You gonna say whatever’s eating at you?” Chase asked, stretching his long arms overhead, “or just keep pacing trenches in the asphalt?”
I stilled, realizing I had been pacing.
Jax smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Told you. He does that when something’s up.”
I rubbed the back of my neck then dropped my voice low.
“Dunn Industries is moving. Quiet, steady—funneling assets through shell companies, buying up King Enterprises stock, positioning themselves for something bigger.” The words felt heavier out loud than they had in my head, but keeping it to myself wasn’t an option anymore.
I couldn’t keep the guys out of the loop, not when their families were tied to King Enterprises just as tightly as mine.
If Dunn was coming for us, they were in the line of fire too.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s side contracts or hidden acquisitions.
They’re building leverage, and they’re doing it under the radar. ”
That got their attention. Silence stretched, heavy, different. No smirks. No jokes. This was where we stopped being just teammates and became what we really were—sons of the ruling circle, each one of us carrying shadows bigger than our own names.
“All of our families are tied to King Enterprises,” I pressed. “You think that makes us safe. But what if it doesn’t?”
Jax shifted his stance. “How far is the movement?”
“Far enough,” I answered. “And it’s not just the properties. Mila told me her mom was brought back for bookkeeping. Old accounts. Legacy ones. Now Dunn’s got fresh auditors digging around.”
Theo’s brows rose, but he didn’t crack a joke. He knew what that meant.
“My dad and brother are already circling the wagons. Chase, your dad’s on the board, so maybe he’s aware.
The rest of you?” I shook my head. “I can’t say for sure.
But Dunn’s playing a long game, and if they’re buying up King stock, that makes all of us collateral damage whether our families admit it or not. ”
Chase’s jaw flexed, the easy grin gone. He gave a short nod—confirmation.
I turned toward Jax. “Your dad handles contracts for King’s construction arm. He’d know if something’s shifting with the land grabs.”
Jax’s eyes narrowed. “He hasn’t said anything. Yet.”
“Then either he doesn’t know,” I muttered, “or he’s not saying.”
Theo’s mouth curved wryly. “That’s our town, isn’t it? Even family only tells you what they want you to know.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And right now? Dunn’s moving under the surface, and Elise is still lurking.”
Chase leaned forward, voice lower. “You think she’s feeding intel to her dad?”
I shook my head. “She doesn’t need to. He moves the pieces—she just plays the role. That’s what makes her dangerous.”
Theo shifted against the bumper, arms folding tighter. “And that’s where Tori comes in.”
I nodded once. “She’s inside Dunn. She might not have declared a side, but being with you? That puts her in our orbit whether she realizes it or not. And that makes her visible. Exposed. Elise has been watching her closer—as if she’s keeping score.”
Theo’s jaw ticked, the muscle working as he looked away. He didn’t argue.
“She’s got a weakness where you’re concerned,” I pressed. “That’s leverage. Use it.”
Theo’s head came back around, eyes narrowing a fraction. Not denial. Not agreement. Just that guarded middle ground that said he’d already thought about it. Or maybe that flicker in his eyes meant something else was going on that he wasn’t ready to put into words.
I caught it. The way his jaw tightened a moment too long, the way his shoulders pulled back as if bracing for a hit that hadn’t landed yet. Not about Dunn. Not about Elise. This was Tori. And Theo.
I didn’t press. Not here. But I filed it away. Whatever Theo thought he was keeping casual, it wasn’t. Not anymore.
“You want me to push,” he muttered.
“I want her to choose,” I corrected. “Not drift. Not dodge. Make a decision—and make it with her eyes open. With you, not against you.”
Chase gave a low whistle, leaning on his stick. “Guess that means you’ve got homework, Theo. Hope you brought your charm.”
Theo shot him a look, but it was without his usual edge.
Jax cracked his knuckles. “Just don’t shove too hard. Push someone like Tori, you risk snapping the line instead of pulling her in.”
Theo’s mouth twitched, the ghost of a smirk. “I know what I’m doing.”
But the way he said it—clipped, deliberate—told me he wasn’t talking to us. He was trying to convince himself.
“I want you to keep that door open,” I said. “Not just about Elise. About Dunn. New hires. Visitors. Security. Anything. Even whispers.”
Theo’s eyes stayed steady, but his tone carried weight. “And what if she won’t talk?”
“Then you get creative,” I said evenly.
His jaw flexed again. “She talks to me more than anyone. But don’t confuse that with leverage.”
I held his stare. “I’m not. I’m asking you to listen.”
The silence that followed wasn’t just about strategy. Chase’s gaze slid toward Theo, measuring. Jax shifted too, catching the tension.
Theo kept his expression even, but his shoulders stayed rigid, arms locked too tight at his sides. “It’s just information,” he muttered at last. Then, quieter: “For now.”
For now.
Jax gave a low whistle, half-smirk tugging his mouth. “Sounds as if you’ve got your own angle, my guy.”
Theo didn’t rise to it, just stared past him at the dark line of trees beyond the lot. Which said more than words.
I let it drop—for now.
Chase rubbed the back of his neck, gaze drifting as Jax shifted beside him, arms crossed tight. The crackle between them wasn’t about Dunn or Elise. I saw it in the way Chase’s jaw tightened—and in the way Jax hadn’t bothered hiding where his attention kept landing earlier that afternoon.
Avery had caught up with Mila outside school before practice, blond hair flashing in the sun as she laughed at something Mila said. Jax’s gaze had tracked her more than once, and Chase had seen it.
Now the silence stretched, heavy with the argument neither of them was ready to have.
This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to light on fire tonight. Not with Dunn circling. Not with Elise playing shadow games. We needed to close ranks, not fracture them.
Chase cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “So… Mila.”
Theo smirked faintly. “Trading secrets or trading tension?”
Jax’s grin tugged, all sharp edges. “Enemies to something.”
I rolled my shoulders, letting it slide. “Not enemies. Not a couple either. Just… complicated.”
“That was the question,” Chase murmured.
“And that’s the answer.”
We stayed longer, hashing out details—Theo confirming he’d keep his angle with Tori, Jax agreeing to watch for whispers through his dad’s contacts.
Chase offered to filter what he overheard at home—his dad never kept his phone calls quiet, and sometimes boardroom talk spilled into the living room whether Chase wanted it or not.
It wasn’t a plan, not fully. But it was enough to make sure none of us were blind.
I drove home, mind whirling. By the time I pulled in, the night had settled heavy around the house.
I cut the engine, stepped out, and leaned against the SUV, gear bag digging into my shoulder.
The tinted glass threw my reflection back at me—tired eyes, bruised cheek, jaw wired tight.
Mila’s necklace still burned in my memory, silver star at her throat. Not mine. Not yet. But there.
Headlights swept the drive. Drew’s car rolled in, tires humming low over concrete. He killed the engine, climbed out, and shut the door in one sharp motion.
“Getting in late?” I asked, shifting the bag higher. “Something going on at work?”
He didn’t bother with small talk. Instead, he crossed the distance and clapped a hand to my shoulder as he passed.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” His chin flicked toward the bag, hockey carved into every line of me.
“Keep your head in the game. Coaches are watching; college is next. Stay focused. I’ll deal with the family crap. ”
My jaw flexed, but I let it ride. He was right.
The business wasn’t something I wanted, but he did.
He kept moving, shoes scuffing toward the porch, his words affecting me more than I wanted to admit.
He made it sound simple. Hockey, coaches, college.
But my life didn’t split that clean anymore—not with Dunn hovering, not with Mila in the middle of it.
My phone buzzed.
Mila: You still standing around the parking lot brooding, or did you finally go home?
A smirk broke across my mouth. She didn’t need to text. It wasn’t about strategy. This was… casual. Dangerous in its own way.
Me: Depends. You watching me from the shadows?
Three dots blinked, then—
Mila: Please. If I was watching, you would never know.
I shook my head then shoved a bag into the backseat.
Me: So you admit you think about watching me.
Pause.
Mila: Don’t flatter yourself. Just making sure Elise isn’t glued to your side again.
The smirk widened.
Me: Jealousy looks good on you.
Another pause. Longer this time. Then—
Mila: Next time you talk to Tori, I want to be there.
Me: Jealous and bossy. Noted.
Mila: Occupied. By you. Don’t make me regret it.
The screen glowed in my hand, the words hitting deep enough to carve their place. My chest tightened.
Me: You won’t.
The screen dimmed, but her words still lingered.
Scouts and boardrooms couldn’t touch me the way she could. And that made her the bigger risk.
Not a couple. Not enemies. But definitely a problem.