Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Nicholas
The taste of her lips lingers—a ghost, a stain, a fucking curse. That kiss is still there, burned into me, refusing to let go.
Her words won’t stop playing in my head. Every soft-spoken confession, every lie, every moment I thought she looked at me like I mattered. Was any of it real?
Probably not.
It’s like a knife that won’t stop twisting, slicing me open again and again. And yet, I keep moving. My body has taken over where my brain refuses to function. I don’t think. I just act.
Because she told me to.
Because she needed me to do this.
And that, at least, feels real enough to hold on to.
Levi’s dead weight presses against my shoulders, his arms limp where I have them slung over me. My legs scream under the strain, exhaustion gnawing at every muscle. I burned myself out in the gym trying to forget her, and now I’m paying the fucking price . My knees almost buckle, and my lungs burn, but I grit my teeth and force myself forward.
I have to.
Because she told me to.
Goddammit.
What does it say about me that, even now, even after she used me, I’d still take this risk for her?
I should have run after her. She’s hurt. They were shooting at her, actual gunfire. But she told me what she needed, and like a fucking idiot, I listened.
I’m getting Levi out.
Because I’m a fool.
Because I’m in love with her.
The moment she broke my heart, I figured out it was hers.
I should hate her. I should be so fucking furious that I never want to see her again.
And fuck, I am.
But instead of walking away, I take one more step. And another. And another.
Levi grunts against my shoulder, and I snap back to reality. Right. Right. Keep moving. I turn my head slightly to check on him, but he’s still out cold.
“You fucking asshole,” I mutter, adjusting my grip on him. “This is karma. You ruined my life twice now, and here I am, saving yours. I hope it fucking haunts you forever.”
In the same way, her words will haunt me.
Veronica killed Oscar .
The thought slams into me like a fist to the gut, and I stumble. A sharp ache claws up my ribs, threatening to rip me open , but I shove it down. I can’t think about that now. I need to keep moving.
One step after the other.
I avoid the main hallways, the ones bustling with employees, guests, and Veronica’s ever-present security. Instead, I take the quieter routes, the hallways that lead to the fire exit—a smaller door to the side of the building. The kind of exit no one pays attention to unless there’s an emergency.
I push open the door, blinking as the sunlight hits me. In the far corner of the lot, I see Koen’s Bronco. I wave, catching his attention, and his eyes narrow, confusion etched across his face. Then, when he spots Levi slung over my shoulders, the confusion turns to shock. The engine roars to life, and Koen maneuvers the Bronco toward me, the tires rolling over the asphalt with a crunch.
I only hope we’re far enough from the main entrance that no one near the employee door notices us.
Koen halts the car, jumps out, and comes to my side, his eyes moving between Levi and me. “Is he okay?” he asks as we maneuver Levi into the back seat.
“I have no fucking clue,” I reply. “He’s been unconscious since Rosie handed him to me.”
“She did?” Koen’s eyes widen, surprise flickering across his face. “Where is she?”
“No idea,” I answer truthfully, stepping back and adjusting my shoulders. I’m ready to turn and head back inside when Koen circles the Bronco again, making his way to the driver’s seat. He pauses, looking at me over the hood of the car. “Get in.”
“Forget it.” There’s no way I’m going anywhere with him.
“You think Veronica’s gonna take it lightly when she checks the CCTV and sees you helping Levi escape?”
Fuck.
I can’t go back in there, not after what I’ve just done.
That’s what I get for helping the woman who betrayed me.
“Get the fuck in, Snickers.”
That nickname, which I haven’t heard in over a decade, cuts through me. It brings back memories of a time when Koen was the most important person in my life, back before everything shattered. The pain in my chest gets worse, and I feel too weak to argue.
He’s right, anyway. I can either get in the car with him or walk back into that hotel and wait for my mother’s wrath to come crashing down on me.
I swallow the bitterness and slide into the passenger seat. Koen starts driving without another word. The car is silent, except for Levi’s ragged breathing in the back.
“Why are you helping us?” Koen glances over at me, his expression guarded.
I stare ahead for a moment, then let my gaze shift to Levi in the back. “She said you guys think Veronica killed Oscar.”
“We don’t think, we know.” Koen’s eyes flicker toward me briefly, and I can almost feel him analyzing me in that split second before his focus returns to the road. “But we need evidence.”
“That’s what she said.”
Koen’s hands tighten on the wheel. “And that’s why you’re helping us?”
“You know I loved Oscar,” I whisper.
Oscar was like a father to me in my teens, the one person in my life who has ever made me think I could be more than Veronica’s puppet.
“I know.” Koen nods almost imperceptibly. “I was wondering if that had changed. Like everything else has.”
“Sure.” A bitter laugh escapes me. “Because I’m the asshole here.”
Koen’s eyes dart toward me, a frown etched on his face, and he shoots back, “Yes, you are. You hurt Levi.”
My agitation boils over, and I turn in my seat. “And it was totally unprovoked, right?”
Our eyes lock for a quick, heated second before a buzz interrupts us. Koen’s phone, sitting in its holder on the middle console, lights up. He flicks his eyes toward it, then back to the road.
“Can you check that for me? Code’s 1234.”
“For real?” I raise an eyebrow, scoffing. “That’s still your code?”
I don’t know why that’s the part that surprises me and not the fact that he makes me check his phone. Back when he got his license, he’d always make me read his texts while we drove around like I was his unofficial co-pilot.
Koen lets out a short laugh, almost amused. “Try to grab my phone without me noticing, and we can talk about my security measures again.”
I shake my head but reach over and unlock the phone. “It’s a message from Ezra,” I say, explaining, “He wrote, Dove question mark .”
Koen nods. “Please text him back. Safe period .”
I pause for a moment, glancing at Koen. “Just that?”
“Just that,” he confirms.
I type it out and hit send, putting the phone back in its holder. The tension between us lingers, but for now, it feels like a truce. A fragile one, but a truce, nonetheless.
“Shouldn’t we take him to an ER?” I ask, glancing back at Levi, who’s still not moving.
“No. Ric should be able to handle it,” Koen replies, his focus on the road ahead.
Ric… Alaric. I’ve heard the name and seen the guy a few times hanging around with the others, but I’ve never talked to him.
It hits me then—where we’re headed. Koen’s taking me to their place. To a house full of people who hate me. Five guys who probably wouldn’t care if I disappeared off the face of the earth.
And if what Rosie said is true, if my mother really… I can’t even finish the thought. But if it is, they have every reason to hate me.
Every fucking reason.
I don’t know what’s waiting for me at the end of this drive, but there’s no going back now.
The mansion gateway is already open when we arrive. Koen pulls the Bronco into the garage, the headlights bouncing off the polished cement floor and illuminating Alaric, who’s waiting for us.
As soon as Koen opens the door, Alaric steps closer, his eyes locked on Levi. “You’ve got him?”
“Glitter got him to Nico, and Nico got him out,” Koen replies, climbing out of the Bronco. He glances over the hood of the car at me as I follow suit, stepping out onto the concrete floor.
Alaric moves to stand beside me, his gaze shifting from Levi to me. To my surprise, he nods like I’m not the enemy. “Hey, man. Thank you for the help.”
“Hey, nice to meet you.” Without thinking, I offer my hand for a shake—a polite reflex, a habit by now.
Alaric’s eyes drop to my hand. Then, without a word, he steps past me toward the open passenger door, leaving my hand hanging in the air. I let it fall back to my side, swallowing the awkwardness.
So much for ‘not the enemy.’
“How is he?” Alaric asks Koen, leaning into the car to check on Levi.
“He’s got a shiner, and he’s been out since Glitter passed him over,” Koen explains, glancing at Levi’s slumped form. “We didn’t really check anything. We were hoping you could.”
“Sure.” Alaric steps back and nods. “Could you please bring him to the living room?”
I move to do just that, and Koen shifts to help me. Together, we maneuver Levi out of the back seat. Koen takes most of his weight as I adjust my grip under Levi’s arm.
“Watch his head,” Alaric directs, holding the door to the garage open as we shuffle inside.
The mansion is spacious, as expansive as my mother’s penthouse, but entirely different. It’s lived in, homey, filled with mismatched furniture and personal touches. I can almost feel the memories hanging in the air. This place was once a home for me too.
“Nothing’s changed,” Koen mutters, catching my gaze as we pass into the hallway.
I nod, biting back the knot of bitterness rising in my throat. He always could read me better than anyone. And he’s right. It still feels like a home, which is something I haven’t had in a long time.
We make our way into the living room, a big, bright space with a lot of windows looking out onto the side of the mansion. Alaric walks ahead of us, clearing the way as we carry Levi to the sofa.
“Put him here.” He gestures toward the couch, and Koen and I lower Levi, arranging him as comfortably as we can. Alaric kneels beside him, immediately checking his pulse and breathing.
“You a doc or something?” I ask, trying to break the awkward silence. I know almost nothing about this guy—just had glimpses of him with the others.
“No,” Alaric mutters.
“He almost is,” Koen adds, leaning back against the armrest of the sofa. “Did some courses and read a lot when he joined us.”
Alaric glances up, a flicker of discomfort crossing his features. “Oscar thought it would help if I could take care of myself when no one else could touch me.”
I frown, looking between them. No one can touch him? What the hell is up with this guy?
“But I can do the basics,” Alaric adds, straightening up a bit.
“Is this basic, or should we head to the ER after all?” Koen asks, concern etched on his face.
“No, I think he’s fine. His pulse is steady… breathing is normal. He’s got a shiner, but I think he’ll wake up with a headache soon. If he doesn’t in an hour or so, though, we should get a real doctor to check him over.”
“Okay, thanks,” Koen says to Alaric, then turns to me. “Do you know where he was being held or where she found him?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Rosie said it was a life-or-death situation, and she needed my help to get him out while she was being chased by security.”
Koen’s expression darkens. “She was chased?” The growl in his voice is unmistakable.
“Yeah, she—” I start, but Alaric cuts me off.
“Glitter’s real name is Rosie ?”
“I mean, that’s what she told me,” I reply, shrugging.
Why wouldn’t he know her name?
Probably because that was a lie too.
“She was fucking chased?” Koen’s frown deepens as he repeats his question. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know.” I swallow, remembering the chaos, the bullets. “They were shooting at her and—”
The sound of a roaring engine cuts me off. The three of us instinctively turn our heads toward the window. Outside, a motorcycle comes to a halt in front of the mansion.
Sylus is the first to dismount, pulling his helmet off, lifting Rosie from the bike, and setting her carefully in front of him. His hand moves to her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin. Amazing. Another lie.
She said that she didn’t like him. And here she is, holding onto him as if he’s her anchor.
Are they together?
Jealousy claws at me. It hurts in a way I didn’t think possible and makes me want to be anywhere but here, away from the sight of them.
Next to me, Alaric sucks in a breath, the sound sharp in the quiet room. Both Koen and I turn to look at him. His eyes are locked on Rosie, disbelief mingling with something else in his gaze. “That’s her?”
He doesn’t know what she looks like?
“Yeah, that’s her,” Koen replies, a weary smile crossing his face, like he’s exasperated but amused all at once. “Looks like she’s fine. Fuck, that girl is trouble.”
“No, she’s fucking not!” Alaric turns abruptly, storming off without another word.
I blink, watching him disappear. “What’s his problem?”
“I have no idea.” Koen shakes his head, sighing. “I’m gonna go get her.” Without waiting for a response, he turns and walks out, leaving me alone with Levi, who is still unconscious on the couch.
The silence that follows is suffocating, broken only by the sound of Levi’s shallow breathing. I force myself to look back out the window in time to see Sylus and Rosie climbing the steps to the front door, hand in hand. My stomach twists, and I can’t help the rush of bitterness that rises in my chest. They look close.
Too close.
What the hell have I gotten myself into here?
I’m tangled in the middle of something full of lies, secrets, and people who despise me .
And in the midst of it all, there’s her.
Rosie. The girl who lied to me, manipulated me, and shattered my heart. The girl who, despite all of that, still has a hold on me.
I sink down into the armchair across from Levi, my body finally giving in to the exhaustion, and let my head rest back against the cushions.
She’s not mine.
Maybe that’s the cruelest truth of all. She was a lie from the start, a beautiful lie that I fell for.
She was never mine.