Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
K iera
The sound of the front door shutting—loud and deliberate—had me sitting up straighter on the couch. I turned just in time to see Ronan step inside, his piercing gaze immediately finding me. His presence filled the penthouse like a storm rolling in, dark and impossible to ignore.
“You’re back,” I said, trying to sound neutral, though my pulse betrayed me with the way it picked up speed.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he strode toward me, the tension in his movements like a coiled spring ready to snap. For a moment, I wondered if he was still angry, but then he stopped just short of me, his shoulders shifting as though he was forcing himself to relax.
“I need to say something,” he said quietly, his tone steady, but edged with something that felt… wounded.
I swallowed hard, guilt rising to the surface as I looked at him. “Ronan, I?—”
He cut me off with a slight shake of his head. “You thought I ordered the hit on Lorenzo.”
His voice was calm, but there was an underlying message hidden between his words, something I couldn’t quite read.
I fidgeted with the hem of my sweater, my own words sticking in my throat.
“It… it seemed like something you’d do,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t know what to think, Ronan. You can be ruthless when you want to be.”
Ronan’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing just a fraction, but it wasn’t anger. It was something colder, something harder.
“Ruthless doesn’t mean reckless,” he said, each word getting softer as he spoke. “Blowing up Lorenzo Benedetti’s house in broad daylight—killing him—that’s not a move I’d make.”
I looked away, ashamed. For all the violence Ronan commanded, for all the fear he instilled in others, everything he did was calculated. Controlled. Even now, I could see it—his frustration was clear, but there was no chaos in him. Just cold, focused resolve.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I shouldn’t have accused you. I just… I panicked.”
Ronan tilted his head slightly, as if studying me. After a beat, he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.
“You panicked because you’re not used to this life. I get it. But if you’re going to be in it—” He hesitated, his eyes darkening. “If you’re going to be mine—then you need to trust me, Kiera.”
The word ‘mine’ hung between us like a weight, one I wasn’t sure I was ready to carry. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I nodded.
“I’ll work on it.”
He huffed softly, something almost like amusement flickering across his face before it disappeared. “Good. Now, we need to talk about something else.”
“What’s that?” I asked, my stomach twisting in knots at the sudden change in his tone.
“My sister. I need to know where she is,” he said quietly.
I shifted on the couch, trying to regain some control of myself and the situation. “I handled it.”
His brows drew together, and he stepped closer, looming over me. “Handled what?”
“I… I told her to come back. She’s fine,” I said quickly, forcing nonchalance into my tone.
Ronan’s eyes narrowed, and I saw the gears turning in his head. “And what exactly do you mean by that? Where is she?”
I froze for a second before recovering. “She just… needed a break. A weekend away. It’s nothing, really.”
“Nothing,” Ronan repeated, his voice flat with skepticism. “Where is she, Kiera?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to crack under his gaze. If I told him the truth—that Leena had snuck off glamping with a burner phone and probably zero common sense—he’d lose his mind. He’d lock her up in a tower like a medieval king protecting his kingdom.
“She’s fine,” I said firmly, ignoring the way his eyes bored into me. “I told you—I handled it. She’s coming back.”
Ronan didn’t look convinced, not for a second. He took another step toward me, his presence making it feel like the room had shrunk to half its size.
“Kiera, don’t play games with me. Where is Leena?”
“She’ll be back soon,” I replied, keeping my tone light. “You’ll see.”
Ronan didn’t move, didn’t blink. He just stood there, staring at me with that unnervingly piercing gaze of his, like he could peel back every lie and half-truth I was trying to hide.
“No,” he said finally, his voice cold and quiet. “I don’t see. Give me your phone.”
“What?” My heart sank, and I instinctively clutched the device tighter in my hand. “Why?”
“Because I don’t believe you,” he replied flatly, stepping closer. “You know where Leena is. You’ve spoken to her. I want to know what she told you.”
I shook my head, taking a small step back even as he loomed over me. “No. That’s not fair.”
“Fair?” His brows lifted, like the word itself was laughable. “You think this is about fair, Kiera? My sister is missing, and you’re feeding me half-truths. I’m done playing games with you.”
“She’s not missing,” I shot back, though my voice lacked the steel his carried. “I told you—I handled it.”
He didn’t budge. “Your phone, Kiera. Now.”
My hands trembled as I held it out to him, though my pulse pounded so loudly I thought my chest might explode. Ronan snatched it from my grasp without hesitation, his jaw tight, but when his thumb hovered over the locked screen, he glanced back at me.
“Unlock it,” he ordered.
“No.”
His gaze snapped to mine, sharp as a blade. “What did you just say?”
I straightened my spine, though my legs felt like jelly. “I said no. I’m not giving you the code.”
The air between us crackled with electricity, tension building with every second that ticked by. Ronan took another step forward, closing the space between us until I had to crane my neck to look up at him. His presence was overwhelming—his dark eyes boring into mine, his body a wall of unrelenting power.
“Give me the code,” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous, the kind of tone that made most people snap to attention.
But I wasn’t most people.
“No,” I said again, forcing the word out even as my throat tightened. “It’s not mine to give. Leena trusts me. She gave me the number in confidence, and I’m not breaking that. It would… it would be against girl code.”
“Girl code,” he repeated, the words dripping with disbelief. “Kiera, this isn’t some high school sleepover. This is my sister’s safety we’re talking about.”
“I know that,” I shot back, my voice shaking just enough to betray me. “But she’s fine. I told you she’s coming back, and you just need to trust me.”
Ronan’s jaw clenched, his patience clearly beginning to wear thin. He leaned in closer, so close I could feel the heat of him, the weight of his authority pressing down on me like an iron fist. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I refused to look away.
“There are three things you need to understand, little girl ,” he said, his voice low and lethal, like the quiet before a storm. “First—you don’t get to keep things from me. Not when it involves my family. Not when it involves you. Not ever.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off with a look that could have frozen fire.
“Second,” he continued steadily, “trust is a two-way street. If you want me to trust you, you’ll need to give me a reason to. Lying to my face isn’t a good start. I’ve never lied to you, and I never will.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. I wasn’t lying—not really—but I couldn’t tell him that without giving up Leena.
“And third…” His voice dropped, softer now, but no less dangerous. “You’re about to have your tight little ass fucked.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“Now I’m going to be calling my sister. You get to decide if you’re going to give the passcode to me like a good girl or if you need it to be with my cock in your bottom like a bad girl. If you decide on the latter, though, I’m going to be fucking that tight little bottom a lot longer, a whole lot harder, and you’re going to be sobbing when you come for me instead of just simply screaming.”
My stomach flipped, a mixture of nerves and something akin to reluctant arousal. I swallowed hard, trying to hold my ground. “Are you threatening me?”
“Threatening you?” His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk. “No, sweetheart. I’m promising you.”
Ronan’s words lingered in the air, wrapping around me like chains. My pulse pounded in my ears as he towered over me, his gray eyes dark and unrelenting.
My throat was tight, my fingers gripping the edge of the couch like it might anchor me. “You wouldn’t actually—” I faltered, the words catching on my tongue.
“Wouldn’t what?” Ronan interrupted, his voice low and razor-sharp as he took another step toward me. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating in a way that left no room to breathe, no room to fight. “Wouldn’t punish you? We both know the answer to that, love.”
I looked away, my cheeks burning. My heart was racing now, thudding so hard I thought it might bruise my ribs.
“Fine,” I whispered, forcing the words out. “I’ll… I’ll tell you.”
Ronan didn’t move, didn’t break his gaze. “Unlock the phone.”
I hesitated, the heaviness of my promise to Leena pressing down on me. But when I glanced up at Ronan, at the sheer power in his stance, at the dangerous calm in his eyes, something inside me cracked.
I didn’t want him to treat me like a bad girl.
Just his fingers in my bottom had hurt. I knew his cock would probably be ten times worse.
With trembling fingers, I reached for the phone in his hand and punched in the code. The lock screen disappeared, and I pulled my hand back quickly, as if touching him any longer would set me on fire.
“There,” I muttered, my voice barely audible.
Ronan didn’t look triumphant. If anything, he looked almost… disappointed, like he’d expected me to fight him harder. He tucked the phone into his pocket, then leaned down until his face was only inches from mine.
“Good girl,” he murmured, though the words held no softness. “But your pretty little bottom is still getting fucked.”
I flinched slightly, my breath hitching as his hand reached out to grab a fistful of my hair. The motion was firm, not painful, but it sent a jolt of unwanted arousal sailing right through me. He tilted my head back just enough to make me look up at him, his grip keeping me in place.
“Is… it going to hurt?” I whispered, the words spilling out before I could stop them.
Ronan’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk.
“Yes,” he said softly, his tone calm, but laced with an edge that made me shiver. “It’s going to hurt a lot. But we both know you need it to, don’t we?”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. His words hit a place deep inside me and my core squeezed tight with desire. My skin burned under his gaze, my heart hammering so loudly I thought he might hear it.
“I—” I tried to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come.
He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear, and I squeezed my eyes shut as he whispered, “You’ve been begging for someone to put you in your place, Kiera. Don’t bother denying it.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him he was wrong, but the words died on my lips because, deep down, a small voice whispered that he wasn’t wrong at all.
And he knew it.
Ronan’s grip on my hair loosened, but he didn’t let go entirely. He straightened slightly, his gaze still locked on mine.
“Get ready, love. Because once I’m done with you, you’ll think twice before keeping secrets from me again.”
My cheeks flamed, and my stomach twisted with a mixture of fear, anger, and something else—something darker, hotter. I looked away, refusing to meet his eyes, but my pulse betrayed me, thrumming wildly beneath my skin.
I hated him for saying it. Hated him for being right.
And I hated myself for the way I felt, sitting there, waiting for whatever came next.
For wanting whatever came next.