Allies in the Dark
The garden attack changed everything.
By the time Kael carried Indie back into the house, his security team had already cleared the bodies and swept the grounds twice.
The estate hummed with quiet, efficient movement—men in dark clothing moving like shadows, low voices on comms, the distant sound of a gate locking.
Indie kept her face pressed against Kael’s chest the entire way, the torn shirt he had given her barely covering anything, the collar still warm around her throat.
He didn’t take her to her suite. He took her straight to his.
The bedroom smelled like him—sandalwood, leather, and the faint metallic trace of blood that still clung to both of them.
Kael set her on the edge of the massive bed and knelt in front of her. His hands were gentle as he checked every inch of her skin for injuries. The scratch on her arm from the attacker’s grip. The faint red marks on her thighs from the tree bark.
The way her hands still trembled.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
“You’re not.” His voice was rough. “You were attacked on my property. In my fucking garden.”
Indie reached out and touched his face. There was blood on his jaw—not his. She wiped it away with her thumb. “You got there in time.”
Kael caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to her palm. For a long moment he stayed like that, eyes closed, breathing her in.
Then he stood and pulled her to her feet.
“Shower. Now.”
The hot water felt like absolution.
Kael washed her with careful hands, washing away the dirt and fear and the lingering scent of gunpowder. When he was finished he wrapped her in a thick towel and carried her back to the bed. He dressed the small cut on her arm himself, then pulled on clean black pants and a dark shirt.
Indie sat on the edge of the bed in one of his shirts, the collar still in place. She watched him move around the room—checking his phone, sending messages, his expression growing colder with every reply.
Finally he came back to her and sat beside her.
“They were Crowe’s men,” he said. “Low level. Expendable. The one I questioned before I killed him confirmed what we already knew. Crowe is escalating because he’s losing control of his network. Your father’s protocol is still out there somewhere, and Crowe thinks you’re the key to finding it.”
Indie nodded. The fear was still there, but it was different now.
Sharper. Cleaner. She had something to fight for.
“What do we do?” she asked.
Kael’s hand found hers. “We stop reacting. We start hunting.”
He stood and walked to the wall safe hidden behind a painting.
When he opened it, Indie saw stacks of files, encrypted drives, and several guns. He pulled out a slim black tablet and handed it to her.
“This contains everything I have on Crowe’s inner circle. Names. Locations. Weak points. I’ve had people inside his organization for years. It’s time to use them.”
Indie took the tablet. She scrolled through the files, her mind sharpening with every line. This was no longer just about survival. This was war. And she was done being the prize.
Kael watched her for a moment, something like pride flickering in his eyes.
“There’s an event tomorrow night,” he said.
“A private gala at the Voss Foundation building downtown. It’s one of the last properties tied to your father’s old company. Crowe will have people there. So will I. We go together. We let them see us as a united front. And while they’re watching us,
my people will be moving on one of their key servers.”
Indie looked up. “You want me to go to a gala after someone just tried to kidnap me?”
“I want them to see that you’re not hiding. That you’re with me. That any move against you is a move against both of us.” His voice dropped. “And I want you on my arm wearing that collar so every single one of them knows exactly who you belong to.”
Heat curled low in her belly despite everything.
Kael stepped closer and tilted her chin up. “Wear something short. Black. No underwear. The plug stays in. I’ll control it from my phone.”
Indie’s breath caught. “In public?”
“In public.” His eyes darkened. “I want you wet and desperate while we dance. While we smile at people who want us dead. While we plan how to burn their world down.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Kael kissed her then—slow and deep, like he was sealing a promise. When he pulled back he rested his forehead against hers.
“Tonight you rest. Tomorrow we show them what happens when they come for what’s mine.”
The next evening the city lights glittered against the rain slicked streets as the black car pulled up in front of the Voss Foundation building.
Indie sat beside Kael in the back seat, the short black dress riding high on her thighs.
The plug was already nestled inside her, a constant, secret pressure.
The collar sat hidden beneath a delicate silver chain necklace.
Kael wore a perfectly tailored black suit. He looked like power incarnate. Dangerous. Untouchable. His hand rested on her bare thigh, thumb stroking slow circles that made her pulse quicken.
“Remember the rules,” he said quietly. “Stay close. Smile when I tell you to. And if the vibrator gets too much, squeeze my hand twice.”
Indie nodded. Her mouth was dry.
They stepped out into the flash of cameras and the murmur of the crowd. Kael’s hand settled possessively at the small of her back as they walked the red carpet. People turned to stare.
Some recognized her as the daughter of the late tech visionary.
Most recognized Kael as the man who had quietly taken over half the city’s most powerful properties.
Inside, the gala was all crystal chandeliers and dark marble.
Waiters moved with silver trays. A string quartet played in the corner.
Kael kept her close as they made their way through the room, introducing her to people whose names she immediately forgot.
Every few minutes his phone would buzz in his pocket and the plug inside her would come to life on the lowest setting.
The first time it happened she nearly stumbled.
Kael’s hand tightened on her waist. “Breathe.”
Indie forced air into her lungs. The vibration was subtle but relentless, a low hum that made her clit throb and her inner walls clench around the plug. She could feel herself getting wetter with every pulse.
They danced.
Kael pulled her onto the floor and held her close, one hand at the small of her back, the other holding hers. The vibrator kicked up another level. Indie bit her lip to keep from making a sound.
“Focus,” Kael murmured against her ear. “We’re being watched. The man in the gray suit near the bar works for Crowe. The woman in red by the stairs has been taking pictures of us since we arrived.”
Indie pressed closer to him, using his body to hide the way her thighs were trembling. “What do we do?”
“We let them watch.” His hand slid lower on her back, fingers brushing the top of her ass. “And while they’re watching us, my team is extracting data from one of Crowe’s servers right now. By morning we’ll know exactly where he’s keeping his backup files.”
The vibrator pulsed harder.
Indie gasped against his shoulder. Kael’s hand tightened on hers.
“Stay with me,” he said. “We’re not just surviving anymore. We’re winning.”
They moved through the room like they owned it. Kael introduced her to allies she hadn’t known existed—quiet men and women who nodded respectfully when they saw the collar chain at her throat. Indie smiled and shook hands and played the part of the protected woman on the powerful man ’ s arm.
But inside she was burning.
Every time the vibrator changed intensity she had to fight not to moan. Kael kept her close, whispering plans and threats and filthy promises against her ear while they danced or sipped champagne. By the time they slipped into a private alcove near the back of the ballroom, Indie was shaking.
Kael pressed her against the wall and kissed her hard.
“You’re soaked,” he growled against her mouth. “I can smell it.”
“Please,” she whispered.
He reached into his pocket and turned the vibrator up to its highest setting.
Indie bit down on his shoulder to keep from crying out. Her legs nearly gave out. Kael held her up with one arm while the other slipped under her dress. His fingers found her clit and rubbed in tight, merciless circles.
“Come,” he ordered. “Quietly.”
She shattered against him, the orgasm ripping through her so hard her vision blurred. Kael kept the vibrator going through every pulse, drawing it out until she was whimpering and clinging to his jacket.
Only then did he turn it off.
He kissed her again, slower this time. When he pulled back his eyes were dark with satisfaction and something deeper.
“We’re not done,” he said. “There’s one more person I need you to meet tonight.”
He led her back into the main room and toward a tall man in a charcoal suit standing near the windows. The man turned as they approached. He was older, with sharp eyes and a scar along his jaw.
“Marcus Hale,” Kael said. “This is Indie Vale.”
The man’s eyes flicked to the chain at her throat, then back to her face. He nodded once. “Ms. Vale. Your father was a brilliant man. I’m sorry for what happened to him.”
Indie kept her voice steady. “Thank you.”
Marcus glanced at Kael. “Everything is in motion. The data extraction is almost complete. We should have a location on Crowe’s primary server by morning.”
Kael nodded. “Good. Keep me updated.”
Marcus’s gaze returned to Indie. There was respect in it. And something like approval. “You chose well, Thorne. She’s not just surviving this. She’s fighting.”
When Marcus walked away, Kael pulled Indie into a quieter corner.
“That was one of my oldest allies,” he said quietly. “He’s been feeding me information on Crowe for years. Tonight was about letting him see you. Letting him know you’re not a liability.”
Indie looked up at him. “And what am I?”
Kael’s hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers brushing the collar beneath the chain.
“You’re the reason I’m still standing,” he said. “And the reason I’m finally going to end this.”
He kissed her again, slow and deep, right there in the middle of the crowded ballroom. When he pulled back he rested his forehead against hers.
“Ready to go home?”
Indie nodded.
But as they turned to leave, a man in a dark suit stepped into their path. He was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Mr. Thorne,” the man said smoothly. “And Ms. Vale. What a pleasure to finally meet you both in person.”
Kael went very still beside her.
The man extended a hand. “Elias Crowe sends his regards.”
Indie’s blood ran cold.
Kael’s voice was ice when he answered. “Tell him the next time he sends someone to touch what’s mine, I’ll send back more than regards.”
The man’s smile widened. “He said you might say that.” His eyes flicked to Indie. “He also said to remind you that some legacies are better left buried.”
Before Kael could respond, the man turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Indie’s heart was hammering.
Kael’s hand tightened on hers. “We’re leaving. Now.”
They moved through the ballroom with purpose. Kael’s security team closed in around them as they reached the car.
Once inside, Kael pulled out his phone and made a call.
“Marcus. Crowe just made contact at the gala. He knows we’re moving on his servers.” A pause. “Double the extraction speed. And send a team to the old Voss warehouse on the east side. I think that’s where he’s keeping the backup drives.”
He ended the call and turned to Indie.
She was shaking again, but not from fear this time. From rage.
“He was there,” she said. “Crowe was watching us the whole time.”
Kael pulled her into his arms. “Let him watch. Let him see exactly what he’s up against.”
He kissed the top of her head.
“Tomorrow we take the fight to him. Tonight you stay with me. And tomorrow…”
His voice dropped into something dark and certain.
“Tomorrow we finish this.”
Indie closed her eyes and let herself lean into him as the car pulled away from the glittering lights of the gala.
The war had a face now.
And she was no longer running from it.
She was walking straight into it.
With the man who had been protecting her from the shadows for years.
And who was finally letting her stand beside him in the light.