Page 60 of The Colour of Revenge

I settle behind the wheel after opening her door for her. The engine hums to life.

For a moment, the car is filled with nothing but quiet possibilities.

I glance at her, catching a flicker of something in her expression. Hope? Doubt? A dangerous mix of both?

Either way, I'm going to make damn sure she knows she's capable of more than she thinks.

My phone vibrates, and the message from Carina makes me grin before I can stop myself.

Queen Carina:Despite all the old, stuffy men, I had a nice evening.

I can picture her now— kicking off her heels, stretching out on her bed, her expression soft despite the night's exhaustion. I wanted to take her home with me, but I could see the weight of the evening pressing down on her. So, I did the next best thing. I made sure she got home safely.

And now I'm here.

The apartment is silent, cavernous in its emptiness. The polished marble lobby, the private elevator, and the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Thames—all designed to impress and intimidate. The kind of place that screams money.

But to me?

It's a fucking prison.

Everything inside is cold and calculated, a museum of wealth curated by my father's meticulous hand. The furniture is sleek but impersonal, and the art expensive but meaningless. Even the pristine, white walls feel like they belong to a stranger.

The only thing in this place that's mine is my bedroom—tucked away, removed from the suffocating perfection outside.

I sink onto my bed, stretching out against the cool sheets, the phone still in hand.

Daddy Death:Glad you enjoyed it.

Daddy Death:What are you doing now?

I wait, tapping my fingers against my thigh, but before she answers, I flick over to my conversation with Kai.

Nate:You good?

I know that tonight was a lot, even I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing Carina shred through a man's dick like it was nothing.

Fuck I love watching her work, though—the satisfaction that buzzes around her like a living entity—it’s the sexiest thing.

Kai:Yeah…

Nate:You’ve been more involved recently. You don’t have to be. If it’s a problem.

Kai:It’s okay. I want to help.

That’s all I’m going to get out of him.

Nate:Did you send the tip-off?

Simon's dead. But the girls trapped in that hellhole? They don't have to be. Kai's handling it—an anonymous tip to the cops should be enough to get them out.

My phone buzzes almost instantly.

Kai:Obviously. Is this my first rodeo?

I smirk. Most people find Kai a little… difficult. Moody? Unapproachable? But I've known him since before he built his walls, before life hardened him into the grumpy bastard he can be now. Underneath the attitude, there's a core of something solid. Loyal.

Nate:I didn't realise you were a cowboy.