Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
The more I read, the harder my jaw locked, my pulse thudding behind my eyes.
The language was textbook control. Possessive. Threatening. The kind of psychological warfare that left invisible bruises.
But it wasn’t just manipulation. It was a roadmap to violence.
“Here’s the kicker,” Deviant said as he brought up a screenshot of Ellen’s phone calendar. “See this? After she added the appointment with Gemma to her calendar, she got one last text an hour later.”
He clicked back to the messages.
Asshole Ex
Don’t think I don’t know where you are. I see you every time you step outside.
“Motherfucker’s been watching her,” I said, low and lethal. “Tracking her.”
“Wasn’t just watching,” Fox said grimly. “He was targeting. This wasn’t random. He thought this through. Wanted those photos. Wanted control of her.”
My stomach dropped. “When he saw the appointment and decided to act.”
Deviant nodded. “Day after the session, the texts started coming again.”
Asshole Ex
You think you’re some kind of model now? You’re disgusting. Pathetic. No one’s going to want you after they see what you really look like.
You looked ridiculous posing like that. Like some girl playing pretend in a woman’s body.
You degraded yourself for a camera. Don’t pretend it was for confidence or closure.
You showed everyone what I had to put up with. All you did was prove me right—no one else would’ve wanted you if I hadn’t made you feel like you were worth something.
You should’ve been ashamed of that body, not showing it off like it’s something special.
“Now he gets pissed,” Deviant murmured as he kept scrolling.
“They always escalate,” I said quietly, voice low and full of ice. “The moment she took control back, he had to remind her he still had power.”
Asshole Ex
You’re not walking away from me. You’re just dragging the leash until I yank it tight again.
If you ever let another man touch you, I’ll fucking kill him. You know I will.
Come back now, or I swear, I’ll make sure no one else ever wants you.
Keep pretending you’re free. I’ll be the shadow you never see coming.
You’re not brave. You’re stupid. You’ll get someone killed.
Smile for the camera all you want, bitch. I’ll be the one waiting behind the flash with a bullet.
Midnight grunted in disgust. “I’d bet everything I have that he’s the one who planted the bug. And vandalized the studio.”
My rage wasn’t fire. It was cold. Controlled. Deadly.
This wasn’t just about Ellen anymore. This was about what could’ve happened to her. What might still happen to other women if we didn’t end this. Because that was what men like him counted on—that no one would take these kinds of threats seriously until it was too late.
Maverick exhaled through his nose, sharp and measured. “This guy’s got a god complex. He’s been building this business for years—trading, threatening, maybe worse.”
“He used Ellen’s pain to justify his own sickness,” I said. “Tried to twist it into something righteous.”
Deviant nodded. “He didn’t like that she posed for someone else. Even though he’s been running this ring, he still couldn’t handle her reclaiming herself.”
“Fucking hypocrite,” Midnight muttered.
Deviant’s laptop pinged, and his fingers danced over the keyboard again. Then he leaned back, a slow grin curving his lips. “Got an alert for a recent log-on. Same alias. Same server. Different location.”
“You get an address?” Midnight asked.
Deviant frowned at him. “Course I did, motherfucker. I always come through.”
Maverick rolled his eyes. “Just give us what we need.”
“Southern edge of Nashville. Big place. Remote. Surveillance feeds off-grid, but I hacked a drone scan. Looks like a fortress, but not one we can’t crack.”
Midnight’s voice was calm, but his eyes gleamed like frostbitten steel. “We hit it fast and hard.”
Maverick shook his head. “We’ll do recon first. Make sure the sick fuck is home and see if Ellen’s there. If she is, we’ll have to be more strategic than hitting it like a battering ram.”
Fox pushed away from the table, walked around his desk, and sat down. “Once you’re in, take out the servers, rip up their network, do whatever it takes to wipe this shit out.”
Deviant grinned. “I’ll salt the digital earth.”
“What about Darren Thomas?” Midnight wanted to know.
“He’s mine,” I snapped.
No one argued.
I nodded once, sharp and brutal. My fists itched for contact. “He’s not walking away from this.”
“Agreed,” Fox murmured. “But he isn’t the only one out there. He can point us to the other dealers and buyers. So he stays alive until we get answers.”
As much as I wanted to put a bullet in the fucker the second I had him in my sights, I wasn’t about to let any other depraved asshole get away with this shit if I could help it.
I nodded, then turned and headed for the hallway, not bothering to say goodbye. I didn’t have it in me to waste words. Not when my girl’s name had been dragged through a pit of filth and her work twisted into currency by a monster who should’ve rotted years ago.