Ava's POV
My fingers trembled as I reached out to the camera, the cold plastic sending a shiver through me. Who had placed it here? How long had it been recording? And why?
Questions swirled, thick and heavy, as I realized the walls weren't just closing in on me they were watching.
My phone buzzed. Jaxon's name flashed on the screen.
"Jaxon, there's something here." My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Don't touch it." His tone was ice-cold authority. "I'm on my way."
As I waited, every shadow in the room seemed to twist, every creak in the building a threat. The game had changed. The stakes had risen.
And I was in the eye of the storm.
My pulse hammered in my ears, each beat a frantic drum warning me that I was dangerously exposed. The small camera sat on the cold hardwood floor beneath the window, its red light blinking steadily relentless in its silent watch.
I wanted to smash it tear it apart but the thought of destroying evidence that could unravel this entire nightmare kept my hands steady.
Who had put it here? How long had it been watching me? And what was it they wanted to see?
Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I was rooted to the spot a prisoner in Jaxon's penthouse that suddenly felt more like a gilded cage.
The sharp buzz of my phone jolted me again. A message this time.
Trust no one. Not even those closest to you.
No name. No clue.
My heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just ordinary surveillance.
This was a warning.
I shoved the phone into my pocket just as the door's heavy thud echoed through the apartment.
Jaxon.
His presence filled the space instantly, like a tide of heat and control that pushed the cold dread aside. His gaze locked on the camera on the floor, darkening with a dangerous mix of fury and calculation.
"Whoever did this wants to play dirty," he muttered, voice low and rough with anger.
I could see the wheels turning behind those sharp eyes ..strategies forming, plans for retaliation.
"Are you okay?" His voice softened. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out not to touch me, but to steady me.
"I'm fine," I lied. "But they're getting closer, Jaxon. This isn't just about me anymore. It's about us."
He nodded once, resolute. "Good. Because I don't plan on losing either of you."
His words ignited something fierce inside me a heady mix of desire and trust. With him, I felt dangerous and safe all at once.
He pulled me into a tight embrace, the solid warmth of his body a stark contrast to the cold fear I'd been swimming in. For a moment, the world outside melted away the threats, the secrets, the lies. It was just us.
Then, the quiet was shattered by a knock on the door.
Jaxon's jaw clenched, his hand tightening on my waist. "Stay here. I'll handle this."
He moved like a shadow, opening the door with deliberate calm. I strained to hear, but his voice was low..urgent, but controlled.
When he returned, his expression was unreadable.
"We have a problem."
I swallowed hard. "What kind of problem?"
"The kind where someone on the inside is feeding them information."
My breath caught.
Inside.
I had trusted people. Trusted Jaxon's world.
But now, the enemy wasn't just out there it was closer than I ever feared.
"Who?" I whispered.
Jaxon shook his head. "I don't know yet. But whoever it is, they want to break us. Break me."
His eyes locked onto mine, fierce and unyielding.
"And I won't let that happen."
He pulled me to the window, the city lights sprawling below us like a sea of stars. A battlefield.
"We're tied together now, Ava. Bound in ways you're only beginning to understand."
My stomach twisted with a mix of fear and something else something dark and thrilling.
He was my protector and my storm. My obsession and my salvation.
But with enemies closing in and secrets rising to the surface, I realized the truth I'd been avoiding.
This wasn't just about love.
It was war.