The “game” Bruno had in mind wasn’t a friendly round of poker. It was something twisted.


    I stared him down, but his gaze flicked between me and Hayden. “The dynamic between you four is


    fascinating,” he said. “Jace Johnston, her ex. She’s your ex. And Yara Drago, your new girl. So, tell


    me… who really loves whom the most here?”


    “Doesn’t matter who loves who,” I shot back. “We definitely don’t love you, so stay out of it.”


    He grinned. “This isn’t meddling, it’s curiosity. Your tangled little love lives could use some sorting


    out.”


    Hayden’s patience wore thin. “Say what you want and get to the point.”


    Bruno smirked, pressing his lips together. “Impatient, huh? Fine.”


    He stood up and headed toward the house.


    Hayden and I stayed put, but his guards immediately stepped forward. “If you’d please follow us.”


    This was Bruno’s turf, and we had no clue where Jace and Yara were. For now, we had no choice


    but to go with it.


    Bruno’s mansion was massive, and right when we walked inside, we were greeted by a huge


    painting of a roaring tiger–its jaws wide open, sharp teeth bared. The thing looked like it was ready


    to eat anyone who dared get too close. Just staring at it made my skin crawl.


    It wasn’t just that–it was wrong. When I was younger, I loved animals and their art, but my dad


    never allowed it. He always said that houses should be filled with peaceful thingsndscapes,


    flowers, nts- never anything with aggressive energy like tigers or eagles. He believed that kind of


    vibe could bring negative energy to the home.


    But Bruno? He didn’t care about any of that. The whole mansion was filled with predator art. In the


    center of the main hall was a giant sculpture of a coiled serpent made of jade, poised to strike. Even


    the sight of it sent chills down my spine.


    I didn’t know what kind of taste Bruno had, but his obsession with these fierce animals said a lot


    about him. And now, with all of us trapped in his hands, I had a bad feeling about how things were


    going to y


    out.


    But we were already here. No turning back now.


    “Do you like it?” Bruno suddenly asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.


    I shot him a disgusted look, which made himugh. “Just wait. You’ll see the real thing soon


    enough.” My nerves shot up, and I couldn’t help but nce at Hayden. He was still, his face


    unreadable.


    Even though I wasn’t counting on him to save me, there was something about the way he stayed


    calm that gave me this weird sense offort. If things went sideways, he wouldn’t just leave me,


    right?


    With my stomach in knots, I followed Bruno through the hall and out into the backyard. The air


    smelled thick, like animal musk.


    Was this a zoo or something?


    I was still trying to figure it out when a voice sliced through the tension. “Hayden! I’m over here!


    I turned, and there was Yara, hanging in mid–air, caught in some kind of harness. Hayden was


    already moving toward her.


    I froze, my mind racing. But in that split second of distraction, a big hand mmed over my mouth


    and nose, stopping me from reacting. My heart raced as I watched Hayden get farther away.


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    I didn’t know if Hayden saw me or just sensed something was wrong, but the second he saw what


    was happening, he sprinted toward me.


    So, he wasn’t going to leave me after all.


    But Bruno had nned for this. He wasn’t going to let Hayden reach me. His men stepped in,


    blocking him.


    As they pulled me away, I watched helplessly as Hayden fought his way through them, trying to get


    to me.