(Caleb)
The thin wall between our rooms had never felt more like a lie.
I lay awake in the dark, Danica curled against my chest, her breathing slow and steady in sleep. My arm was banded around her waist, palm resting protectively just below her bruised ribs. Every faint hitch in her breath reminded me of Kane’s hits — the way he had driven her into the boards like he was trying to recreate what happened to Lila. The bruises on her skin were fading, but the ones inside me felt deeper every day.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Victor Harlow’s calls to the AD. About Riley feeding him every detail from Danica’s past. About how my own protectiveness was becoming the biggest threat to her place on this team.
Danica stirred in my arms. I tightened my hold without meaning to, then forced mysel
