ANITA

I couldn’t sleep. Maddox’s arm was heavy across my waist, Festus’s breath warm against the back of my neck, but every time I closed my eyes I saw that message. The new photo. The demand. Someone wanted to watch us. Not just fuck — they wanted to watch us break.

At some point around three in the morning I slipped out of bed. I made it as far as the kitchen before Maddox found me. He didn’t say anything at first. Just pulled me into his chest, bare skin against bare skin, and held me there in the dark.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured into my hair.

“I’m scared,” I...