***
The video played on loop.
A grainy, night-vision feed. Me. Wrapped in Jace's arms. His chest rising and falling in rhythm with mine. A moment that should have been intimate, private, buried under sheets of trust and secrecy.
Except someone was watching us.
Recording us.
I felt sick.
The blue glow of the phone screen bathed my skin in ghostlight, and I couldn't look away. My stomach twisted violently. I couldn't breathe.
I was being watched. We were being watched.
I nudged Jace's shoulder, urgently. "Wake up," I whispered, panic leaking into my voice.
He groaned, sleep-heavy. "Mmm. Baby, come back to bed…"
I shoved him harder. "Jace. Wake. Up."
His eyes snapped open, stormy and confused. "What—"
I shoved the phone in his face.
His brows furrowed at the screen, and then his body went rigid. "What the hell?"
"You tell me," I hissed. "Who the fuck is watching us?"
He grabbed the phone, scrolling. "This—this can't be real."
"I didn't record that," I whispered, voice trembling. "And it's live. Meaning someone's watching us right now."
He jumped out of bed and scanned the room. His movements were fast, practiced. Like he knew what to look for. Like he'd done this before.
"Jace," I said, my voice like shattered glass. "What aren't you telling me?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he yanked open the vent near the ceiling and reached in. My breath caught when he pulled out a tiny black device—no larger than a pen cap—with a blinking red light.
A camera.
My blood ran cold.
"They were in the house," I said, barely recognizing my own voice. "Someone planted that in here."
Jace's eyes met mine, dark and furious. "They didn't plant it. They own it. Whoever's been sending those texts—Leah, they've been watching us this whole time."
***
Ten Minutes Later – Kitchen
I sat at the kitchen island in Jace's hoodie, arms wrapped around my knees. Jace paced like a caged animal, fingers running through his hair every few seconds.
"They're escalating," he muttered. "First the texts. Then the picture. Now this? They want to corner me."
"Or us," I said quietly. "They called me collateral damage."
He turned to me, chest heaving. "They won't touch you."
"You can't promise that."
He walked toward me, grabbing both my hands. "Leah, I will burn the world before I let anyone lay a finger on you."
God help me, I believed him.
And that terrified me more than anything.
"Who is it, Jace? Who's behind this?"
He hesitated.
"Is it someone from Westview?"
Silence.
"Jace."
He sat beside me, elbows on his knees, head bowed. "There were four of us. We called ourselves the 'Crows'—some sick inside joke because we picked the bones clean from every secret we uncovered at school. We were rich, reckless, untouchable. But my roommate, Reed… he didn't want to play anymore. He threatened to expose everything. So… someone set the fire."
"You think one of the Crows is doing this?"
He nodded. "Someone's tying up loose ends. Reed's dead. I faked mine. Ivy's in hiding. That leaves two others."
"Names."
He hesitated again.
I leaned forward, voice sharper now. "Jace. Names."
He looked at me, jaw clenched. "Tristan Vale. And Savannah Langford."
I blinked. "Savannah Langford? As in heiress to Langford Pharmaceuticals?"
"Yeah. She paid for silence with pills and privilege. She's more dangerous than anyone."
"And Tristan?"
"Charmer. Sociopath in designer shoes. He could convince a priest to sin."
"Have they contacted you?"
"No. Not until now."
I shook my head. "This isn't just blackmail. This is something darker."
And deep down, I knew—I was in way over my head.
***
Later That Day
I couldn't stay in the house. Not with the shadows watching.
So I did the only thing I could think of—I called Ivy.
She picked up on the first ring.
"I saw the feed," she said before I could speak. "They sent it to me too."
My blood iced. "You too?"
"They're done playing," she said. "And they know you're with him."
"Ivy, I need help."
There was a pause. "Come to my place. Now. Bring nothing you can be tracked with. And for God's sake—don't tell Jace."
My stomach flipped. "Why not?"
"Because if he knows what I'm about to tell you… he might not let you leave."
***
Ivy's Apartment – Downtown LA
Her apartment was a fortress. Triple locks. Blackout curtains. Cameras on the hallway monitor. The moment I stepped inside, she shut the door fast and pulled me into a tight hug.
"You're either brave or stupid," she murmured into my shoulder.
"Maybe both," I replied, pulling back. "What's going on?"
Ivy walked to her coffee table, where a laptop sat open. She turned the screen to me.
"What is this?" I asked, scanning the files.
"Evidence. The real kind. From Westview."
Videos. Photos. Names.
"There was a server," Ivy said. "Hidden in the school's basement. Tristan set it up—he filmed everything. Every party, every confession, every threat. We thought it was for leverage. Insurance. But now…"
Now it was a hitlist.
"If Savannah and Tristan are watching you," Ivy said, "it's because you're a liability."
"And you think Jace is a target too?"
She hesitated.
"I think he was a target. But now? I think he's a tool."
My heart sank. "You think he's working with them?"
"I think he's protecting someone. And you need to find out who. Before they come for you again."
***
Back Home – Nightfall
The house was dark when I returned.
I stepped inside slowly, heart hammering. "Jace?"
No response.
The lights flicked on.
And there he was.
Sitting on the couch. Holding something in his hand.
A photo.
Of me.
Asleep.
Again.
"Where were you?" His voice was low. Controlled. Too controlled.
"I just needed space," I lied. "Air."
He stood, eyes unreadable. "You went to Ivy."
I stiffened. "How do you—"
"You left your phone behind. But your bracelet pinged on my location tracker. You forgot I set it up after that night in the club."
My stomach churned.
"I told you," he said, stepping closer, "not to go digging."
"Ivy told me the truth. About Tristan. About Savannah. About you."
He stared at me, silent.
"I want to trust you, Jace. I do. But if you're hiding something—"
"I'm trying to protect you," he growled. "You think I don't know how dangerous they are?"
"I need the whole truth."
He took a shaky breath. "They killed my roommate, Leah. But I lit the match."
My breath caught.
He kept going. "Not to kill him. But to scare him. I didn't know he was locked in. I didn't know the door had been chained. I thought he'd run. Like always."
Tears welled in his eyes.
"I've lived with that every day. The fire wasn't meant to kill. But it did. And if they find out I've told you…"
"They'll come for us both," I whispered.
He reached for me.
I let him.
And when his mouth crashed against mine, it wasn't about passion.
It was about survival.
We stumbled back into the bedroom, our clothes hitting the floor one by one. He touched me like he needed to feel alive. I clung to him like he was the only thing anchoring me.
There was no line between danger and desire anymore.
Only us.
Wrecked. Twisted. Addicted.
***
When I woke again, Jace was gone.
But a message waited on my phone.
Unknown: You chose your side. You'll both burn for it.
And attached?
A live countdown.
24:00:00
The clock was ticking.
And I didn't know what would explode first—
Jace's secrets…
Or our hearts.