Rules Of Our Own (Rule Breaker Series Book 3)

RED TAKES over my gaze when my eyes land on the cocky asshole banging on Mia’s door. There’s no doubt in my mind I’m looking at her slimy ex-boyfriend.

What I don’t understand is what the fuck he’s doing here. Sidney called this morning telling us we needed to check on Mia, that it had been days since she’d answered her calls. I had to fight back the sickening twist in my gut when she didn’t answer my messages either.

Sidney and Jax are stuck on their holiday in the Maritimes, and the earliest flight they can get out is tomorrow night. I didn’t hesitate to call up my buddy and pull in the favor he owed me to borrow his private plane.

I’d been an anxious mess the entire hour-and-a-half flight, but nothing prepared me for the pure rage I’d feel toward this sniveling piece of shit.

Alex, always the first to react, has him pinned to the wall by his collar, his face going red with the lack of oxygen.

The asshole smirks and sneers. “Do it. I fucking dare you. I’ll have your ass in jail so fast, and a pretty boy like you won’t like it there.” He looks Alex up and down, and even from his pinned position, he smiles. “Or maybe you would like it.”

Alex pulls her ex toward him, then slams him back into the wall. The asshole grunts with the impact, and his head falls forward. Now Alex is the one with a devilish smile.

“There’s no one out here who will corroborate your story. From what I can tell, you showed up here already beaten. Isn’t that right, River?”

The darkness in Alex’s tone has a shiver running down my spine. I have no intention of stopping him from killing this guy. I have to stop the strong urge to do it myself.

I close the distance between us and dig my fingers into the asshole’s hair, slamming the back of his head into the wall with a sickening crunch.

“You have no idea how badly you fucked up thinking no one cares for her. She’s all that matters to us, and you’re about to learn exactly what that means.” I move to do it again.

“Stop!” Mia looks panicked as she tries to pry herself between us. “You need to stop. Jason will report it. Neither of you can afford assault charges.”

Of course his name is Jason.

Alex’s eyes narrow on the asshole. “I’m not sure about that. Sounds worth it.”

“Please.” Mia’s voice is actually begging, and I drop her ex immediately. I never want to hear that sound again. Not when it’s laced with fear.

Alex tightens his grip, jerking Jason once more before letting his feet hit the floor.

He straightens his collar, trying his best to look unaffected, but all it does is highlight how much his hands shake. “Wait ’til my—”

“Father hears about this?” I let a vicious smile cut my face. “You’re not the only one who knows people.”

Mia tucks herself into my side, and I wrap my arm around her, running my fingers up and down her skin. I can feel the tension leaving her as she sinks further into me.

“Are you going to let him talk to me like that?” Jason snaps at Mia.

“Shut the fuck up.” Alex lunges at him, and the asshole barely dodges to the left.

Mia stiffens before disengaging from my side, taking a step toward him, her chin lifts and there’s a spark to her that has me tuned into every move she makes. She looks fierce with her shoulders back and her head held high. Then she goes and gives him a go fuck yourself grin, and I’ve never seen anything hotter.

“Look, Jason. Your dad’s not here right now to back you up. They look like they want to kick your ass. So let me be perfectly clear. You are deluding yourself if you think I could ever want you back. You were a mistake from the get-go, and you dumping me was the best gift you ever gave me. Don’t come by, don’t call me. Don’t even think about me. Because I sure as shit won’t be thinking about you.”

His face flushes red and turns an almost purple color. I don’t like the way he’s looking at her. Like he’s going to put her in her place as soon as he gets her alone. It’s not fucking happening.

“You’ll regret this, Mia.” Her ex goes to move around us to get to the elevator, bringing him within reaching distance of Mia, but Alex blocks his way.

“I highly suggest you back the fuck up,” Alex growls. He’s glaring down at him, chest heaving with the pent-up desire to kick this guy’s ass.

The asshole swallows hard and stumbles back before fleeing out the emergency stair exit.

I watch Jason until the door closes behind him with a bang, and I take several calming breaths, pushing down the rage threatening to bubble over, then look at her. My anger evaporates, turning into concern when Mia’s ragged inhale fills the air.

I spin her to face me, and my stomach drops at the naked fear written over her face. I close the distance between us and tuck her into my chest, resting my head on her shoulder. The scent of lavender fills my nose with every breath. She’s shaking so much it’s vibrating through me, and I tighten my hold even more. “You’re okay, Mia.”

“I know. I know I’m being stupid, but he… I thought he was going to get through my door. I thought…” She presses her face into me, mumbling. “I wouldn’t have been able to fight him off.”

“We’ve got you, Kitten.” Alex is behind her the second she gets the words out and rests his forehead against the crown of her head. He’s visibly shaking, and I close my hand around his bicep, rubbing a circle with my thumb.

“You good?”

Alex’s eyes meet mine, and he gives me a barely there nod before closing them.

Mia’s hands fist my shirt, and I want to lift her jaw and kiss her until we’re the only things she thinks about, but I don’t. I don’t know where we stand—everything we’ve talked about ended the second she got on the plane.

Instead, I kiss her temple and lean back, keeping one hand around her waist, and wipe away the wetness under her eye. “You need to put in a report.”

She lets out a sardonic laugh. “What good is that going to do? His dad controls everything. When you’re that rich, you can do whatever you want.”

Alex nudges his nose in her hair and takes a deep breath. “How rich?”

“Put it this way. Oprah looks up to him. He’s the CEO of Pharmacorp.”

“Damn,” Alex says.

“Yup.” Her shoulders shake with her laugh. “I sure can pick them.”

He grabs her hand and spins her to face him with a goofy grin on his face. “Yeah, I think you’re getting better at it though.”

“I…ah…” She stutters her words, and I take pity on her.

“If you aren’t reporting him, then you aren’t staying here.”

She grips the back of her neck. “I can stay at Sidney’s. I have her spare key… wait.”

She backs up, looking between us, both her brows up near her hairline. “What are you doing here?”

It’s a testimony to how terrified she is that it took her so long to clue in. “Sidney called us. Said you haven’t been returning her calls. The rest is just luck.”

“I’m sorry about your internship, Kitten. I know how hard you worked for that.”

She sniffs and glares at the door her ex had fled through. Sidney explained it was that asshole who cost her her job, and I want to kill him all over again.

“Truth is, we’re lucky we showed up when we did.” A tremor crawls down my spine, knowing how different this could have ended. “Which is why I think you should come back to Boston with us.”

She huffs out a laugh. “Funny.”

But she stills when we don’t respond, realizing Alex and I are dead serious. I didn’t need to ask him, knowing he feels the same.

“I can’t just go to Boston on a whim.”

“Why not?”

“I have work—” Her face crumples, and she sucks in a breath. “I can’t just pack up and move.”

“Sure you can, Kitten. Plus, Piper and Misty will be there.”

That seems to cheer her up a bit. Misty mentioned working with her on the Prosthetic For Kids charity before.

I stroke my thumb over her cheek. “It’ll be good to get your mind off things. Fresh start.”

She mouths fresh start but still looks unsure.

Pressure builds under my ribs that feels dangerously close to desperation. “You don’t have to stay forever. Just until you get your feet back under you.”

Her brows pinch together. “I can’t afford to live there.”

Alex squeezes her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. We know a player who’s got an empty place. Never uses it.”

“Um, no. I can’t do that.”

Alex grins. “Mia, he’s a multimillionaire. I assure you it’ll be fine.”

I can see the cogs moving in her head as she processes everything. “Just until I get things figured out. Then I’m coming back to Ottawa.”

Alex whips her into the air and spins them in a circle, drawing a laugh from her. I swallow hard, watching them. He always was able to make her laugh.

He sets her down, and she’s breathless when she says, “When do we leave?”

“Tonight,” I reply.

“Pretty sure it’s too late to get tickets for tonight.”

Alex tips his head to the side and gives her a soft smile. “Good thing we have a private plane.”

Her eyes go wide as saucers, and her mouth drops open.

“Don’t worry, we borrowed it,” he adds, and she seems to relax at that. First person not to be impressed by our money. Not that I expected anything different from her.

We enter her apartment, and the first thing I notice is that it’s small. Really small. It’s a studio, and the only thing separating the living room from her bedroom is a wood slat privacy screen.

I have to fight off the unease that she’s been living here. I’m sure she wouldn’t be pleased with that kind of possessive bullshit. I glance over at Alex, who’s looking at the place with the same distaste as I am. Neither of us likes that she’s been living here. Not when we’d be able to give her so much more.

She may not have been ours for the past few years, but that doesn’t change anything.

A loud meowing comes from a giant orange cat as it winds its way around Alex’s feet. Alex reaches down to pick it up while Mia simultaneously gasps.

“No! He’ll scratch—” Her mouth snaps shut, then falls open as the cat purrs in his arms, rubbing his face against Alex’s chin.

“Huh.” She tilts her head. “He normally tries to claw anyone who goes near him besides me.”

Alex gives her a cheeky grin. “Your cat likes me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“What can I say? Your pussy likes me.” Alex says with a grin.

She turns bright red and I choke on a laugh.

Alex puts the cat down, who doesn’t look happy about it, and claps his hands. “Alright. Let’s get packing.”

“Yeah, there’s just a small problem.”

I raise a brow. “What’s that?”

She looks around her studio apartment. “I can’t just leave all this here.”

“Have you paid your rent until the end of the month?”

“Yeah, but what am I thinking? I’ve got bills. I need to find a new job. I can’t just get up and leave.”

“Why?” I deadpan.

“What do you mean why? This is my life.”

“Is it? Seems like your asshole ex has been downsizing your life since you left him.”

She gapes at me but doesn’t deny it.

I tilt my head. “What are the chances of you getting another internship in Ottawa?”

“Next to none, okay? Are you happy? Does my patheticness get you off or something?”

“You are not and have never been pathetic,” I growl. “And there’s nothing about this that makes me happy. So tell me what you want, and we’ll make it happen.”

Tears pool in her eyes. “I just need time…to figure everything out.”

“Let us help you with that, Kitten.” Alex crosses the room and brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Come stay. We’ll pack up here so you’ve got the essentials, and you’ve got a bit of time before you need to let your apartment go. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a lead on a new internship by then.” He gives her a shy smile, and her expression softens. “But until you do, let us take care of you.”

She looks between us, then straightens. “Fine, but only until I get back on my feet.”

“We can work with that.” I nod, trying not to show the rush of happiness bubbling up my chest. “Now tell us everything about your asshole ex. Start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

It took less than two hours to get her packed and loaded into the plane. Turns out, she hadn’t unpacked all of her things since moving out of her shared apartment with her ex.

As we packed, she answered our prying questions about Jason. Where did they meet? Med school. How long were they together? One Year. Was he always a complete psycho? Probably?

The more she told us, the angrier we got. She explained how he’d started off sweet, feigning interest in everything she did. Love bombing the shit out of her.

He’d been so meticulous with his manipulation she hadn’t realized he was slowly chipping away her confidence the entire time they were together. Working hard to make her feel small, so he could control everything she did. Making her feel like doing something she loved somehow made her selfish.

Anger builds in my chest, and I take a breath through gritted teeth.

Guys like him know what they’re doing. They pull out every technique, gaslighting their partners until they don’t trust themselves to know what’s real or not.  But that asshole fucked up when he broke up with her. He thought she’d come crawling back. Instead, Mia used that moment of separation and slammed a door between them.

Alex was the one to ask what I was too afraid to. He’d asked her as gently as possible if Jason had ever been physical against her. She looked timid when she answered that he’d grabbed her arm a little too hard and shook her around a bit when he got drunk, but other than that, he was all words.

A string of cusses had flown from Alex’s mouth and my mind had gone red with rage. Every fiber in my being screaming to kill that bastard.

 I halt my thoughts. I have to stop thinking about it, or I’ll lose my fucking mind.

I distract myself with the sight of her tucked into Alex’s side. She’d been exhausted by the time we made it to the airport, and I’m not surprised she passed out before takeoff. Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she fell asleep on his chest.

Crookshanks kneads his paws into my thighs, his sharp claws puncturing holes in my deep gray pants.

“Hey, now. Those are expensive.” I lift the orange furball and hold him in my arms. He immediately rubs his head into me, an act so much like Mia that it has a soft, warm glow filling my stomach. “You aren’t so bad, are you?”

The cat meows as if he knows what I’m saying before closing its eyes.

Mia mumbles in her sleep, and Alex unconsciously pulls her closer. The sight of the two of them has my chest growing uncomfortably tight. The two people I need most in the world, and at least for now, we’re together.