Chapter 136: The Ice and the Burden

Micah’s POV

Noah’s butler was actually here. And that homicide detective who was ready to throw us in jail just walked out bowing to my brother.

Does that mean Noah really handled everything? Did he wipe clean a scene where four men died?

A wave of relief crashed over my chest so hard I had to press my face into the thin pillow to keep from sobbing out loud. My whole body was trembling. I kept picturing the cold air whipping past my ears, the kidnapper’s hand shoving my chest, and the terrifying drop toward those rusted iron rods.

If Noah and Damon had been even thirty seconds late, I would be dead right now. My body would have been broken in half on those rocks.

I turned my head toward the side of the bed.

Damon was standing there, standing quiet. He had his arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the floor tiles with a weird, distant expression on his face. He looked lost.

Seeing him like that made my heart ache with unexpected guilt.

At the mall, I had hated him. When he looked right into my eyes, turned his head, and told that girl he didn’t know me, I felt like my soul had been ripped out of my chest. I thought he was mocking me. I thought all his flirting and sweet words at the dinner table were just a cruel joke.

Yet he came. He ran to that construction site, threw that heavy net over the ledge, and caught me with his bare hands while the ropes tore his skin open.

"Thank you, Damon," I said softly.

My voice broke the heavy silence in the room.

Damon flinched slightly, snapping out of whatever deep thought he was trapped in. He blinked, looking at me, and then slowly turned his head to the side, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh," he muttered, avoiding my eyes. "It’s fine. Really. I’m just glad you’re safe."

I looked at him, feeling a sudden surge of curiosity and a stubborn knot of jealousy I couldn’t quite push down.

"Who was that girl, Damon?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I pulled the blanket closer to my chin. "I didn’t know you had a girlfriend."

Damon choked on his breath, his eyes widening. "I don’t! She’s definitely not my girlfriend! She’s just..." He stopped, hesitating, and darted an annoyed glare straight at Noah.

I followed his gaze, looking over at my brother.

A terrible thought crossed my mind. "Wait... Is she Noah’s girlfriend?"

Noah stopped adjusting the cuffs of his sleeve. His head snapped toward me, his brow drawing together in pure, unadulterated disgust.

"What makes you think I would ever have a girlfriend, Micah?" Noah asked, his tone icy enough to freeze water.

Before I could stutter an apology, Damon threw his hands up in the air.

"Tell him the truth, Captain!" Damon snapped at Noah. He turned to me, pointing an accusing finger at my brother. "Noah is the one who forced me to go out on that miserable date with Jennifer Riley! She had inside information about what the Jenson guys were plotting against us. She blackmailed me into taking her to the mall just so she’d talk. Noah told me to play along to protect you."

My eyes widened in absolute shock.

The pieces fell into place instantly.

The date. The expensive store. Damon turning his back on me so he wouldn’t blow his cover in front of her.

A massive, warm wave of relief flooded my entire chest. She wasn’t his girlfriend. He didn’t abandon me because he liked her.

Yet right behind that relief came a bitter, humiliating sting of embarrassment.

I felt so stupid. I had sat in that kidnapper’s chair weeping over a fake date, thinking I was abandoned, while Damon was actually putting up with an annoying girl just to keep me safe. And Noah had been racing across town, beating men half to death with his bare hands, just to drag me out of danger.

Every single time something went wrong, I was the one who needed saving. I was always the useless, helpless burden crying in the corner while they bled for me. The realization was utterly draining. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Now isn’t the time to sit around discussing girls," Noah interrupted coldly, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "We have a championship game to prepare for in three days."

Damon’s jaw dropped so hard I thought it would detach from his skull.

"What?" Damon shook his head in pure disbelief. "Don’t tell me..."

"Those Jenson fuckers manipulated the athletic board to move the finals forward," Noah stated, completely ignoring the shock on our faces. "The match is this weekend. Which means we have exactly three days left to get on the ice."

Without waiting for a response, Noah reached up, tore the medical tape off his wrist, and pulled off his hospital gown. He tossed the faded fabric carelessly onto the chair and reached for his dark clothes on the bedside table.

"Change your clothes immediately, Silver," Noah ordered, pulling his black shirt over his head. "We’re heading straight to the campus arena to train."

"Are you completely out of your mind?!" Damon frowned, taking a step toward Noah. "I just got hauled out of an ambulance! My ribs are bruised, my hands are raw from holding a damn net, and I need rest! You can’t seriously expect us to skate thirty miles an hour right now!"

"I’m not asking for your permission," Noah replied, sliding his belt through his trousers, his voice deadly quiet. "If I’m going to take my revenge on those bastards for touching my brother, it’s going to be on that rink. In front of thousands of people. I will crush them until they forfeit."

Noah pulled on his dark team jacket, zipping it up to his throat. He turned his cold blue eyes onto Damon, his gaze full of promise.

"And if anyone on my team dares to ruin that for me by slacking off... I will fuck them up myself."

Damon closed his mouth, swallowing hard.

Noah pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, his thumbs moving across the screen quickly. Within seconds, he fired a message into the varsity hockey group chat.

Across the room, Damon’s phone sitting on the metal nightstand chimed loudly.

Noah didn’t even look back at him. "Don’t make me arrive at the rink before you, Damon."

Damon groaned loudly, throwing his head back in agony, but he turned toward the curtain to grab his own clothes.

Noah walked over to my bedside. The terrifying, murderous aura surrounding him melted away the second he stood above me. He reached out with his hand, gently ruffling my messy hair.

"Remain here," Noah murmured, his voice soft and protective. "The doctors still need to run a full round of tests on your neck and spine to make sure there’s no internal bleeding. I’ll have David transfer you to a private VIP suite on the top floor so no reporters or syndicate dogs can disturb you."

Panic flared in my chest. I reached out, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket.

"Noah, wait... I want to come with you," I pleaded, my voice trembling. "Or at least let me go back to the house. I hate hospitals. I don’t want to be left alone in this room..."

Noah stared down at me. His jaw set into a firm, unyielding line.

"Micah."

He spoke my name with that heavy, absolute authority that made my throat close up instantly.

I pressed my lips shut, sinking back against the pillows.

"Stay here and rest," Noah repeated softly, holding my gaze until he saw the fight leave my eyes. "Understood?"

I lowered my head, staring at the white blanket. "...Understood."

Damon stepped out from behind the curtain, having changed back into his black trousers and shirt. He walked over to my bed, his face showing a mix of exhaustion and faint concern. He reached out and ruffled my hair in the exact same spot Noah just had, giving me a small, crooked smile.

"I’ll come back to check on you the second our practice is over, sweetheart," Damon said, trying to sound cheerful despite the dark circles under his eyes.

"Our practice is overnight," Noah said flatly from the doorway.

Damon froze. He turned his head toward the door, his eyes wide with horror. "Overnight?! Noah, you psychotic bastard!"

Noah didn’t answer. He just pushed the heavy hospital door open and walked out into the corridor.

Damon grumbled a string of filthy curses under his breath, giving my shoulder one last gentle squeeze before jogging after my brother.

"Wait for me, Captain! You’re going to pay for my hospital bills!" Damon’s voice echoed down the hall before fading away completely.

A quiet, breathless chuckle escaped my lips. Despite the nightmare we had just survived, seeing the two of them bickering like idiots made me smile.

The heavy door clicked shut, leaving the hospital room in absolute silence.

The faint smile slipped off my face.

I turned my head toward the small wooden desk beside my bed. Sitting right next to a plastic water pitcher was my old, cracked smartphone. The new phone Noah bought for me was gone... I had dropped the paper bag on the floor of the mall when those thugs grabbed me.

I let out a long, heavy exhale, reaching out with a stiff arm to pick up the old device.

I unlocked the screen, intending to check the time.

A massive, bright red notification banner from the university student forum took over the entire display.

My heart seized in my chest.

[BREAKING NEWS: Fourth Target Confirmed – Female Track Athlete Abducted from West Campus Parking]

The screen slipped from my trembling fingers, bouncing against the mattress.

Another person had been kidnapped. In broad daylight. Right after Sunny and the swimmer.

Cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I brought both of my hands up, slapping them hard over my face, pressing my palms against my burning eyes as nausea churned in my gut.

Plan Mayor was moving forward. The syndicate was accelerating their attacks to force the city into a state of panic before the election.

When the hell was Father and his criminal syndicate going to finish this nightmare?