RIDE OR DIE

DEDICATION:

To the twelve years spent waiting in the sweltry heat of Thailand, and the letters that never reached across the ocean. This is for the childhood bonds that burned away to make room for an obsession.

SNEAK PEAK SCENE:
"Stop looking at us with the eyes of an eight-year-old girl," Heeseung commands, his voice dropping low, his breath tracing the curve of her jaw until her chest heaves.

Jay steps closer, trapping her between them, his hands sliding up to frame her face so she has no choice but to look at the dark, heavy hunger in his eyes. "You think you're safe here because we used to share a roof? Look at us, Rieul. Look at the men we had to become while you were living your perfect life in Korea."

"Your mother lied about our blood, but she was right about one thing," Heeseung murmurs, his thumb brushing hard against her lower lip. "We aren't your family. We never were. If you have any sense left in you, you'll book a flight back home before the sun comes up."

"She's right," Jay whispers, his grip tightening just enough to make her heart hammer against her ribs. "Pack your bags and run. Because if you stay in our territory, if you choose to stand by us after everything we've become, we are never letting you go."

"You came across an ocean to find the brothers you lost, Angel," Heeseung says, his lips brushing the sensitive skin beneath her ear, sending a sharp shiver down her spine. "Get on a plane and leave. Because if you don't, you're going to belong to the monsters who took their place."

"Understood?" Jay demands, his gaze locking onto hers, refusing to let her look away.

And for the first time since landing in Thailand, Rieul realizes the truth. They aren't trying to welcome her back, they're warning her that staying means her total ruin.