Fermented Desires

Not yours to Break

The morning light stretched long and golden through the windows, casting quiet patterns across the kitchen tiles. But the warmth didn't touch the tension in the air. The guys hadn't slept—not really. Not after the night they'd had.

Hudson leaned against the counter, arms folded, his jaw clenched with silent fury. Ashton sat on the edge of the dining table, rubbing the back of his neck, while Cameron paced slowly from one end of the room to the other.

"Has she woken up?" Ashton asked quietly.

Cameron shook his head. "Not yet. But she will soon."

Hudson exhaled through his nose. "We need to be ready."

"She doesn't even know what happened," Ashton muttered. "What are we supposed to say? 'Hey, by the way, someone drugged you and almost got away with it. But good news—we stopped him before it got worse?"

"Better that than silence," Cameron said, stopping mid-stride. "She deserves the truth. And the choice of what to do with it."

Hudson's voice was rough, low. "I left her. I turned my back and went to get drinks. If I had stayed—"

"You didn't know," Cameron said, though the guilt in his own eyes mirrored Hudson's.

There was a beat of silence before Cameron straightened. "I'll tell her. She'll want to hear it from someone who isn't about to beat themselves up over it all day."

---

Isabella's lashes fluttered open.

Her head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, and her mouth was dry. She sat up slowly, noticing how her muscles protested, how her limbs were warm but slightly off-balance. She was back in her room. Safe.

Mostly.

A gentle knock pulled her attention.

"Yeah?" her voice rasped.

The door opened, and Cameron stepped in, water bottle in hand. "Morning, trouble," he said with a soft smile. "You look alive. Barely."

"Not how I pictured waking up after my first official night out with you guys," Isabella muttered. "What happened?"

Cameron gave her a teasing grin. "Well, besides almost getting kidnapped? You also tried to sleep with all three of us in the backseat."

Isabella blinked. "I—what?!"

"Oh yeah. You were feeling very affectionate," he said with a chuckle. "Had your hands everywhere. I'm pretty sure you told Hudson he smelled like sex and danger."

Her face turned crimson as she covered it with her hands. "No. Absolutely not. Please tell me you're lying."

"Cross my heart," Cameron said, laughing. "It was impressive, really."

She peeked through her fingers, then dropped her hands with a smirk. "Well... I mean, if I had woken up tangled between the three of you, I wouldn't have complained."

Cameron blinked at her, surprised by her boldness, then his grin turned roguish. "Careful, Princess. Say stuff like that, and we might just hold you to it one of these days."

Isabella raised a brow. "Promises, promises."

Cameron handed her the bottle, waiting as she took a few long gulps. Then he sat on the edge of the bed.

"You don't remember?"

"Only pieces. Dancing. Seeing Eva. Then it's just... blank space."

His face sobered. "Someone spiked your drink. That guy from the dance floor. He followed you out. Eva noticed something was off and stepped in just in time. Ashton got there next."

Her brows lifted in disbelief, the sharpness in her eyes returning with each breath.

"He—he drugged me?"

Cameron nodded. "Yeah. But you're okay. You made it home safe."

Isabella sat there for a moment, processing. Then her lip curled. "I cannot believe someone thought they could do that to me."

She stood abruptly, pacing the room, fire rising in her voice. "Do they think I'm weak? That I'd just let that slide? I'm so tired of this—of being hunted, watched, chased. I left that life to be free."

Cameron stood too. "Then let's make sure you stay free."

She turned to face him. "I want in. Whatever you guys are planning to do about all this—I'm helping."

His smile widened. "Didn't expect anything less."

"I want to know who the guy was. I want to know if he was sent. I want to know if Leo's behind it. If anyone from that twisted family sent him."

"We're already on it," Cameron said. "Hudson's calling in someone who can dig deeper. But your voice—your involvement—it changes things."

"Good," she said. "I want them to know I'm not scared. And I'm not running."

Downstairs, Hudson leaned his head back against the wall, hearing her voice drifting through the floorboards.

Not broken.

Burning.

He nodded once. "She's awake. And she's pissed."

Ashton cracked a smile. "Good. That means she's ready."

---

Twenty minutes later, all four of them gathered around the kitchen island. Mugs of coffee steamed in front of them, though only Cameron seemed interested in actually drinking his.

Isabella stood at the far end, arms folded, hair still a little messy but her gaze sharp.

"So," she started, "what's the plan?"

Hudson looked at her, then glanced at the other two before answering. "We've been putting pieces together, but last night changed the game. It's not just a stalker. It's calculated. Tracked. Coordinated."

"And dangerous," Ashton added. "Whoever he was, he knew how to slip in, spike a drink, and blend right back into the crowd. That's not some random creep."

Cameron nodded. "Hudson called in a favor—someone with tech and security ties. We'll get a name. Then we move."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "And by move, you mean...?"

"We find him," Hudson said simply. "And make sure he never comes near you again."

She swallowed her emotions and nodded once. "Good. Because I want to look him in the eyes when he realizes he picked the wrong girl."

The room went quiet.

Then Cameron added, more cautiously, "There's something else. The card that was left on the doorstep a few weeks ago—it had a traceable code. Hudson's contact thinks it leads back to California."

Isabella froze. "My family."

Hudson met her gaze evenly. "We're not saying it's confirmed. But we're not ruling it out either."

For a moment, she didn't speak.

Then she turned toward the window, her reflection caught in the glass like a ghost.

"Then we find out who's sending people after me. We stop them. We make them afraid."

Ashton leaned forward, his voice low. "That's what we're doing. We just have to be smart."

Isabella's voice came out like a razor. "Then let's get smart."

---

A soft ping came from Hudson's phone.

He picked it up. Read it.

His eyes narrowed.

"We've got a lead," he said. "And it's closer than we thought."