Chapter 6. Collateral

The collar was gone when she woke.

Not on the pillow. Not tucked beneath the sheets. Not thrown aside in defiance.

Just gone.

She hadn’t taken it off. That much she was certain of. Her neck still tingled from its weight, skin faintly warm where leather had rested for hours. Her body remembered, even if the room chose to forget.

On the nightstand: a note, scrawled in ink that had no business looking elegant.

It suits you. Don’t make me take it back.

—K.

Harper stared at it, unmoving. Breath shallow, pulse even. He was escalating. Not through threat. Through ownership. The line between performance and control was starting to blur—and he knew it.

She rose from bed without touching the note again. Every movement deliberate. No wasted emotion. No visible hesitation.

She showered cold, dressed cleaner than steel, and opened her inbox.

One message.

Sender: LEDGER//BRYCE

Subject: Path Alignment

Ms