All Chapters of Baited By My Cruel Stepbrother: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The remote Big Sur cabin clung to the edge of a jagged cliff like it was daring the ocean to claim it. Wind howled through the ancient redwoods as Jax carried their bags inside, his shoulders tense under the weight of everything they were running from. Elara stepped through the doorway and felt the isolation wrap around her like a heavy blanket. No neighbors. No cell service. Just miles of wild coastline and the endless roar of waves smashing against rocks far below. Here, nothing could touch them. Or so she hoped. The moment the heavy wooden door clicked shut, Jax dropped the bags and pulled her against him. His mouth claimed hers with bruising hunger, hands sliding under her shirt to grip bare skin. Days of running, fighting, and barely surviving had left them both raw and desperate. Elara kissed him back just as fiercely, fingers digging into his shoulders as if he might disappear if she let go.They barely made it to the bedroom before clothes started hitting the floor. Jax lifte

The fluorescent lights in the county jail visiting room buzzed like dying insects, casting a sickly pallor over everything. Elara pressed her palms against the cold glass separating her from Jax, heart hammering so violently she thought it might crack the barrier. He sat on the other side in an orange jumpsuit, wrists cuffed, looking every bit the dangerous criminal the police wanted him to be. Yet his hazel eyes burned into hers with the same raw hunger that had claimed her body countless times before.Two days. They had only been apart for two days, but it felt like years. The arrest had ripped him away in handcuffs while she screamed his name. Now here he was, trapped like an animal, and all she could think about was how desperately she still wanted his hands on her.“You look like hell,” she whispered, voice cracking. Jax leaned closer to the glass, his broad shoulders tense.“They’re trying to pin everything on me,” he said, voice low and urgent through the phone receiver. “Plant

Elara stormed into the dimly lit motel room with fire raging through her veins, the printed pages from Jax’s notebook clutched in her fist like a weapon. The door slammed behind her so hard the walls shook. Jax looked up from cleaning his gun, his hazel eyes narrowing at the fury written across her face. She threw the papers at his chest, watching them scatter around him like accusations.“You were never going to stop using me,” she spat, voice trembling with rage and heartbreak. “Every kiss, every time you were inside me, you were still planning to dangle me like bait. I’m not your fucking pawn, Jax!”The air crackled between them. Jax stood slowly, muscles coiled tight, the notebook pages scattered at his feet like broken promises. For the first time since the murders, real fear flickered in his eyes, not of the killers, but of losing her completely.“You read it all?” His voice was dangerously low as he stepped closer. Elara backed up until her thighs hit the edge of the bed. Tears

Vee Hale stirred on the worn motel carpet with a broken groan that cut through the heavy silence like a knife. Her once-perfect blonde hair was matted with dried blood, and her designer top hung in shreds from the brutal attack she had barely survived. Elara knelt beside her, heart hammering as she pressed a fresh cloth to the deep gash on Vee’s forehead. The mean girl who had tormented her for years now looked fragile, her usual venom replaced by raw fear that made Elara’s stomach twist.“They’re going to kill me,” Vee whispered, voice cracking as her swollen eyes met Elara’s. “Sienna… your aunt. She runs the blackmail ring. Not just photos. Videos. Secrets from the ports that could destroy half of Beverly Hills. She threatened me when I tried to back out. Said I knew too much about the night your parents died.”Elara’s blood ran cold. Every word landed like a fresh wound. The woman who had offered her comfort at the funeral had been playing a deadly game all along. Jax stood over th

Marcus Kane stood in the doorway of the rundown motel room like a ghost from their old privileged life, rifle slung over his shoulder and eyes locked on Elara with an intensity that made the air feel too thin. Blood still stained the bandage on Jax’s shoulder from the sniper attack, yet here was Marcus offering help with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Diego is coming for you both tonight,” he said, voice low and urgent. “I have men. Safe houses. Let me protect her.”Jax’s reaction was instant and violent. He shoved Marcus back against the doorframe, teeth bared. “You think I’m letting you anywhere near her after the shit you pulled?” The jealousy radiating from Jax was palpable, thick enough to choke on. Elara stood frozen between them, heart racing as two powerful men fought for control over her safety and her body.The tension crackled like live wires. Marcus’s gaze kept sliding to her, soft and concerned in a way that felt dangerously tempting after Jax’s constant storms. For