LOGINREMIThen Denton's voice turned deadly calm.“And if Liam O’Connell comes anywhere near this place…”His jaw tightened. “He’s going to regret it.”The room was quiet as we all took a moment to gather ourselves.Denton’s promise of protection still hanging in the air like hope we had not dare feel while on the run.For the first time since the doctor had spoken Liam’s name, the iron band around my chest loosened slightly. Denton wasn’t just saying the words. I could see it in his eyes. Men like him didn’t make promises they didn’t intend to keep.Still… it didn’t change what had to happen.I looked at Arianna. She was watching me, those big blue eyes already shining with unshed tears.She knew. She always did. She was my other half. “Ari…” My voice came out rough.Her head shook immediately, ponytail swishing against her face as if in unified protest. “No.” One word said so vehemently it resounded in the room. “Arianna.” I hardened my tone. “No,” she whispered again, pushing to her
REMI I might have decided to trust Denton, but after being so long on the run, the fear still clawed at me. Trust did not come easy.I could hear my heart monitor again—too loud, too fast.Beep. Beep. Beep.Arianna’s fingers were still twisted in my shirt, her body trembling against me.Denton looked at us both like a soldier assessing a battlefield.“One of you two need to start talking right now.” he said firmly as the silence stretched.Arianna lifted her face from my chest. Her cheeks were wet, lashes clumped with tears. Those big blue eyes of hers looked at me like I held the world in my hands.I cupped her cheek gently. “Tell him, angel.”Her breath hitched. “I’m scared Rems” she whispered.“I know baby. I know”My chest tightened painfully as I looked at Denton. He gave me an encouraging nod. “You need to know,” I said. “Because if Liam knows we’re here… then this place isn’t safe anymore. And she won’t survive if he gets his hands on her again.”Denton’s jaw hardened. “I’m l
Remi Sleep was no refuge last night.It dragged me backward. Through years I’ve tried not to relive.The dreams came in fragments at first — soft ones. Her small arms flinging around my neck the first day she saw me.Arianna had been so tiny then. Four years old. Thin, trembling, those enormous blue eyes wet with terror.She had run straight past the policemen with guns… past the blood… straight into my arms like she had known me her whole life.Brother, she had whispered.And from that moment… she was mine to protect.The dream shifted. Years passing.Her sleeping curled against my side every night because the nightmares wouldn’t stop.Her little fingers clutching my shirt so tightly that even when she slept she wouldn’t let go.Then the memory darkened. Her sixteenth birthday. The phone call.Artemis’ voice shaking on the line. "Remi… wherever you are, you need to go home. Something’s not quite right there."A pause..."Liam… he’s been watching Arianna. Not like a brother. Your fath
AdrianoTuesday night blurred into Wednesday morning.And what a fucking eventful Tuesday night, Liana lost the plot. I still need to unpack how strange that whole scenario was.Because front and centre to her reaction was Luca. He had stayed the night and might be here for a bit.A car bomb detonated just one block from his penthouse just after 7am yesterday — close enough to shatter windows and send a very clear message.So now he sits across from me in my home office, both of us running on caffeine and fury.“They’re getting reckless,” Luca mutters. “They’re desperate,” I correct.Maps and reports cover the desk between us as we discuss escalation — real escalation this time.No more measured responses. No more warnings. “We hit their financing next,” Luca says. “Cut supply chains completely.”I nod slowly, already calculating. "And then sabotage the Cartel deal. That will be a biggie."Before either of us can continue, both our phones ring simultaneously.Father. I answer immedi
Liam The hits keep coming.Not clean strikes. Not decisive blows. No this is like slow torture, Death by a thousand calculated cuts.Phones have not stopped ringing since dawn — captains complaining, shipments delayed, dealers spooked, profits bleeding. The Morettis are responding exactly as expected: precise, relentless, humiliatingly efficient.I stand at the window of my office, staring at the pristine grounds while Ronan waits behind me. “They’re escalating,” he says carefully.“No,” I reply. “They’re correcting the balance.” My jaw tightens. “They think fear will slow us.”I turn, my eyes meeting his. “It won’t.”Ronan nods once, already understanding where this is going.“The Mexican deal cannot be compromised,” I continue. “Move the weapons and arsenal immediately.”He blinks surprised. “To the secondary site?”“Yes. Full relocation.” My mind is already calculating risks.His brows lift slightly. "That location was always meant for emergencies only. Like a crackdown."I glow
Adriano When I reached the office – it was a real Blue Monday, the morning already carrying the unmistakable scent of retaliation. Not large enough to declare open war. But deliberate enough to send a message.Luca sat across from me in office, sipping from another cup of coffee that poor Emmet had done endless runs for. His sleeves were rolled up, tie abandoned somewhere hours ago as reports streamed in one after another. Phones buzzed, screens glowed, and the low hum of tension settled deep into my bones.“Two smaller warehouses hit,” one of our captains reported through the speaker. “Minimal losses, mostly property damage. Arson attempt contained before it spread.” I exhaled slowly, fingers drumming against the desk. Testing strikes. Probing weaknesses. The Irish were feeling out our response time.Another call followed immediately — damage to one of our commercial buildings in Brooklyn. Windows smashed, fire set in a loading bay. Sloppy compared to Chicago, but intentional.Th
Liana I had just finished making take-away bags for all the guys and putting away the balance of the food. I entered the Den and it was already humming with anticipation, laughter and cigar smoke in the air. Cards were being shuffled, chips stacked with ritualistic precision, voices overlapping
Liana Adriano called after 5pm to let me know he and Luca would be a bit late. A last minute emergency came up. It shouldn’t have bothered me. It absolutely did. “How could he leave me alone to welcome his guests?” I checked the spread on the kitchen island for the third time, nudging bowls i
Adriano Denton pulls the car around just after eight. As I slide into the back seat, adjusting my cuffs, I say it like it’s a business instruction—precise, unemotional. “Please pick up Liana at 1pm and take her to the hospital. She wants to catch the doctors after rounds.” Denton nods. “Of cou
Adriano When I come back down, freshly showered and with just my sweats, my breath stalls. She is in the kitchen, her back to me as she tries to reach a higher shelf of the snack cupboard on tip toes. She is in little peach pajamas… cotton with matching lace on the edges, barefoot and hair in a







