登入I woke up the moment Salvatore’s phone buzzed. Not the sound, the shift in his breathing. The way his whole body tensed beside me. Matteo. I didn’t need to ask. Salvatore slid out of bed carefully, trying not to wake Gabe, who was sprawled across the middle of the mattress like a starfish. I watched him move, slow, stiff, favoring his side, and my heart squeezed. He wanted to go with them. Every part of him wanted to go. But he couldn’t. Not like this. When he left the room, I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, listening to Gabe’s soft breathing. I didn’t want to wake him. He needed sleep. He’d been through enough. So I slipped out of bed and padded quietly down the hall.The house was dim, the kind of quiet that only happens in the middle of the night when everyone is holding their breath.I headed toward the kitchen, thinking maybe a glass of water would help settle the knot in my stomach. But when I walked in, I wasn’t alone. GreenLee stood at the stove, her back to me
The motel room was suffocating with stale air, peeling wallpaper, and the stench of old sweat and bleach. I couldn’t think in there anymore. So I moved to the lobby. Calling it a “lobby” was generous. It was just a bigger room with mismatched chairs and a front desk that hadn’t seen a guest in years. But it was cleaner than the room I’d passed out in, and the space helped me breathe. Maps were spread across the counter, Kansas City, the surrounding counties, the Ricci territories. I traced the corners with my finger, planning where to hit them first. A liquor store they used for cash flow. A warehouse they used for shipments. A club they used for recruiting. I’d hit them all. Make them bleed. Make them panic. They’d be too wound up with Salvatore shot and Sara back in the fold to see it coming. I smirked. My advantage. I turned to the men gathered around me or rather, the few who bothered to show up. “Where’s the rest?” I asked.One of them shifted nervously. “Sleeping. We’re taking s
Wolf’s call replayed in my head as I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand over my face. Juan’s western group was gone. Running. Abandoning him. That meant the northern group was the only one left, and if Wolf’s contact was right, even they were ready to jump ship. This wasn’t going to be a war. It was going to be an extraction. I stood, already shifting into Don mode, already planning the new approach...A soft, sleepy voice drifted from behind me. “Mo leon…” My lion. Ciara’s Irish tongue wrapped around the words like a warm blanket. I turned to see her sitting up, hair wild, eyes half‑closed, our son asleep in the bedside sleeper.I softened instantly. “Go back to sleep, Kitten. I’ll be back before you wake.”She snorted, right as L.C. let out a sharp cry. “Before I wake?” she teased, bouncing him gently. “You forget who your son is.”I couldn’t help the smile. I crossed the room, took L.C. from his sleeper, and settled him against my shoulder. He quieted almost immediately. “S
The motel room smelled like bleach and old cigarettes, but I barely noticed anymore. Pain throbbed through my side with every breath, but that didn’t matter either. What mattered was the map spread across the bed. What mattered was the plan. What mattered was ending the Riccis. My men hovered around the room, restless, whispering among themselves like nervous children. Pathetic. I tapped the map with my finger. “We hit them before dawn. They’ll be distracted. Celebrating. Worn out.”One of the men shifted. “Boss… we don’t even know where they are.”I smiled. They didn’t get it. They never did. “They’re sloppy right now,” I said. “Salvatore’s wounded. Sara’s back. The whole family is wrapped up in their little reunion. They’ll let their guard down.”Another man cleared his throat. “But… no one will talk. We tried the usual places. No one knows where the safehouse is. Or they won’t say.”Of course they wouldn’t. The Riccis had their claws in this city for decades. People feared them. Wo
We all walked back upstairs together, the weight of what happened with Letta hanging over us like a storm cloud. No one spoke. Even the air felt heavy. Marco was waiting at the top of the stairs. The moment he saw Roc, he stepped forward, worry written all over his face. “Hey… you okay?”Roc didn’t answer right away. He just pulled Marco into a quick hug, tight, brief, the kind of hug a man gives when he’s trying not to fall apart. “I’m fine,” Roc said, pulling back. “I’ve got a trail on Juan’s men. I need to follow it before it goes cold.”Marco frowned. “Roc...”“I’m fine,” Roc repeated, sharper this time. “I need to work.” He kissed Marco’s forehead, squeezed his shoulder, and headed down the hall toward the war room. Marco watched him go, shoulders slumping.I stepped closer. “He’s hurting.”Marco nodded, eyes still on the empty hallway. “He’s trying to pretend he’s not.”“Because he’s Roc,” I said softly. “He thinks he has to be the strong one.”Marco swallowed hard. “I just… I f
Ghost’s images finally loaded on the big screen, grainy at first, then sharpening as his software worked its magic. The room went silent. Matteo stepped forward, jaw tight, eyes locked on the footage.Wolf narrated. “Ghost enhanced the tree‑line cameras. He tracked the movement of Juan’s men after the firefight.”The screen zoomed in on a cluster of figures dragging someone, Juan, toward the woods.Roc muttered, “Son of a bitch. He was closer than we thought.”Wolf continued, “Ghost followed them to the road. They split into two vehicles. One headed north. One west.”Matteo’s voice dropped into that tone, the one that wasn’t just Matteo, my brother. It was the Don. “We follow both,” he said. “We end this. No more running. No more chances.”Papà nodded once, proud and grim. “Agreed.”Wolf cracked his knuckles. “I’ll take the west team.”Roc stepped forward. “I’ll take north.”Matteo didn’t hesitate. “Good. We move at dawn.”The room shifted, the air tightening, the energy changing. Thi







