Se connecterThe convoy was halfway to the drop point when my phone buzzed. Bruce. I didn’t like that. I opened the message with my thumb, jaw tightening as I read it.Break‑in at Sara’s uncle’s garage. Place is trashed. She’s safe at home. I’m handling it.My pulse kicked hard once, sharp and cold. So that was it. That was why the rumors about hitting this run had been so loud. Why Juan had been stirring the pot. Why everything felt off all day. He wanted me out of town. He wanted me away from her. Wolf glanced over from the driver’s seat. “Everything good?”I didn’t answer right away. I was too busy putting the pieces together. Juan didn’t want the shipment. He wanted the distraction. He wanted the opening. And he almost got it. I finally exhaled, slow and controlled. “Bruce is checking on something for me.”Wolf raised a brow. “Something big?”“Big enough.” He waited, expecting more. I didn’t give it. I couldn’t. Not without telling him about Sara. About Gabe. About the life I was building i
I had just gotten home from Abuela’s when my phone buzzed. The house was warm, sunlight spilling across the living room floor, the kind of peaceful afternoon that usually settled my nerves. But the second I saw Salvatore’s name, something in my chest tightened. I answered quickly. “Hey.”His voice was low, steady, but there was something underneath it. “Mi corazón… I won’t be home until late tonight.”My stomach dipped. “Everything okay?”“I had to go on the run today,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on it, but it needed to be done.”I leaned against the counter, gripping the edge. “Okay. Just… be careful.”“I will.” A pause. Then softer: “Tell Gabe I’ll call him before bed. I don’t want him waiting up.”“He’ll understand,” I said. “He’ll want to tell you about his
Rafe stood by the window of my living room, peeking through the blinds like he expected someone to be watching. He was jumpy tonight, not scared, just wired. The way a man gets when he knows something big is coming.He turned toward me. “It’s confirmed. Salvatore went on the run.”I leaned back in the chair, letting that settle. “He wasn’t supposed to.”“Yeah, well… he did. And that means Sara and the kid are home alone.” A slow, satisfied breath left my chest. Perfect. But not simple. “Getting into that house isn’t easy,” Rafe continued. “Hale’s there. Two others outside. They’re rotating shifts. They’re not letting her step outside without a shadow.”“I know,” I said. “Salvatore’s predictable. He protects what he cares about.”Rafe smirked. “You sound jealous.”I didn’t bother responding. He
The warehouse always smelled like metal and diesel, but today it carried something else too, tension. The kind that settled in your bones and made every sound feel sharper. Roc walked beside me, clipboard in hand, double‑checking the crates before the run. Wolf was on the other side of the loading bay, talking to his men, his voice low and clipped. They were all on edge. We had reason to be.Rumors about Juan had been circling for days, whispers about him trying to intercept shipments, steal product, test boundaries. He was getting bold. Too bold. And bold men made stupid choices.I scanned the bay again, watching Wolf’s men load the last pallet into the truck. “Everything tight?” I asked.Wolf nodded once. “My guys are ready. No one’s getting near this run.”Roc added, “We doubled the escorts. If Juan tries anything, he’ll regret it.”I grunted in agreement, but my mind wasn’t fully here.
Monday mornings were usually peaceful. Quiet house. Warm coffee. Gabe’s backpack half‑unzipped because he always forgot something. Salvatore’s kiss lingering on my cheek long after he left for work.But today… something felt different. Gabe had been the first to notice my mood, even if he didn’t say it out loud. He just hugged me tighter before leaving for school, his little arms squeezing around my waist. “Love you, Mom,” he said, grinning up at me. “And I can’t wait for my baby brother.”I nearly choked on my coffee. “Baby...what?”He shrugged like it was obvious. “Everyone at dinner yesterday said Dad looks at you like he’s waiting to eat you. That means you’re gonna have a baby.”I covered my face with my hands. “Oh my God.”He laughed, kissed my cheek, and ran out the door before I could correct him. I watched him climb into the car with Hale, waving until they turned the corner. Then the house went still. Too still. Salvatore had left earlier, brushing a kiss against my forehead
I didn’t even remember the drive home. One minute I was storming out of my parents’ house, the next I was fumbling with my keys, my hands shaking so badly I almost dropped them. My chest felt tight, my head buzzing with everything they’d said, everything they’d chosen. Chosen over me.I pushed the door open, ready to collapse on the couch and scream into a pillow. But I froze. Someone was sitting in my living room. In the dark. My breath caught in my throat. “Hello?”A soft click, a lamp turned on beside him. The man from the gala. Except… not. His hair was different. His beard trimmed. His clothes sharper. But the eyes, those were the same. Cold. Focused. Like he saw straight through me. He smiled. “You’re home.”My pulse hammered. “What are you doing here?”“Waiting,” he said calmly, like this was normal. “You seemed upset when you left your parents’ house.”I let out a bitter laugh, tossing my purse onto the couch. “Upset? Try humiliated.” He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just watched







