LEIGH-ARI POVReaching my bedroom, I found it well empty and was thankful for the momentary peace and quiet. I headed straight for the bathroom where I had the maid servants fill the tub to the brim with ice and then added a whole gallon of water to the mix. We have long kissed winter goodbye and whatever crap it carried along its back, during that time I was lying lifeless in a coma, but there was something about the cold that was just stuck with me. I don’t know if it made sense, but there was this sting about it that just met the brief with me, hence the cold baths. It was therapeutic in some way. After shredding the pieces of clothes off my body, I chanced a foot into the tub of frost, then stifled a moan that threatened to leave my mouth when the mind-fogging, invigorating chill sizzled across my body and engulfed me whole. I checked the bandages for the last time before diving slowly into the tub until my whole body was under the water with only my head above.Not wanting to let

XANDER POV“Just how the hell did the Russians know that we would be meeting the feds?”“I don’t know, Alexander maybe they are witches and they sent a bug that spied on us while we were planning out.” Lorenzo mocked shaking his head. On one of these days, I swear Leigh-Ari was going to remain with one man only.I brushed my face with my palms before glaring at the computers yet again; trying to find what the hell Owen was on to. Vernero stood with a hard face on his other side, not saying a damn word to anyone. I wished I could read his mind at this moment; at least I'd know that I am not the only one on the verge of losing shit.“There is only one way to lure the Russians.” That angelic voice boomed as she into the room, pulling in behind her the air of authority and fucking seduction. She was dressed in a white short dress, with white flats and her hair was done. I don’t know who told her to change her wardrobe, but white looked good on her. And that's the only thing I have seen her

CIELLO POVI said nothing. Not because I had nothing to say, trust me I had a lot. But I knew all the words that would leave my mouth were going to determine my fate. And at this point, I wasn’t sure if it would be ideal to die by HER hand, or at least by one of the bosses. I knew my boundaries, I knew where to draw the line and where to cross it, right about now, I knew it intimately that I was going to get in deep shit.One way or the other.“Hey you, ugly pants. What’s your name again?” I snorted laughter as she addressed the Mexican guy seating in the front seat with me, entrusted by Xander to protect her. There were four of us, and that was supposed to be low-key.“Chino, Senora.” He replied looking out through the binoculars in his hands. He wasn’t really ugly, he just had an awful style of dressing and heck. The name was fuckin’ befitting.“Okay. Now tell me this, Chino; can I trust you?” “Of course, senora.” He replied almost instantly, and I saw how hard he was trying to prov

XANDER POV“They are expecting their shipment on Tuesday. We got the inside information.”Ciello informed standing in front of the three of us. We were back at the grand hotel after a long night, and I would rather say, whatever Matteo said to the boys was well shitty because they have been like dollop heads all the way back, refusing to talk to anyone about anything and leaving me all alone and bored. “And how did you manage to get it?” Lorenzo was surprisingly calm, considering the fact that Vernero was about to make someone shit bricks was rather puzzling. He directed the question to Ciello who fidgeted for a second, then glanced with his eyes screaming ‘HELP ME’. I thinned my eyes at him trying to figure out what the hell they have been up to the whole night when their job was to keep Leigh-Ari safe, and hidden. Or at least that is how they were all instructed.“Ciello?”“Well…” He mumbled glancing back at me, and this time, I cocked my brow at him. I was damn sure that what he wa

LORENZO POV“Mi dispiace, what the fuck did you say?”My hand paused midair as I was about to take a gulp of my drink. The guy dressed in black stepped further into the room and nodded at both Ava and Val who were nestled on the couch.“Xander got shot, but we managed to seize the Russians. Matteo is in captive as well as Julia. Some of them are dead, and the rest are in the hands of the feds.” He repeated his words for the second.“Xander, how bad is he?”“He got shot in the shoulder, so it’s not fatal.” Ari will sit beside herself if she hears this.“Okay.” I replied shortly and the downed the rest of the whiskey before staring into the raging flames in the fire place. My mind wandered of all the times I have stayed behind while my brother did the dirty work. One thing I knew is that he would rather choke on a dick than to have my hands sullied and soiled. He preferred it when I stayed on the top, dealing with the shit from the civilized side. I never fought him, because I wanted to