MadisonI die inside, her words a stab directly into my heart. I should have saved her, but she saved herself and killed a man doing it. We made vows the day we were married and I didn’t keep my end of the bargain.She isn’t finished. “Since becoming an adult, I haven’t relied on anyone. I’ve always been strong and determined, but I allowed myself to be caught by that monster.” Her hands clench into fists and I lift them to my mouth and kiss each finger in turn. “After Fernandez took me, I became the little woman who needs a man to save her.” She runs her hand over my thigh, but it does nothing to comfort me. “That woman wasn’t me. I’ve become so entrenched in your world that I’ve lost part of myself.”So many thoughts travel through my mind. Is she leaving me? Would I allow her to?Crazy because the last thing I would ever do is hurt her. The truth is I should have been there. I should have rescued her before Fernandez raped her. She would be safer living anywhere other than in my cr

Moon“Conference room,” Moon says to the men. He threads his fingers through mine and leads me down the hallway. This is the no-go room when there’s a problem. That doesn’t mean I haven’t invited myself inside when the occasion calls for it. Celina and I have both been in meetings, but it’s not the norm. No more burying my head in the sand. It’s time for me to take my place.Melina and Celina stay behind. The men, including our security team, don’t question me being there. One of the guys hands Alex a washcloth and he covers the wound on the side of his head, pressing it down to stop the bleeding. He then offers me another wink, the jerk. I’m not an idiot; I know he’s doing it to show how damn tough he is.Me caveman, blood is good.These last six months, I’ve had trouble reconciling who Alex is and what he does for Moon. He kills and he’s not a quick or gentle executioner. I know he keeps us safe and that was good enough for me until uncertainty set in. Stupid really because Alex cou

MadisonCelina joins us in the medical room while I stitch Alex’s forehead. He’s been grumbling at me since we left the conference room. Celina and I grin. We both know what his problem is. Even with blood covering one side of his face, the man is seriously sexy in his boots; he should wear them more often.“Stop whining, cowboy,” I say just to get under his skin after he complains I’m too rough with the needle. I glance at Celina and wink. She winces when I slide the needle through his skin and I start the serious work without teasing him.The injury is a little more than a scratch and requires nine stitches. Moon went to the control room to check on some new information while I tackle the whiney baby. Neither Moon nor Alex handles an injury well. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bullet or a splinter in their finger. Men!When I’m tying off the last stitch, Alex brings his hand up and grabs mine. “You okay?” he asks solemnly.He’s not talking about stitching him up. “I’ve been better,” I say

MadisonSofia mentioned Dax’s new bodyguard the last time I spoke with her. Apparently, Dax met the guy in prison and at some point, saved his ass in a yard scuffle. To step in as Dax’s bodyguard meant the guy was dangerous. What I didn’t expect was his size. Dax is a large dude. Duke takes large to another proportion. He’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen in person—pure muscle on an almost seven-foot frame, shaved head, surprisingly intelligent blue eyes, clean-shaven, wearing jeans and a black skintight tee, with chain-accented black biker boots. The perfect, if there is such a thing, Aryan comes to mind. Sofia had reservations about him until he rescued her two-year-old hellion daughter from one of her many dangerous scrapes. She says the child is glued to the big man. Sofia used the word “big,” so I expected big. What I didn’t expect was someone who could go toe to toe with Andre the Giant. Shit, I think while covertly spying on him while he stands at Dax’s side, I wouldn’t have wan

FernandezI send Goose to pick up the C-4. This is placing a lot of trust in an idiot, but leaving the house is not in my plans for now. After killing the girl Goose brought, the manic anger I’ve been dealing with is under control. Goose took the girl’s body with him and will dispose of it.Using my laptop, I search Google maps for Moon’s property. The aerial view isn’t great and the darned zoom feature doesn’t let me see more than the connecting street and driveway leading to the house, but it helps a plan formulate in my brain.While working on the details, my cell rings. It’s an unknown caller. “Hello,” I answer while looking at my fingernails, which need a manicure.“Moon has a warehouse and we need you to get him to pay it a visit. We’ll take it from there.”Even the cartel is incompetent. “How the hell do I get him there?”“If you hand yourself over, it’s where you’ll end up. Be creative and do it quick.”The line goes dead. I made a deal with these guys so they could take care