THEY WERE IN A DIFFERENT warehouse from the one Ethan usually made them use to work over their captors. That one was a shitty run-down building that had seen better days, while this new shit was built like an underground fortress. It was similar to the one Sofia had set up underneath Griselda’s. Smoke was sure it was built back in the day to withstand a nuke attack, and he had to wonder if Ethan requested Bruno be brought here in the event Zhao and Boris decided to retaliate. This warehouse seemed like the safest place for the Council to withstand a hit. Smoke had to give Ethan credit—reluctantly—the man knew how to keep his holdings safe.

The room was quiet, and as badly as Smoke wanted to slowly skin the flesh from Bruno’s battered body, he kept himself on the far end of the room. He wasn’t sure if it was smart to have Ivy here. He barely wanted Gia here after what happened the first time she watched them torture someone, but he understood how intertwined Ivy’s past and trauma were with the man who was currently hanging from one of the pipes, stripped completely bare of all his clothing.

“I want to hate you,” Ivy’s voice was barely above a whisper as she stalked closer to Bruno with Otto at her back.

Smoke kept a watchful eye on Otto, seeing the rage and pain in his face made Smoke cautious. He knew how tempting it would be to gut the person who not only hurt the woman he loved but also threatened the lives of Otto’s sisters. It was why Smoke kept himself away from whatever Ivy needed to do. He didn’t want to take anything away from her or scare her with his violence, should Bruno do something to provoke him.

“You took everything from me,” Ivy’s voice wobbled, but she stood taller.

Smoke watched as Gia took a step closer to Ivy, putting a hand on her shoulder in support. Gia also strategically placed herself in between Bruno and her brother, probably aware of what was going to happen if Bruno so much as breathed in the wrong direction at Ivy.

“You helped destroy my life and killed my sister!” Ivy snapped, her hand coming down across Bruno’s face in a sharp smack.

His body jerked back, seeming to not expect the power behind the hit, and the grunt of pain that left his lips made Smoke smile. If he couldn’t handle a little jerk of his body against the chains he hung from, he was going to be miserable as soon as Ivy left the room.

Smoke stood a little taller when he watched the smile spread across Bruno’s face. “I couldn’t have ruined your life that badly. Thanks to me, Otto gets to enjoy that sweet—”

Smoke didn’t have a chance to get over to Bruno and neither did Manny—one of Ethan’s guys—to pull the chains and stop the disrespect from leaving Bruno’s lips. Gia had balled her hand into a fist and swung, hard enough to cause Bruno to bleed.

“I’d watch your mouth if I were you.” Gia’s tone was cold, and she was giving Bruno a murderous look that made Smoke’s cock hard and his heart swell in his chest. His woman was fierce. She hadn’t said a word the entire time they’d made their way into this underground bunker, and it looked like Bruno had forgotten she was in the room. She was a quiet storm that most didn’t pay attention to, and that meant her hit came twice as hard.

Smoke spent most of last night inside of her, switching between the lovemaking he never thought he was capable of and fucking her so hard the bed moved off the wall. He couldn’t get enough of her. He always loved watching her fall asleep, and last night had been no different. He even got a decent night’s sleep and his heart was in his throat when he woke up and found her curled around his body like he was her pillow. He hadn’t left her side since the sun came up, and still he was itching to touch her, to kiss her lips and tell her how amazing she was, how strong she was to face an enemy like this.

Smoke’s gaze slid to Otto when he took a step forward. Smoke could practically see the fumes flying off of Otto. The way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed, it looked like he was ready to tear into Bruno, and the only thing stopping him was Gia’s body.

“Y’all are all going to die. You think they don’t know I’ve been taken?” Bruno spat out a wad of blood as he looked around the room. It was only Smoke, Gia, Ivy, Otto, and Manny.

They’d purposely left everyone out of the bunker, though the rest of Ethan’s crew along with Cree and Havoc waited up top. The other two men they’d taken as captors were in the original warehouse. They’d stay there as bait in the event Zhao or Boris sent a team to retrieve them, thinking Bruno was there as well. Though if it was Smoke, he’d cut his losses and Bruno would be killed. In the eyes of what Boris was trying to do, Bruno had fucked up too much for it to be worth it for them to mount a rescue mission.

“By the time they figure out where you are, you’ll be missing a few body parts.” Smoke flashed Bruno a smile and enjoyed watching his face pale.

Ivy took a step closer to Bruno, and the men in the room tensed, unsure what she would do and how Bruno would respond. It wasn’t like Bruno could physically hurt Ivy, but Smoke knew there could be far deadlier things than physical pain.

“You don’t deserve an ounce of peace, Bruno,” Ivy whispered, and when Bruno wouldn’t meet her gaze head on, she grabbed his chin, forcing him to face her.

This was a different side to Ivy that Smoke hadn’t seen before. Even when she danced into Tres Bellas with all the confidence in the world, Smoke could see the slight tremor in her movements—the unsure way she carried herself. It had been the reason he didn’t trust her in the beginning. It was more than just nerves that had kept her unbalanced; it was the years of running whatever scams Bruno had made her run. Even after last night, he didn’t blame her for freezing up—he understood how PTSD and past trauma could affect someone in the present; it took him a long time to not react with anger when men who looked like his stepfather raised their voices.

There was something different to Ivy now. Her resolve seemed to grow the longer she was in the room, and Smoke had to wonder if that came from Otto at her back or Gia at her side.

“I’m not going to be the bigger person and ask them to be quick about your death. I’m praying they take their sweet time and that they start with your limp dick and work their way up. I hope you feel the fear and abuse you inflicted on others as you’re chained up like nothing more than a piece of meat that needs to be tenderized.” Ivy stepped closer as did Gia. Smoke had moved across the room to hold Otto back, letting Ivy have the room to say her peace to get whatever else she needed off her chest.

“I hope you piss yourself when they cut into your flesh. I hope you have regrets and you try and fail to make peace with all your deeds. I’m not cruel, though, I won’t ask them to hold you down and rape you and make you feel powerless. I’m sure they’ll have creative ways to strip you of your worth. But I want you to know, when this is over and you’re dead, I won’t think about you or the time I was forced to be in your care. When this is over, I’ll be happy, healthy, and free.”

Ivy dropped her hold on him and turned toward Otto, not sparing a second glance at Bruno. “I’m ready to leave,” her voice was barely above a whisper, but Otto wrapped her in his arms, and they headed toward the door without saying a word.

Bruno’s dark chuckle stopped them, and Smoke cursed. “You might be free, bitch, but your sister’s not.” Bruno’s words ended in a high-pitched scream as Gia kicked him in his balls and then punched him in the nose. Smoke heard the satisfying crack of bone, and when Gia went to attack him again, he scooped her up in his arms and turned them away from Bruno.

“Easy, sunshine. Save some for the rest of us, okay?” Smoke tapped her chin, chuckling when he saw her visibly pout. He kissed her forehead, uncaring who was in the room to see his show of affection. Bruno would be dead long before he even thought to use it against him, and Otto had already given him his blessing. There were no takebacks.

“Smoke,” Otto’s tone was harsh, and Smoke rolled his eyes. He turned, ready to tell Otto to shove whatever objections he felt he needed to voice but stopped. Smoke saw Otto’s thoughts weren’t focused on his sister but on Bruno. There was death in Otto’s gaze, and Smoke was familiar with that look; he had to see it every day he looked in the mirror. Otto wanted Bruno’s blood, and Smoke didn’t blame him.

“I know,” Smoke’s tone was just as harsh, pulling Otto’s gaze back to him. Smoke didn’t have to say anything else; he understood exactly what Otto was asking. He wanted Smoke to make sure it hurt—worse than what they had given all the other men they tortured for information on Sofia, and Smoke was all too happy to oblige.

While Bruno’s death would come when Sofia warranted it, Smoke knew how to keep Bruno alive long enough to cause excruciating agony. It made Smoke’s palms itch to start, but he wouldn’t, not until Ivy was out of the room. He wasn’t about to be the cause of anymore of her nightmares.

Otto nodded, his gaze glancing behind Smoke momentarily before he turned and left with Ivy. The soft click of the door felt like a timer had gone off, and Smoke nodded toward Manny to pull Bruno’s chains. Smoke wanted Bruno completely stretched out, his arms in so much pain from the hanging that Bruno sobbed and begged for release.

Smoke took one step before Gia sprang into action and came from around him. Her eyes flashed with defiance as she looked up at him, and he laughed. “Save your breath, sunshine. I’m not telling you to leave. If I was, I would have made Otto carry your sweet little ass out of here.” He grabbed her by her arms and lifted her off of her feet to stand beside him. Her yelp of surprise made him want to kiss her senseless, and he was starting to wonder if he was more than a little warped in the head.

Here he was in a room designed for him to extract bone from body, and he felt like a giddy schoolgirl flirting with the captain of the football team. His usual mood of destruction seemed furthest from his mind. Instead, he was focused on the woman standing next to him.

“You’re going to let me stay?” The skepticism in Gia’s voice made his stomach bottom out. “That’s a far cry from how this all started. What’s changed?”

Smoke nodded his head toward Manny. “Get everything ready.” He was abrupt, and it made Bruno flinch, which was Smoke’s desired effect. Bruno wasn’t going to last long at all.

“Come with me,” Smoke dragged Gia behind Bruno’s body so he couldn’t see the conversation that would take place. Manny would blindfold him and put earplugs in his ears to stop him from being able to sense any attack. It would fuck with his psyche if he couldn’t anticipate where the hits were coming from and from whom.

“Why are you surprised?” Smoke asked, reaching out to cup the side of her neck.

Did he like the idea of her being around all this violence?

Absolutely not.

He wanted her as far away from all of this as possible; that hadn’t changed. However, he finally understood that Gia had to decided how her life—how her justice—was handled. He couldn’t force her hand. This was her life, her choices.

Gia looked up at him like she couldn’t get a read on him. It felt like an eternity before he saw her visibly relax. “I didn’t think you’d let me stay and watch this. After what Ethan did, I didn’t expect….” she let her words trail off toward the end.

Smoke leaned his head against hers, loving when she reached for him, tugging on his T-shirt. “It’s probably going to be worse than what Ethan did, sunshine. If I think at any point you’re going green around the gills, I’ll haul you out of here.” She went to speak, but he gave her a quick kiss to cut her off. “No, don’t fight me on this. You can get your licks in when need be, but if you start to feel how you felt when Ethan was behind this, you speak up and you let me know. I won’t think less of you, neither will Manny. And Bruno? He’ll be in too much pain to care.”

Smoke waited, hoping she wouldn’t argue with him. He wasn’t kidding about sticking to her like glue, but he wanted to break Bruno in mind and body. He wasn’t sure Gia was up to witnessing that. She was strong, her strength never ceased to amaze him, but sometimes true strength came from knowing when to bow out.

“Fine, but don’t go easy because I’m here either.” She kissed his lips, and God did she make him feel like an untouchable king.

I’m turning into a sap.

Smoke scoffed, pulling away from her. “I would never, sunshine. I just got you, so of course now I have to show off. How else can I prove my manliness?” He winked at her before tapping her nose.

She smiled at him with a shake of her head like she was regretting her decisions. He was ready to tell her it was too late to pull back now, she was stuck with him, but he got serious for a moment. “You’ll let me know, right?”

Gia nodded, and he turned around to face off with the piece of shit he was going to have fun hurting.

Wolf hated being idle while Ethan’s crew and Wolf’s brothers were out handling business. Things were coming down to the wire, Wolf could sense it in the air. Years of being underground with his gambling ring and having to stay neutral when the mob wars used to break out had given him the instincts to feel the shift in the air. They were a play away from either ending this or getting killed, and Wolf hoped it wasn’t the latter.

Zhao teaming up with Boris wasn’t ideal, and Wolf asked multiple times if it was safe to stay in the compound. If Zhao had been able to scramble Simone’s tech and pick up where the Council had their drop off location, it made Wolf uneasy that they were still in the compound with only a handful of soldiers. While the compound was built like a fortress, that didn’t mean it couldn’t come down. Wolf had been around long enough to know nothing was unbreakable.

“Old age has not become you. Worrying about what could happen only borrows trouble, and we don’t need that.” Ethan clapped him on the back as he took a seat next to him. They were in the tech room again. Him, Babyface, Seven, Simone, and Jade along with Miguel and Nico.

The fact that Nico was here was probably adding to Wolf’s unrest. He didn’t like how easy it was for Bebo to switch sides, and it made him extra wary around Nico.

“It’s because I’ve been around a long time. I’m smart enough to be cautious,” Wolf grumbled. His gaze immediately went to Jade who sat next to an agitated Simone. “The second you start thinking you’re untouchable, the scales tip to the other side to keep you humble.”

Ethan chuckled. “You’ve grown soft. I remember who you used to be. The big bad Wolf. Nothing could make you move if you didn’t want to.” Ethan’s eyes landed on Jade, and Wolf wanted to pluck the man’s eyes out when he saw the appreciative glance he was giving her.

“Love might be the most powerful force in the world, but it can weaken us. Your apprehension isn’t for you, it’s for her and her sister. Love can be freeing, but it also shackles us in this life. Things the big bad Wolf would have condoned before her, you won’t condone now because you’re worried it’ll blow back on her or Simone.”

Wolf tried to feel put off that Ethan had read him so well, but he couldn’t deny the truth of the matter. He was anxious—even behind the closed doors of the compound—that something could go wrong and in his weak body, he wouldn’t be able to get Jade or Simone out to safety. If it were just him, Wolf would go out guns blazing, but he had other people to worry about now.

“I have no such worries. It gives me room to be a little more ruthless in my dealings.” Ethan smirked but grew serious. “We moved Carter. He was stable enough to be transported farther upstate, and before you ask, the hospital isn’t in my name and has no official ties to me or the organization. He’ll be safe there.”

This time Wolf chuckled. “Now who’s worrying.” There had been talks when they split everyone up about whether it was smart to move both Carter and Dom. There was a worst-case scenario, one Ethan didn’t think was possible because the compound was built to withstand a nuke, that outlined how they would get Carter and Dom out.

They couldn’t lose Dom, not when they were close to getting Sofia back, but while Carter’s health continued to improve, Dom’s was on a steady decline. He was hanging on by a thread, and the doctors made it clear that any movement wouldn’t be good for him.

“I am a man who takes precautions, Wolf. My greatest asset is people believe I don’t give a shit about anything outside of the Bronx. They think my ambition is only for my borough, and while part of that is true, an intelligent man knows it’s better to keep an ear to the ground than think nothing can touch him.” Ethan inclined his head toward the monitors. “Here’s lesson number one,” Ethan murmured right before Jade let out a startled gasp.

Wolf’s knee-jerk reaction was to go to her, but his body wouldn’t allow him to move that fast, so he kept his gaze on the monitor in front of him. “What’s wrong?” he barked out before he looked at the screen in disbelief.

Ethan had cameras set up in front of the compound as well as the warehouse where they were keeping the two men they had scooped up yesterday. Bruno was being held somewhere else that Ethan swore Zhao wouldn’t be able to find. “That looks like an army outside of the compound.” Wolf couldn’t keep the alarm out of his voice. “Bandit,” he whispered, and she was in his arms within a second.

“Rest easy, Wolf.” Ethan waved behind him to Nico. “You should watch this too, just in case you end up feeling nostalgia for an old friend.” There was an edge in Ethan’s tone that made a chill run down Wolf’s back.

When Nico hesitated, Ethan stood to his full height and turned to face Nico. “It wasn’t a request. You need to see this as well.”

Nico moved, and Wolf tried to squint to get a better idea at what Ethan wanted him to see. It was dark on the camera footage. He couldn’t make out any of the faces that started creeping their way toward the compound, he just knew there were a lot of them.

“Nico, you pay attention to this monitor. We can watch the rest.” Ethan’s smile was vicious as he pulled out his cell phone and punched in a few commands. “Sofia didn’t agree to work with me just for my charming personality.” He chuckled, and Wolf’s eyes widened when he saw the gunfire that erupted—hitting every man making their way toward the compound. He couldn’t see where the gunfire was coming from, but the men ordered to take out the compound hadn’t been quick enough to pull their triggers. They couldn’t figure out where the gunfire was coming from any more than Wolf could.

“I’m a god among my men here.” He placed his hand on Nico’s shoulder, and Wolf leaned over to watch his monitor, wondering what was so different from the others.

“Boris and Zhao sent their men on a suicide mission. Zhao may have deeper pockets than I do, and while it’s true money talks, it’s also the leading motivation behind people’s actions, second to love.” Ethan glanced back at Wolf, his gaze softening where he watched Jade clutch Wolf’s hand.

“I have better numbers,” Ethan continued, “I have loyalty that comes from years of Garcia lineage that’s rooted in history that goes further back than your time, Wolf, and that of Sofia’s father. What’s that old saying?” Ethan was quiet for a moment, and the tech room fell into a silence that was filled with disbelief at what they were watching. It was insane to see Ethan exude this much power with little effort.

“Ah, yes, I remember now.” Ethan chuckled. “The devil you know is always better than the devil you don’t, and that’s why my family name is as strong as it is. Pay close attention, Nico. It looks like a reunion is on the horizon. Bebo’s coming home.”