OTTO FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL on the unmarked car he’d been given. It killed him to leave Ivy alone, placing her safety in the hands of Cree, one of Smoke’s MC buddies, and one of Ethan’s guys. It felt like there weren’t enough men to guard both his sister and Ivy. Otto’s trust in other people keeping those he loved safe had dwindled to nothing. It was making him physically ill to leave Ivy and Gia, but given where he was going, he couldn’t take Ivy with him. Thanks to this ongoing war, Otto had to ignore his instinct to keep Ivy close.

“Smoke is there, he’s with them.” Otto chanted the mantra as he pushed the car way beyond the speed limit. If he kept reminding himself that he knew Smoke would protect Gia with everything he had, Smoke would in turn protect Ivy as well. If for no other reason than to keep Gia happy and sane, and Gia’s happiness was tied into making sure Otto was good.

“Smoke is with them,” he repeated, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. When Ethan split everyone up, Otto wanted to either stay in the compound where Smoke was or keep Ivy in the compound where they rested their heads, but neither was an option for Otto. Not only did Ivy want to say her peace to Bruno but Otto was one of their better shooters, and if they were going to keep Smoke on torture duty, Otto needed to be in the field, especially since Ethan was convinced Boris and Zhao were going to stage a rescue mission, and he hadn’t been wrong.

As soon as Otto plugged in his earpiece, he heard Ethan tell him they were attacking the compound as well as the warehouse. Otto had faith in his crew and Ethan’s men that they’d be able to disable whoever was sent to the warehouse, but once he heard on the mic that Bebo was there, Otto let out a low rumble that rattled around in his chest, willing the car to get there faster so he could get his hands on that piece of shit. If Otto couldn’t physically hurt Bruno, he was going to enjoy toying with Bebo the bitch.

Otto parked a couple of blocks away from the warehouse. He pulled his hood up and checked to make sure his gun was working and loaded. He stepped out of the car, cursing as the cold wind wrapped around him and seeped into his bones. The weather had taken a turn, becoming that bitter cold that kept people inside, which worked for Otto and the Council. The less people on the streets, the fewer casualties and witnesses there were. Otto wasn’t sure how much longer Ethan’s power would hold out and keep the cops and Feds out of this war. It would be a blow to eliminate Boris only to spend their victory behind bars.

“How close are you?” One of Otto’s guys grunted in his ear before a string of curses fell from his mouth. “Hurry up, we’re pinned down.”

Otto’s legs carried him in a light jog that turned into a run the closer he got to the warehouse. He could hear the gunfire, and as soon as he got to the top of the block, he slowed down, using the empty buildings as cover as he crept closer. It seemed like no one was in the street and everyone had taken the gunfight inside, which worked fine for Otto, but he still kept a watchful eye on the outside. There had to be someone waiting in the getaway car.

A bullet buzz passed Otto, narrowly missing his ear, and he chuckled. “Ask and you shall receive.” He ducked down, slinking into the darkness. He tried to see where the shot had come from but came up empty. There weren’t many cars on the block, and those that were there looked abandoned and beat up.

He heard shots in his earpiece, and he kept moving, hoping he wasn’t walking into the shooter’s line of sight. “I’m coming in now, but someone’s still outside,” he whispered into the earpiece. He made his way behind the buildings and trekked through the back of the warehouse where he could see one of his guys, maybe Chris, fist fighting someone.

The guns had been discarded and thrown about. There was glass and splintered wood everywhere. Otto guessed they had barreled through the warehouse’s boarded up back door.

Otto crept closer, trying to keep his arrival quiet so he didn’t distract his own men. He paused mid-step. The wind kicked up and with it came a warning that had Otto turning around just in time to miss getting hit with the butt of a gun. Otto reacted, pulling the trigger and firing a shot at the man’s chest and then forehead, killing him, but the sound of the gun had distracted the fighters behind him enough that when Otto turned around, Bebo already had his hands on a gun. Bebo grabbed Chris, putting the gun to his head.

“We don’t need everyone alive.” Bebo’s smile was wide and bloody. “I have zero issues killing him. Whatever threat you were about to make, don’t waste your breath, bitch. I know you too well to know you won’t sacrifice his life for little ol’ me.”

Otto cursed but kept his gun steady on Bebo. It would be easy to pull the trigger, but Chris was massive in width compared to Bebo. There was no easy body part that Otto could hit that wouldn’t clip Chris in the process, and shooting Bebo in the head wasn’t an option. There were clear orders to keep Bebo, Bruno, and Boris alive until Sofia gave the death sentence, and right now Otto hated that he agreed with the decree.

Bebo the bitch had been a pain in the ass for Otto since as far back as he could remember. He would be justified in killing Bebo, not only for fucking his ex but also for touching his baby sister. Sofia might pardon Otto for killing Bebo, as would the Council, but he didn’t want Bebo to escape this life so easily. He wanted Bebo to know true pain, and as much as everyone feared death because it was unknown, death was the end of all things—including suffering, and Bebo needed to get his in spades.

“Put the gun down, pendejo. You’ll be a good gift for Boris and Bruno once we get him out of here. I would have preferred your sweet Ivy or even your delicious untouched little sister, oh, but wait, she’s not all that untouched anymore now, is she?” Bebo laughed.

Otto’s jaw ticked, his finger on the trigger desperate to pull and put Bebo out of his fucking misery. The fact that he said Ivy’s name and mentioned touching Natalya had something clawing inside of him begging to be let loose. He tried to shake off his anger, tried to breathe through the fury that they were in this mess and Natalya was off on some island, possibly recovering because of him. He tried to remember the plan—remember what was at stake—but the longer he looked at Bebo’s smug and satisfied face, the harder it was getting not to put a bullet in his head.

“Yo, boss man.” Chris’s voice sounded steady, and Otto watched the resolve trickle into his face. “Do what you gotta do.” He gave a slight nod, and Bebo jerked him farther back toward his body.

“Your boss isn’t going to do shit,” Bebo sneered. “He never does shit, even when he has the opportunity.”

Otto was sure Bebo meant his words to be a jab, but he didn’t focus on them—he couldn’t. The gunfight inside the warehouse was starting to slow. The shouts and loud noises came less frequently as Otto stood outside in a standoff with Bebo. Otto hoped that was a good sign and that their team was starting to subdue Boris and Zhao’s men.

Otto chanced a glance behind Bebo, and when he saw one of Ethan’s guys slowly slip out the back of the warehouse with his gun raised on Bebo, Otto knew Bebo wasn’t leaving here.

“He’s nothing but a—” before Bebo could finish his sentence, Otto pulled the trigger and prayed that the bullet ripped through Chris’ shoulder and hit Bebo in his own shoulder. He’d say his apologies later, so long as Otto didn’t misjudge where Bebo’s heart was in relation to Chris’ massive body.

Chris grunted and went down to his knees, and Otto held his breath until Bebo’s gun fell out of his hands and he dropped to his own knees. Ethan’s guy ran up behind Bebo, kicking the gun away and shoving him face first into the concrete. Bebo cried out, and it made Otto chuckle as he checked in on Chris.

“I’m good, I’m good. Get him outta here.” Chris batted Otto away as more of their guys piled out of the warehouse.

Otto walked over to a bleeding Bebo, watching the color drain from his face. The smug satisfaction he was wearing only moments earlier was completely gone. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, and judging by the amount of blood that seeped down his shirt, Otto prayed he didn’t hit anything important. “We should get him to the docs,” Otto chuckled as he squatted down in front of Bebo.

He grabbed onto Bebo’s shoulder and squeezed until Bebo’s body spasmed under the pain. “Oh, I’m sorry, does this hurt?” He squeezed harder. “That’s nothing compared to what’s coming. I hope death comes for you last. I want you to bleed for ever even thinking about touching my sister. We’re going to have fun with you.”

Bruno’s screams were high pitched as his body thrashed around trying and failing miserably to avoid Smoke’s knife. Manny tightened Bruno’s chains, stretching him beyond the point of any possible comfort. Bruno was bloody and had pissed himself multiple times, but he hadn’t given up the goods on Boris yet.

“Let’s try this again.” Smoke’s voice was void of any emotion, and Gia was glad she was at the far end of the room, away from what was happening. So far she’d been able to keep her composure, which surprised her, but if she was honest with herself, she selfishly wanted a front row seat to Bruno’s pain. She wanted to see the man who held her freedom over her brother’s head, as if it was his to bargain, crying and desperate for his freedom.

Bruno’s tears had given Gia a small ounce of joy, but in the back of her mind, she was wondering if that made her no better than the men they were trying to stop. She looked down at her knuckles, rubbing the spot that had turned red when she punched him in the nose. That satisfying crunch had felt like a catalyst, urging her toward more violence. If Smoke hadn’t plucked her off her feet, she wasn’t sure she would have stopped. Years of holding in the trauma from Edwin and Hunter on top of the years Otto worked for Bruno and the constant threat to Gia’s safety had bubbled up to a breaking point.

How did men like Edwin and Boris go about their lives hurting women the way they did?

They came from a woman, yet they made sure there was no mistake how women were viewed through their eyes. Women weren’t seen as equals or people to be cherished and protected, they were seen as property that they couldn’t even deem worthy to take care of correctly.

The door opened, and Cree came in with a hatchet and a drill. The sight of them filled Gia was trepidation. She remembered the sound of the drill and the man’s screams when they’d been torturing that stranger earlier in the month. His screams had been bloodcurdling, and Gia felt it down to her bones. It made her feel a smidge bad for the captive—wishing he’d just tell Smoke what he wanted to know. Gia wasn’t sure if she’d be able to handle those types of screams from Bruno. The room had an echo to it, making the noise sound louder, and maybe that was the desired effect of the room—to drown the victim in their own screams.

Bruno still had the blindfold on, but his earplugs had been removed. Gia watched Cree insert a drill bit and turn on the drill. As soon as the sound hit Bruno’s ears, he visibly sobbed.

“Are you going to answer our questions now? You’ve pissed yourself twice already, Bruno. You’re bleeding everywhere, and I’ve broken two of your fingers. Boris won’t reward you for your loyalty,” Smoke taunted as he circled Bruno, stopping behind him so his eyes stayed on Gia.

Gia nodded and offered up a smile—a small one to let Smoke know she was okay—but the closer Cree got to Bruno with the drill, the antsier she became. She wasn’t vicious by nature. She didn’t like the idea of torture on a grand scale. She wasn’t one to toy with anyone. Her time with Edwin had shown her how cruel playing with someone could be, and in the many lessons he taught her, she took that one to heart. Even when she killed Edwin and Hunter, it was a matter of survival, not revenge. If it had been out of revenge, she wasn’t sure she would have prolonged their deaths even if a tiny part of her felt like they deserved it.

“If Boris knows I sold him out, he’ll kill me,” Bruno sobbed as he tried to pull his body away from the sound of the drill.

Smoke held Bruno’s body steady, and even pushed him closer to the drill bit. “What makes you think you’ll survive this either way? At least with us, we will make it painless. If you give us what we want, of course. Otherwise you’ll live a long time bound, bloody, and broken. Just like all those women you helped Boris rape.” The last word felt like a flash of lighting, and Gia bounced on her feet, afraid that if she stood in one spot it would hit her.

She wasn’t sure she could watch this and whatever else came after. As much as Bruno sobbed and begged them to stop, he didn’t break. Not once did he waver or give Smoke something they could use. He kept his mouth shut no matter what Smoke hurdled at him, and with the Council agreeing to keep the major players alive, there wasn’t much Smoke could do that wasn’t going to cause Bruno’s death.

Smoke’s gaze slammed into hers, worry littered his expression though his jaw ticked like he was annoyed, and Gia wasn’t sure if that annoyance came from Bruno sobbing and keeping his mouth shut or her for still being in the room when it was clear she wasn’t comfortable. She could see Smoke was getting ready to say something, by his grip tightening on Bruno’s body.

Gia waved a hand, and Smoke signaled to Cree to stop the drill bit. She got hit with an idea she wasn’t sure would work. It required a different method, but given what Bruno had been able to withstand already, maybe different is what they needed. They were on a timetable. As confident as Ethan was about being able to out maneuver Zhao’s influence, she didn’t believe they should solely rely on Ethan keeping Zhao and Boris at bay while they worked over Bruno and anyone else they caught. Plus, the quicker they got answers, the quicker they rescued Sofia.

Smoke dropped his hold on Bruno and stalked toward her with violence in his eyes that she didn’t run from. If anything, her pulse drummed wildly and she felt her core throb. The idea of Smoke pushing her up against the wall and fucking her in this madness elicited a surprise shock of pleasure across her body. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning out loud at the image taunting her in her mind. She could still feel him inside of her, stretching her—feel the heat of him against her skin. Last night hadn’t nearly scratched the surface of her want for him, and her palms itched to touch him again—even amongst this death.

I am losing my mind.

Smoke’s eyes flashed, turning that violence into hot desire. He pushed her toward the wall, and she had to swallow her gasp when he crowded her space. He leaned down, so his lips were by her ear. “If I didn’t know any better, you called a stop to this so I can fuck you, sunshine,” Smoke’s voice was low, his breath traveled down the side of her neck and against the bare skin of her chest, making her nipples hard and seeking his attention. “The things I want to do to you,” Smoke murmured. “Sex and violence one and the same,” he taunted, and Gia felt her body melt into his.

Last night had been soft—even when they were fucking hard. Smoke had been determined to mark every inch of her with his touch. Crack her open so she had nowhere to hide from him, and she loved it, loved the way he branded her with his touch so her body only ever sought out his, but even when he was rough with her, he was still careful. Seeing him torment Bruno—the man who’d threatened her—spoke to something darker inside of her. She wanted Smoke’s violence as much as she wanted his tenderness.

“I have an idea,” Gia sounded breathless. There would be time to dive into that dark aspect of herself later. She needed to focus on what they had to accomplish.

“I have one too, sunshine.” Smoke’s smile made her bark out a laugh, and she pushed him away so she could get her mind out of the gutter.

“Not that type of idea. Bruno isn’t going to break,” Gia kept her voice low so it wouldn’t carry. “At least, not without the delivery of death, and we all agreed to keep them alive for Sofia.” Smoke nodded, encouraging her to continue. “What if I torture him?”

She braced herself for Smoke to lose his mind at her suggestion. Instead of him cursing or screaming at the top of his lungs, his deep laughter rang out in the room.

“Are you laughing at me?” Gia crossed her arms over her chest. She was unsure what was worse, Smoke losing his mind at the prospect of her getting her hands dirty or amusement that she thought she could handle herself when it came to torturing somebody.

Smoke sobered, “Of course not. I’m using laughter to disguise my rage. You’re not going anywhere near him.”

“Smoke,” Gia let out a breath, before continuing. She didn’t have an exact plan per se, but she knew how to hurt a man like Bruno. Besides Bruno couldn’t strike out at her, and even if he could, she knew Smoke wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“He’s chained up,” Gia whispered, reaching up to cup Smoke’s face. “He can’t hurt me.”

Smoke gripped the side of her neck. “Not physically. I don’t know if I can sit back and listen to him disrespect you.” His eyes softened as he looked at her. “He’ll try and get in your head, and if I see a single tear fall, see any shift in your body language that his barbs hit their mark, I won’t be able to keep him breathing. His death is for Sofia, and I don’t want her mad at me.”

Gia snorted out a laugh. He looked genuinely upset at the idea of Sofia being mad at him. It was endearing how much he respected and liked Sofia. Their friendship had been one of the reasons Gia had softened toward him. Even through all his rough edges, he respected a woman in her power.

“I think she’ll forgive you given everything that’s going on.” Gia smiled at him. “Let me do this. If it doesn’t work, you can go back to doing things your way.”

Smoke pulled her in, kissing her forehead. “All right, but I won’t be held responsible if he gets mouthy. You’ll have to explain to Sofia what happened.” Smoke dropped his hold on her, and Gia fought a smile.

“Are you scared of Sofia?” she questioned as they made their way back to Bruno’s battered body.

Smoke looked offended that Gia even suggested the idea of him being fearful of Sofia’s wrath. “It’s called healthy admiration, thank you very much. What do you want us to do?”

Manny stood behind Bruno’s body while Cree stood in front of him. Bruno was a mess. He had broken fingers and toes broken, chunks of skin missing, as well as missing a few fingernails. They had taken a whip to his back, poured salt in open wounds, and while Bruno had screamed like a banshee, he hadn’t given up anything on Boris.

“Take the earplugs back out,” Gia murmured as she looked Bruno’s body over. She was grateful to whoever had the foresight to put them in when Smoke went to talk to her. It meant Bruno hadn’t been able to hear any of their conversation. “And hand me one of the knives—the sharper the better, please.” She felt Smoke tense, and a slow rumble rippled through the room like thunder.

She gave him a look that told him to knock it off and held out her hand for Cree to hand her one of his knives. Manny had taken Bruno’s earplugs out, and when Gia pointed to the blindfold, Manny was right there to remove it as well.

It had taken Bruno a little while to adjust to the lighting in the room, but when he did, he pinned Gia in place with his gaze. She could see the flash of malice, the renewed strength entering his body as she stood in front of him with her hands behind her back, hiding the knife.

Gia was seemingly the weakest link in the room—the easier target. Bruno didn’t respect women, didn’t think they were capable of anything, really, and Gia was hopefully going to use that to her advantage.

“What’s this?” Bruno sneered. “Sweet little Gia thinks she can hang with the big boys?” Bruno scoffed. “Like I told your thickheaded buddies here, I don’t know anything. You might as well kill me already.”

Gia shrugged. “I told them you wouldn’t know anything. That it was a mistake to take you.” Bruno’s eyes narrowed.

Bingo.

“I remember what it was like working under you at Tres Bellas. My brother was the one who was really in charge.” Gia pulled her left hand from behind her back to examine her nails, feigning boredom. “Why do you think it was so easy to take Tres Bellas from you? If that would have been Boris’,” Gia scoffed, “Sofia never would have been able to take it, but she made you sign it over, didn’t she?”

She tried to keep her face impassive, to seem unbothered by what she was reciting—just a woman who didn’t know shit about what was going on.

“Tres Bellas was mine!” Bruno snapped. “Boris wouldn’t have been able to keep it either, and fuck you, your brother was a bitch.” Gia’s eyes flashed toward Smoke, silently pleading for him not to intervene.

Smoke took a whole step back, away from Bruno, but his entire body vibrated with aggression. Gia could see the muscle in his jaw tick and his nostrils flare. He even flexed his hands, probably imaging ringing Bruno’s neck. She wasn’t sure how much longer that thin strap Smoke called a leash was going to hold him back from reacting. She had to move strategically and fast if she was going to get the information they needed out of Bruno without getting his head on a spike.

“Sure, sure, Bruno. You know what you’re talking about. If you think Boris couldn’t have done a better job at keeping Tres Bellas, I believe you.” She leaned forward slightly. She kept herself far away enough not to rattle Smoke’s cage but close enough so it looked like she was cozying up to Bruno. “What do I know? I was just a girl working there. You held on to all your other territories, right?”

Bruno grunted but kept his mouth shut. “Oh, duh, silly me.” Gia smacked her head, chuckling. She could feel the hatred pouring off of Bruno. “Daddy dearest didn’t think you could handle more of his territories, so he only gave you Tres Bellas to see what you could do, and you lost it.” Gia tsked under her breath, looking at her nails again. “It’s a wonder why Boris has you around at all. You clearly have no value to him.” She glanced at Smoke, “Do you think I should paint my nails red or—?”

Before Gia could finish her sentence Bruno exploded. He threw curse words at her like they were his fists, and he thrashed against his restraints. Gia had to be subtle and quick, telling the men to stand down as Bruno reacted to his ego being hurt. If they intervened on her behalf, there was a chance Bruno would clam up, and given how he was reacting, she was sure he’d spill the secrets they were looking for.

“You stupid bitch,” Bruno snarled, “if it weren’t for Boris, I would have had you chained up like an animal for my men. All his planning and where is he? Holed up in some fortress, while those that fucked him and me over are free.” Bruno was seething now.

Gia knew an attack on Bruno’s ego would be key. He’d been the weak link for a reason. Otto told her Bruno’s father hadn’t given Bruno any room in the organization, not until Tres Bellas. Anyone who showed favor to Bruno did so because of how powerful his father was. It had to be hard growing up in the shadow of a man of his father’s caliber; always playing second fiddle or being compared to the greatness that his father was had to hinder Bruno.

“I should have been in charge,” Bruno growled, “if I had been, New York would have been mine.” Bruno’s voice dropped, growing more menacing as he spoke, “You, your precious baby sister and that cunt Ivy would be my men’s personal playthings. Do you know how many men sit between me and Boris and now Zhao? You would have never known rest.”

The threat in his words made Gia’s palms sweat. She gripped the knife in her hand tighter as she watched the way Bruno’s eyes inhaled every inch of her. She held her ground, not squirming under the weight of his gaze, even though it made her feel desperate to wash her body in bleach to remove the filth of his gaze.

“I don’t think you know how lucky you are, Gianna, that your brother and Sofia were there to save you.”

Gia took a step closer, doing everything to steady her rapid heartbeat and settle the queasiness in her stomach. Dealing with Bruno like this—even with him unable to physically hurt her—made her nervous.

“Sofia is no longer here though,” she whispered and waited to see if Bruno would take the bait she was dangling in front of him. She wanted to get the conversation off of her and back on to Sofia.

“She might not be,” Bruno started, “but she’s still breathing. Boris refuses to kill her and instead he has her holed up in—” Bruno quickly cut himself off. His eyes widened when he realized the mistake he just made.

Gia took the additional step forward, bringing her knife out toward his dick. She nodded toward Smoke and Manny who, without her having to say anything, reacted and held Bruno perfectly still. She pushed the tip of the knife closer on his cock till she glanced down and saw the first drop of blood coat his skin.

Her head swam, and she fought to keep her hand steady. Bruno had slipped up and she had to see this through. She could do this.

Bruno cried out, and Smoke chuckled, pride shining in his eyes. “Don’t stop on my account, Bruno.” Gia smiled up at him, thankful her voice held steady. “Speak loud and clear, and maybe you’ll get to keep your dick.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Bruno struggled, but she could see panic and pain set in.

In another life, Bruno would be right. Gia wouldn’t have been able to even fathom doing this, but who she had grown into to be able to survive was capable of doing at least this, for no other reason than it would be a win for her and for women like Ivy. Bruno couldn’t hurt women if he didn’t have the tool he enjoyed using to do so. “Try me, Bruno. Either tell us what we want to know or it’s bye bye penis.”

Bruno dropped his head and what sounded like a resigned sigh left his lips. “I’m going to die anyway, might as well take a few of you with me. I’ll tell you what you need to know.”