A month later…

 

“YOU SURE YOU’RE GOOD TO be here?” Smoke asked for what seemed like the millionth time in five minutes.

They were waiting upstairs in the compound Bruno had been taken to and was now joined by his buddies Boris and Bebo. The entire Council was here except for Jade, Simone, and Wolf. They stayed back to watch over a recovering Dom and Carter, who thankfully woke up a little after Dom did. It was as if both men were waiting for the end of this to finally open their eyes again.

Ivy stayed back as well. She already said her peace to Bruno and had washed her hands of him. To Ivy he was already dead and buried, and Gia couldn’t say she blamed Ivy. Bruno and Boris had taken everything from her. Gia couldn’t fault Ivy for being completely done with them and not wasting any more time and energy on them.

A couple of the Unhinged Brothers were there too. Sofia had advised they could join or not, it was ultimately up to Carter and Smoke who showed. She only requested that Smoke be here, and a part of Gia wished Sofia had told him to stay home.

Gia looked at Smoke, wondering if her brother had the right idea about shooting him. He’d been a pain in her ass since Sofia had given the Council a date to come down to the cells they were keeping the three Bs in—Smoke had graciously nicknamed them Bitch 1, Bitch 2, and Bitch 3. A smile teased Gia’s lips at how unclever the names were, but they worked all the same.

“Sunshine,” Smoke’s voice felt like velvet along her skin, and goosebumps danced down her bare arms. He smiled at her as he closed the distance. “You don’t have to be here. Sofia said it wasn’t necessary.”

Gia rolled her eyes as she huffed out a breath. While Sofia wanted the entire Council in attendance, she had made it optional for the women. She let them decide how they were going to be a part of the final battle, and Gia appreciated how Sofia approached them on it. She let it be their choice, something those three down in their cells had taken away from or tried to take away from the women of the Council.

Smoke’s eyes narrowed as his gaze shot behind Gia. Gia didn’t need to turn around to see he was grilling Nico. Smoke hadn’t given Nico the benefit of the doubt, even after they got Sofia back. Gia imagined that Smoke’s treatment of Nico wouldn’t change even if Sofia pardoned him.

Gia almost felt bad for Nico. Bebo had been his best friend, his constant, and now he had to deal with the betrayal and watch whatever Sofia dished out to Bebo. There was no way Bebo was leaving here still breathing and in one piece. Gia knew that much about mob wars and how this attack on her would look if it went unanswered. They still needed to find Zhao, but that was a problem they would deal with another day.

“Are you good to be here?” Gia smirked as Smoke’s eyes narrowed on her. “You seem agitated.”

Smoke grunted. “Don’t turn this around on me.” His gaze softened. “But seriously, are you sure you’re good to be here?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Smoke. You’re acting like this is new for me.” She wanted to throttle him. Whatever hill she thought they overcame fighting side by side seemed to have fallen away if he was questioning her insistence on being present to what she was sure was going to be another fun torture session.

Smoke’s shoulders dropped. He hooked his finger into the loop of her jeans and tugged her toward him. He grabbed the side of her neck with his other hand and leaned in, letting his lips taste hers. Gia melted into him, her body sparking to life from the way he consumed her with his lips. She briefly wondered if he was trying to distract her and get her to leave so they could do more entertaining things, and it made her abruptly pull away from his kiss.

“Are you trying to distract me?” She looked up at him.

His eyes twinkled as his lips pulled up into a dark smirk. “If I said yes, what are the chances we get out of here and you let me peel you out of these jeans?”

She barked out a laugh and smacked him on the chest. “Not a chance. You wouldn’t disobey Sofia’s command to be here.”

“You’re right, sunshine. I’m just checkin’ to see where your head’s at. Same rules apply here as they did when it was just us and Bruno in there.” Smoke kissed the side of her head. “Strength doesn’t always mean keep pushing, sometimes it means knowing when to fall back.”

Those had been the same words he whispered to her before. and she knew they were his way of letting her know she had nothing to prove. It wouldn’t matter to anyone, herself included, if she went in there and faced off with the three men who had put her and the Council through hell, individually and collectively. She didn’t have to do this, she knew that, but she wanted to see it through.

She wanted to see proof that her boogeymen would be no more.

“If you too lovebirds are done.” Sofia’s sharp tone had Smoke chuckling before he turned around to face Sofia.

He interlaced his fingers with Gia’s as he blew Sofia a kiss. “Don’t be jealous now, Sofia. You had your chance, but you wanted to be all cozy, cozy with Dom.” Smoke scoffed as if Dom were the lesser man, though Gia knew Smoke didn’t truly believe that. The three of them—well Smoke, really—excelled at bickering and getting under everyone’s skin. Gia could appreciate that even after the chaos of the war and what they were about to do, there was still a camaraderie among everyone.

Sofia snorted out a laugh. “Dom is going to fuck you up. You know that, right? I see he hasn’t changed at all.” Sofia’s gaze slid to Gia.

Gia shook her head. “Are we surprised, though? He likes causing trouble. I will say I do think he’s scared of you—ouch, hey.” Gia hip checked Smoke after he pinched her on her ass.

“You’re supposed to be on my side, sunshine.” he grumbled at her.

She hopped up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. “I am, except when it comes to her.” She turned back toward Sofia. “I’m glad you’re still standing.” The room quieted down at Gia’s admission.

Sofia and Gia had gotten off to a rocky start when they first met. Sofia came in like a storm and shook everything up, and while Gia was happy to be out from under Bruno, she initially didn’t care for Sofia. It was just another player in a game Gia was tired of playing, and she wasn’t sure Sofia would be able to accomplish everything she set out to do. Gia knew better than to underestimate a woman of Sofia’s caliber, and if it wasn’t for her, Gia wouldn’t have met Smoke or put down some of the baggage she was carrying.

“Likewise, but that’s the thing about survivors: they always get back up.” Sofia inclined her head toward Gia in a form of a salute before she turned and headed for the doors that led down to the cells holding the three Bs.

Gia was the first to follow, dropping her hold on Smoke’s hand, but he’d been quick to keep close behind her. They all made their way down the steps in silence, and even though the Council had emerged the victor in this war, the air was still thick with tension—an ominous threat that made Gia’s skin crawl. There was no real reason for the anxious energy she felt coursing through her body. The men were completely chained up and held no more power that could be wielded against her or anyone she cared about, and still her pulse beat wildly in her chest, like she was facing off with Edwin and Hunter again.

“Sunshine,” Smoke’s drawl wrapped around her when they hit the bottom floor. She felt his fingers graze her own, and the small contact steadied her. Sofia opened the door, the sound ricocheted like a gunshot, and Gia had to bite her lip to keep her nervous energy from bubbling out of her mouth.

Sofia stepped through the doors, making a low whistling sound. When Gia followed, she couldn’t conceal her gasp. All three men were bloody. They hung from a pipe and were stripped naked. Each had varying shades of bruising along their bodies, and their faces were swollen. Gia wasn’t sure if any of them could actually see or talk.

“Did you leave anything for me?” Sofia chuckled, taking in the handiwork of Smoke and Ethan’s crew.

Smoke glanced at Gia, running a hand behind his neck—one of his tells that he was nervous. Gia realized he was nervous about how she would react to seeing the bodies he worked over as if she hadn’t been present for what he did to Bruno.

Silly man.

Gia wrapped her arms around his waist, a silent show of support. She took all parts of Smoke, not just the softness he showed her or his crazy antics that made her laugh. He gave her room to share the ugly parts of her past, and she would give him room for every part of him.

Smoke wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight to his body. She felt his lips against the side of her head before he spoke to Sofia. “They were extremely easy to fuck up. Though Bebo wasn’t my fault—that was all Otto.”

Gia heard her brother’s harsh curse followed by Sofia’s dark laughter. Gia was not totally surprised to learn that Otto had been down here after they’d all been caught. She thought for sure Otto might have stayed by Ivy’s side until they cleaned up the aftermath of the war, but she also understood his hatred for Bebo and what he may or may not have done to their little sister.

Sofia nodded toward Manny, and he went by Boris, Bruno, and Bebo with smelling salts. All three men jerked away and let out a string of curses and sobs as the pain registered in their body.

“Pathetic,” Sofia snapped. “You’ve only been here for about a month and already you’re crying?” She made a tsking sound under her breath.

Gia watched Sofia in awe at her ability to seem relaxed and still hold the power in the room. She was a leader—a boss and totally in control of what happened after this moment.

“Do you remember what I told you?” She walked toward Boris and Bebo. “Probably not, it’s been a while.” She held out her hand, and Manny handed her a knife.

“I told you, you would die by my hand, all of you. But not before I cut Bebo’s dick off and fed it to Boris.”

Sofia walked back and forth between the three of them, twirling the knife in her hand. That ominous energy Gia felt before slowly started to disappear and in its place was anticipation and excitement. The Council members crept closer to Sofia, each wanting to take their pound of flesh from the men who’d hurt them.

Gia felt Smoke pull her closer to his body, and she looked up at him, surprised to find him staring down at her and not on what was about to happen. “You know, even with all we went through, I can’t say I’m sorry it happened.” He tapped her nose. “Our past and this war may have left us with a few extra scars, but through all the pain and suffering, I still got my sunshine. I still got you.” Smoke placed a quick kiss on her lips, and Gia’s whole body let out a sigh of contentment.

Smoke had come into her life unexpectedly. He had been all sharp edges and crazy behavior, but he had become her safe space, her calm after her storms. She wanted to go back and tell her younger self that better days were coming and she would survive after Edwin and Hunter. There was still more for her out there, and it came in the form of a man who would burn the world down with a single word from her or give her the matches to light the world on fire herself.

“Gia,” Sofia pulled her attention and offered her the knife. “You don’t have to, but if you want to, the first cut is yours.” Gia hesitated for a moment until Smoke tapped her hip.

“I’ll be right beside you, sunshine,” he whispered, and her heart swelled.

She took the knife from Sofia, resolve hardening her features. She’d take the first cut, not only for herself but for Natalya, Jade, Simone, and especially for Ivy and her sister, Eve. These men had tried to take everything from them, tried to leave them broken, but they never understood the strength that was the Council.

And that strength had come from Sofia. She gave them all a home and a reason to keep fighting.

“Does it matter who I cut first?” Gia spoke as she faced off with men who were more monster than human. She felt Smoke beside her keeping her steady.

Sofia’s smile was wide. “Absolutely not, and I know I said this before, but welcome to the Council.”

 

 

Welcome to The Council

The End!