—Tristan— I pressed the blade against my palm when Adam appeared on the screen. He was slumped forward on a chair. When they started cutting him, Adam’s scream filled the airplane, blaring from the speakers mercilessly, and fuck, they were the first screams in forever that got under my skin. The first since her screams. I cut into my palm, deep, drawing blood. Savio gripped the armrest of the seat, his arms shaking. Damian was behind me, one hand digging into my shoulder. Drake was next and took out a lighter. I jumped to my feet, shaking with rage ... so much rage, it threatened to rip me apart. Adam’s eyes widened. Fuck, he was a kid. He wasn’t like us. This was supposed to be me. I was supposed to burn for them. Drake touched the flame to Adam’s skin, and his screams got louder. I reached for my phone again, knowing that Salvador would reject my call like before and hating this fucking sense of helplessness. I was suppose
—Tristan— Damian, Savio, and I linked arms, pressing over the tattoo of the other. “You will be a better Don than me, Damian. You won’t kill people who might be useful to us. Your logic will make the Russo clan even stronger.” Damian didn’t say anything, only stared at me. Savio shook his head. “Tristan, let’s attack them. I’d rather die fighting than have you in their fucking hands.” I smiled darkly. “You will have to die another day. I will pay for my sins.” Damian made a low sound. “She didn’t return, Tristan. She stayed in Minneapolis. They won’t let you anywhere near her. You will die for nothing.” “No, I will die so she gets what she wants.” Damian pulled away. “Damn it. Be reasonable for once.” “I made my decision and you will accept it.” Cars pulled up, and I moved away from my brothers who took shelter inside the car. Damian and Savio raised their guns through the open windows. I wasn’t armed as I walked towa
—Ellie— Mateo punched Tristan’s face, but he only laughed darkly as blood spattered on the ground. “This is your chance to ask for forgiveness,” Dad said. Tristan looked from each of them until his eyes finally settled on me. “Do you want me to beg for forgiveness?” His eyes dragged me down fiercely, mercilessly, irrevocably as they’d always done. As they always would. “I won’t give you my forgiveness,” I said quietly. Something flickered in Tristan’s eyes, but Mateo and Drake wrenched him away from my view, down the corridor into their torture chamber. Dad kissed my temple. “We will avenge you, make him pay for what he did.” He walked away, leaving me with my uncle, who regarded me with calm scrutiny. He touched my shoulder lightly, and I met his gaze. “He will ask for forgiveness in the end,” he promised. I briefly touched his hand. “I don’t want him to because it would be false.” Tristan did everything
—Ellie— Dad and my uncle didn’t come home that evening. They would spend the night in the safe house. Safe house. What a name for a house to torture enemies. After Mateo had made sure I was okay, he drove back there as well. Maybe they were worried Tristan might manage to escape or maybe they wanted to keep torturing him throughout the night. Probably the latter. I grabbed a bag and packed a few things for Isabella and Samuel. Then I walked down into the basement where we kept our weapons as well as other necessities in case of an attack. I perused the display of guns and knives. I strapped a gun holster to my chest over my T-shirt. It allowed me to strap a gun and a knife to my sides as well as another gun to my back. Just to be on the safe side, I added a knife holster to my calf. I had chosen loose linen pants for the occasion just for that purpose. After that I rummaged through the medical supplies. Mateo had explained every
—Ellie— Mateo was waiting for me outside the safe house when I pulled up. I programmed the heating so it would keep the car warm for my babies before I exited. Mateo regarded me with a deep frown. He was wearing a different shirt than last time I saw him, and as I got closer, I noticed the red under his fingernails. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and for a moment I tensed because I worried he could feel the holster, but his arm was too high up and my cardigan too thick. He led me inside. My eyes searched the main area. “They’re in the sleep area upstairs. Do you want me to wake them?” “No,” I said quickly. My eyes were drawn to the screen. It showed Tristan lying on the floor, not moving. I tried to gauge the angle. Mateo followed my gaze. “We’ll continue in about an hour.” I raised my eyes to his. Dark shadows spread under his eyes. “You look like you should get some sleep.” “Someone’s got to keep watch.” “
—Ellie— “I swear it,” he murmured. I cut through the rope when I heard the creak of the door. I dropped the knife in Tristan’s now free hand. “Eleanor, get the fuck away from the asshole!” Drake growled, gripping me by the shoulders and pulling me to my feet. I whirled around on him, getting in his face. “Don’t tell me what to do. I have a right to be here.” Drake was breathing harshly, his chest heaving. I took a step back, closer to Tristan again. My uncle and my father stepped in. I shielded Tristan mostly from their view but that wouldn’t last long. “You shouldn’t be here, dove. This isn’t something for a woman,” Dad said gently. He still believed in my innocence, but my uncle and Drake regarded me more cautiously. “Where’s Mateo?” My uncle asked. I wrapped my arms around my body and slid my hands beneath my cardigan, my fingers curling around the gun strapped to the holster there. “I’m sorry,” I whispered a
—Ellie— Tristan nudged me lightly, and I walked closer to the door, keeping my body between him and the others. I walked backward to keep an eye on my family. They didn’t attack. They didn’t stop us. Dad and Mateo looked broken. I had landed the ultimate hit, had broken them. I wondered how Mom would react when she found out. She’d be crushed. My heart was heavy as I led Tristan to the parked car. He sank down on the passenger seat, passing out immediately. I closed the door and got behind the steering wheel. Isabella and Samuel were still fast asleep in their seats. I hit the gas and sent the car flying down the long gravel road. I quickly connected to Bluetooth and called the Sugar Trap. It was the only number I’d found on the Internet. It took a while before the guy I talked to agreed to call Damian and to give him my number. I was starting to go crazy. Tristan wouldn’t survive if I had to drive all the way to Mexic
—Ellie— After we landed in Mexico, Damian immediately rushed Tristan off to a hospital the Camorra worked with, and Savio stayed with me. I was exhausted and emotionally drained. “What happens with us now?” I asked tiredly. Savio gave me a surprised look. “I will take you to the mansion. Tristan will want to have you and his kids around when he returns.” “You think he will survive?” Savio nodded. “Tristan won’t die.” I followed Savio to a car and sank down on the backseat with my children. When I jerked awake, we had arrived and Fabian was staring through the window as if he was seeing a ghost. He opened the door. “What the fuck?” “Tristan’s got kids,” Savio explained. “I see that,” Fabian said. Savio took Samuel again, and I got out with Isabella, who had her face buried in my neck. Fabian couldn’t stop staring at Samuel, then finally he met my gaze. “You saved Tristan?” I nodded. Fabian searched my eyes