Holy shit, Paddy’s hacker tied Costa to not only the Polish but to the fucking Russians as well. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Emilio makes a non-committal noise. “Of course you don’t. Well, however this happened, it’s got Costa running. And this time I don’t think he’s going to resurface. At least not on his own. I’ve called a meeting. I think it best if you and your brothers are there.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “We have an alliance. The four of you are great strategists. I also know that you have a vested interest in finding Costa.” Emilio’s tone is bland.

  “When is this meeting?”

  “In two hours. I’ll see you then.” He disconnects the call with that decree.

  “Goddamn it.” I slam my phone on the table.

  Aurora stops playing. “Is everything okay?”

  I rise from the table and cross the room to settle in next to her. “That was Emilio.” I pause, debating on how much to tell her, but decide she deserves the truth. “Alessandro has gone underground again.”

  “What? Why?” she stutters.

  “He’s been working with the Russians and Polish over the last few years. He’s been branded as a traitor. The entire syndicate is looking for him. He won’t be able to hide for long.”

  Aurora jerks back. “A traitor? Are you sure?”

  “There’s undeniable proof.”

  “Wow.” She raises her eyes to meet mine. “What does that mean for him?”

  “It means that as soon as he’s found, he’s a dead man. It’s the price of betrayal. Everyone in the organization knows that.” I want to be the one to find him and put a bullet in him. It would give me great pleasure.

  “Mr. Ricci doesn’t take kindly to those who betray him, I’ve heard,” Aurora notes.

  No, he doesn’t. Which is the whole reason we arranged it. “Emilio’s called a meeting in a couple hours and wants Paddy, Nathan, and me to attend. I have to go.”

  It only takes her a second to understand what that means. She reaches for my hand. “Don’t worry about me. Go to your meeting. You said this place is completely secure, right?”

  I nod.

  “So I’ll be fine. As much as I like spending time with you, I have to be okay with being alone at times. Eventually one of us is going to get sick of the other.” Aurora smirks.

  “Never.” I return the expression, but I’m only half-kidding.

  “Go.”

  I lean forward to drop a kiss on her mouth. It’s intended to be brief, but I linger. I’ll never get enough. Finally, she draws back and palms my cheek. She stares into my eyes. An unspoken message passes between us. Before I can change my mind and say to hell with Emilio, I stand. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  I ride the elevator up to the twentieth floor of Empire. My mind should be on the meeting ahead of me. Instead, it’s back at the penthouse on the woman I left behind. The security system is top of the line, so I shouldn’t have any worries. I just hate the fact that no one knows where Costa is.

  The bell dings and the door slides open. I step into the hallway. The view out of the floor to ceiling windows at the end of it never ceases to take my breath away. The Manhattan skyline rises up to the heavens, proudly standing tall above the ground below. I love the city. One of these days I’m going to take Aurora to my favorite restaurant. I bet she’d like to see a Broadway show, too.

  Down the hall a door opens, and I turn toward it. Gio steps out. He tips his chin up in greeting. Leaving the view behind, I head toward him and the meeting room he emerged from. He moves back inside, and I follow.

  Paddy and Nathan are already here. As are the Italians. Murmurs arise as they whisper to each other, and their gazes are guarded as I cross the room to stand near my brothers. At least I have two more allies. Gio closes us all in and goes to stand next to Pierce. Emilio rises from behind his desk.

  “It would seem that there is a traitor within our organization,” he addresses the room.

  The Italian captains exchange confused glances. Apparently, he didn’t give them a heads up.

  “Alessandro Costa has been aiding both our Russian and Polish enemies. He has also been physically abusing his wife, my cousin, Aurora.” He moves around the office and looks each man he passes in the eye. “To cover his betrayal to the syndicate, he attempted to pit us against our Irish allies. It is not my intent to interfere in the private lives of the families of our organization. However, when it comes to betraying our organization, there is no privacy.”

  He stops in front of me and holds my gaze. Despite my denial, there’s no doubt that Emilio knows exactly who is behind the evidence of Costa’s betrayal. He continues past me with his hands clasped behind his back and returns to stand in front of his desk. “I want Alessandro Costa found. Preferably alive. Do whatever you need to find him. He will soon learn what it means to betray the Brooklyn Kings.”

  The meeting lasts another hour while we discuss Costa, who his friends and business associates are, and the places he could be hiding. Eventually the men disperse leaving only my brothers and me along with Emilio, Pierce, and Gio. Except for Pierce, we all take a seat.

  “Whose idea was it to create the false evidence against Costa?” Emilio asks once everyone is situated.

  Paddy shoots his hand up in the air with a cheeky grin. “It was pretty genius if I do say so myself.”

  Gio snorts. Pierce coughs. Emilio shakes his head. His gaze shifts to me. “How is she doing?”

  “I’m taking care of her,” I bite out. I’m not sure there can ever be peace between us. Not after this. Perhaps I’m being stubborn, but I’m not going to budge on my feelings.

  “Good,” Emilio says stiffly. “I’m glad she has someone.” Even if that someone is you goes unspoken.

  “Are we finished here?” I ask. “I need to get back to Aurora.”

  He glares back at me. “Yes.”

  I stand and cross to the exit. Before I walk through, I glance over my shoulder. “If I find him first, he won’t return to you alive.”

  Chapter 33

  Aurora

  * * *

  The beep of the door alarm disengaging startles me.

  “Couldn’t stay away, could you?” I tease, not looking up from the book I’m reading.

  “No, I couldn’t.”

  My lungs freeze. That voice. I tremble. Don’t panic. Just breathe like Jack taught you.

  With slow movements, I lower the book and turn toward the speaker. Alessandro stands in the doorway, his suit rumpled over his corpulent body.

  “What are you doing here?” The question is shaky.

  Alessandro sneers. “I’m here for my wife. You really thought I wasn’t going to come and get you? So stupid. How many times have I told you, Aurora, that you are mine? It doesn’t matter what papers I sign. You belong to me.”

  My stomach roils and I think I might vomit. I hate this man with everything I am. Quickly, I stand, not wanting to be at a disadvantage. Rage at his utter presumption festers, slowly building in strength.

  “I was never yours,” I scream, unable to hold back the denial. “I’ve always been Jack’s. From the first moment he and I met, I was his.”

  Alessandro laughs. It’s filled with so much evil, a shiver skates down my back. “Your precious Jack,”—he sneers—“isn’t here, though, is he? He’s as useless as you are. I bet you thought he was going to protect you, didn’t you?”

  “What did you do to him?”

  He lifts his arm and mimics firing a gun. “I took care of him like the nuisance he is.”

  “You’re lying,” I bite out. He has to be.

  He moves into the living room, creeping closer and closer to me. “He’s lying on the concrete in the parking garage below us, his blood pooling around him, soaking into the ground. He can’t help you.”

  It can’t be true. I refuse to believe it. This is just another one of Alessandro’s mind games.

  “You’ve made me very angry, Aurora.”

  “I’m sorry.” I curse my automatic response and shake my head. No, I’m not sorry. If I can get past him and out the door, I’ll find Jack and get help. Just play along. “Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you say.”

  “Of course you will, you stupid whore,” Alessandro snaps and points to a spot on the floor next to him as though I’m a dog come to heel. “Don’t make me have to come get you.”

  Meekly, with my chin tucked against my chest, I move toward him. I run through all the moves Jack taught me. His words echo inside my head. “The most important thing to do is get away. You won’t overpower him. You’ll have to outsmart him.”

  I can do that. When I’m close enough to him, and appear significantly cowed, I make my move. I dart around him and rush toward the door. But he lashes out quicker than a snake and snatches my hair in a tight fist. My head jerks back. Tears spring to my eyes, and a cry spills from my lips.

  “You stupid bitch,” he curses. “I knew you’d try something.”

  His open palm connects with my face, nearly knocking me down. I stumble backward, but Alessandro is on me. He’s fast, despite his size. He grabs me again, and this time, it’s a punch that lands on my cheek. The force drops me to the floor. I scramble on my butt and legs, trying to scoot as he drags me across the living room by my hair. He yanks me to my feet. A backhand collides with my other cheek. I stumble away.

  I scream out in pain and anger. Then, I rush him and slam my fists into his chest, taking out three years’ worth of rage. My blows seem ineffective. Alessandro grips my wrists and throws me onto the couch. He wraps a hand around my throat. I claw at it, trying to suck in air. My legs kick in a desperate attempt to push him off me.

  Jack’s voice speaks calmly in my head, reminding me what I need to do. I go for Alessandro’s ears. My fingers latch onto them as tightly as I can, and I pull as though I’m going to rip them right off. He yells out. He releases his chokehold on me. I scrape my nails across his eyes.

  Alessandro rears back, and I scramble out from underneath him. I trip in my mad dash to escape, almost falling on my face. I’m on my feet, and I race to the kitchen. Protect yourself. Harsh breathing flickers across my neck.

  “I’m going to kill you,” Alessandro growls.

  Just as my fingers wrap around the handle of a knife in the block, he grabs me from behind. Using all my strength, I slash out at him, catching the blade across his arm. Unintelligible sounds rumble out of me, like I’m a wounded animal. He screams, but I can’t stop. I can’t let him hurt me anymore. My grip changes, and I stab downward. The point pierces Alessandro’s skin and sinks farther into his body. I withdraw it and stab again and again.

  Screams pour from my throat. Tears blur my vision. I’m like a mad woman. Over and over I drive the knife into him until a strong fist grabs my arm, halting my movement.

  “Aurora, baby, you have to stop. He’s dead.” Arms wrap tightly around me, holding me close to a hard body. “He’s dead.”

  “Jaysus,” another male voice gasps in horror.

  Whispered words finally penetrate. He’s dead? I swipe my face and stare down at the bloodied mess. It covers the floor. It’s also all over my hands and my clothes. My head jerks upright and I find myself staring into Jack’s eyes. I scream his name, drop the knife to the ground, and throw myself against him. He groans, but his hold on me tightens.

  “You’re alive. I knew it,” I cry out. “Alessandro said you were dead.”

  “It’s going to take more than his measly attempt to bring me down,” he assures me with a cocky chuckle. My tears come faster.

  “He still managed to put a bullet in you,” comes the dry response from Paddy.

  “It’s just a flesh wound,” Jack says, although he winces.

  “Maybe it would be best if we”—his brother gestures toward the other room—“move in there and wait for Emilio and the cleanup crew.”

  I glance back over my shoulder to Alessandro’s dead body. Nausea threatens at the blood pooling on the floor around him. As the adrenaline rush starts to slow, reality hits me. Oh god. I killed him. I jump to my feet and barely make it to the sink before I empty my stomach. I vomit until there’s nothing left. My body shakes. I’m so cold. Jack doesn’t leave my side.

  I’m soon covered in a blanket and he directs me toward the couch. He sits first and pulls me down so I’m on his lap. He tugs me close and my head goes to his shoulder. I can’t stop trembling. My teeth chatter. The whole time, Jack keeps murmuring soft, reassuring words to me and rubs me gently. Eventually, I warm.

  Paddy’s phone rings. He answers and then he’s heading out the door, only to return a few minutes later with an entourage. Leading it is a towering Emilio Ricci, who strides forward with a graceful kind of power. Immediately behind him is Pierce, looking as fierce and deadly as always. I tremble for another reason.

  The two men come to a stop in front of us, joined by a much smaller, middle-aged man wearing glass and carrying a black bag. He stands slightly behind the Italians as though he knows who the most powerful people in the room are. Paddy and the rest of the crew head into the kitchen.

  “Jack.” Emilio nods. “Perhaps you can let your doctor attend to you while I speak with Aurora.”

  Beneath me, Jack stiffens. “Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me.”

  “Yes, I can,” he agrees. “However, it was not a request.”

  Not wanting to cause any further discontent between them, I lay my hand on Jack’s chest and stare into his eyes. “I’ll be all right. Let the doctor take care of you. Please.”

  His gaze darts across my face and I hold mine steady. He nods and releases his hold on me. I rise from his lap and he comes to his feet. Despite being several inches shorter, he encroaches on Emilio’s personal space until they’re chest to chest. Neither man speaks, but it’s perfectly clear a message is being exchanged.

  Finally, Jack backs away and follows the third man—the doctor—into the other room. I turn back to Emilio, avoiding Pierce’s penetrating stare boring into me. Unsure if I should speak first, I wait. What sort of punishment awaits me? Or worse, Jack?

  I lift my chin almost defiantly. Emilio’s light brown eyes soften in intensity as they travel over my face. The pain in the left side of my face around my already battered eye is slowly making its presence known. I’m sure I’m a bruised mess.

  “It’s not often I find myself in a position to apologize,” he says quietly.

  My gaze turns questioning. What does he have to apologize for?

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t keep a closer eye on Alessandro. That he was able to find his way here and hurt you again. I’m also sorry that I seem to have made myself unapproachable to one of my own relatives when she needed help.”

  I stare in astonishment. Never would I have expected a man as powerful as Emilio to say he was sorry. There’s still a lingering bitterness that he didn’t step in sooner, but there’s nothing to do about it at this point. Alessandro is dead. I don’t have to fear him anymore. “Thank you for that.”

  “I do hope in the future, if you need anything at all, that you will come to me,” he adds.

  “She’ll have me if she needs something.” Jack steps up to us. He’s shirtless and there’s a white bandage wrapped around his torso. He loops an arm around my waist and gently tugs me against him. I melt into his side.

  There’s a palpable tension between the two men. I’m not sure if Jack will ever forgive his brother-in-law entirely for his lack of action against Alessandro. Hopefully they’ll be able to work out their differences.

  “As you say.” Emilio gives a respectful nod, and then he and Pierce turn away.

  Jack pivots to face me. He gently traces my cheek and around my eye, his expression tightening as his fingers move down to my throat, where I’m sure the marks from Alessandro’s hand are present.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you,” he says with deep regret.

  My hands cover his. “You were here when it mattered. Besides, I think I needed to be the one to protect myself. I’ve been weak for so long. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel knowing I killed him. A part of me should be horrified. And I am. I took a life.” I hesitate at the lack of suffocating guilt.

  “But you’re also glad he’s dead,” Jack says matter-of-factly. He knows me so well.

  “I’m finally free of him. I’m still not sure I believe it.”

  He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll remind you of it every day.”

  That whisper of emotion—of hope—grows louder. I’ve held a part of myself back from Jack because it’s been easier to protect my heart that way. With Alessandro dead, I’m not sure I can continue.

  Chapter 34

  Jack

  * * *

  Paddy and the cleanup crew have long since gone. The kitchen is spotless without a single drop of blood present to act as evidence to the recent violence that occurred here. After they left, I helped Aurora get cleaned up. She moved into the living room and has been sitting on the couch with her knees tucked against her chest. Her cheek rests on them and she stares into the fire. Thankfully, her eyes aren’t glazed in shock. They’re contemplative.

  I cross the room and sit beside her. She swivels her head in my direction, resting the opposite cheek on the tops of her knees. “You’ve been sitting here a long time,” I note gently.

  “I’m just thinking.”

  “About?” I ask.

  She shrugs a shoulder. “I keep telling myself he’s gone, and the only thing I can think is, ‘what now?’”

  I scoot closer until our legs press together and I palm the back of her head. “Whatever you want. You’re entirely free to choose what happens next.”

  Aurora’s smile is forlorn. “Free. It’s a terrifying word, you know? The possibilities are endless. They’re also overwhelming. Suddenly, every option is open to me. It’s so much to think about. And that makes me sad.”