Kill for You (Warrior for Her #2)

Chapter Sixteen

Octavio

" B allistics is back on that gun," Captain Franklin announces, poking his head into my office.

I turn from the whiteboard in front of me to look at him.

"The gun matches."

"You're serious?"

He nods, waving a sheet of paper in my hands. "The official report is on the way, but they faxed over a copy for you. Looks like Curtis Kaleo is our guy. I'm prepared to clear Kincaid if you are."

"Yeah."

Franklin frowns at me, his brows coming together. "You having doubts about it?"

"No. Kincaid is good as far as I'm concerned." I shake my head, trying to clear it of the board in front of me and focus on the matter at hand. "The only evidence linking Kincaid to the scene was a receipt for a donation to a gang intervention program. He admitted that he broke into Curtis Kaleo's house to have it out with him about prostituting girls before he left town. Kaleo was big on respect. I'm guessing he didn't particularly like being threatened. Kincaid may have dropped the receipt while he was there."

"And Kaleo saw an opening and took it," Franklin says.

I nod. "Kaleo had to be sweating bullets, worrying that Kincaid might turn over the evidence Titan James had collected on him. He would have been looking for a way to take Kincaid down with him."

"So he takes the receipt with him when he kills the Diablos, and then leaves it, knowing that it'll be traced back to Kincaid." Franklin's upper lip curls in disgust. "Or would have been traced back to him had Whitten been worth a damn as a detective."

I nod again, letting him follow it through to the only logical conclusion. It's not necessarily the right conclusion, but that doesn't matter much at this point. Kincaid has more than paid for his crimes as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps not in the eyes of the law, but the law doesn't consider personal suffering. Michael Kincaid has had years of that, and that was before Kaleo shot his girl. It's enough. Hell, it has to be enough. At some point, the scales have to be even.

"Write it up," Franklin says, holding out the fax to me. "And let Kincaid know he's being cleared, will you? I'm sure he'd appreciate the good news."

"Yes, sir."

He hands over the fax and then glances at my whiteboard, frowning. "You find anything yet?"

"Still looking," I mutter, glaring at the whiteboard. Somewhere in the mess of information scattered across its surface is the answer to why Tarasova wants Faith back so badly. I know it is. I just need to put the pieces together in the right order. I've been at it for the last three days, but the answer still eludes me.

"Keep at it," Franklin says, clapping me on the back. "You'll get it sooner or later, son."

"Thanks."

I wait for him to head back to his office before I glance down at the fax, reading through the information quickly. At least something is going right for once. I pull my cell out of my pocket and dial Roman's number.

"What's up, O?"

"We're clearing Kincaid."

"Thank fuck," he says, his tone colored with relief. "You got ballistics back?"

"Yeah. I have a copy of the report in my hands. As far as my captain is concerned, Kaleo is our guy. I'll write my report today and send it up the chain. But he's clear, Roman."

"I'll pass on the news. Any idea when you'll be home?"

I pull the phone from my ear and glance at the time. It's barely noon. "I can wrap shit up here and head out. Why? What's going on? Is Faith okay?"

"She's fine, O. But Luke is heading out to Seattle in the morning to meet up with Carter and Selena," he explains, referring to a fellow officer and a woman he helped rescue several months ago. Jose Guerrero was Selena Ortega's brother. The prick essentially sold her to Pedro Francisco, one of the most violent cartel leaders in Mexico. He forced her to let him inseminate her.

When Pledger broke into Roman's, he warned Mila that Francisco's enemies are coming for the kid. Luke is going to help Carter protect her until we figure out what the fuck to do to keep another war from blowing up over the kid.

"Mila wants you and Faith to come to dinner with us tonight at Kravings ."

"What time?"

"I should be home by six. Reservation is at eight. I booked the entire restaurant so no one else will be there."

I hesitate for a brief moment and then sigh. We have to go.

Faith deserves a little normalcy, and aside from our one disastrous trip to the movies two weeks ago, she hasn't been anywhere but here to see Dr. Shapiro and home. I want to give her what freedom I can, however I can. I fucking owe it to her.

"We'll be there," I promise.

"See you then."

I disconnect and drop my phone to the desk before turning back to the whiteboard and my search for a way to free her entirely from Tarasova. The answer is in front of me. I just have to find the damn thing.

"May 7th," I mumble to myself, flipping through Faith's notebook until I find the date in question. My eyes skim across the page, reading Faith's entry about cooking one night when she overheard a phone call between Tarasova and an unidentified subject. He was laughing with the man about a suka who would make him a king. That little bastardo Ivan Sedov came into the kitchen, demanding to know what was taking her so long to finish dinner. When he realized she could hear Tarasova, he shoved her into the stove, spilling oil across her stomach. She screamed as the hot oil burned her badly, but he just laughed, calling her a nosy bitch.

Tarasova came into the room when he heard her screaming. He seemed angry with Sedov when he saw the burn on her stomach. He barked at Sedov to clean up the oil and finish dinner, and then told Faith to go take care of the burn, warning her that he wouldn't take her to the hospital if it became infected.

"Sorry motherfucker," I growl, tossing the notebook down on my desk as hatred rolls through me. That burn was bad enough to scar. She needed medical treatment. Instead, they left her to deal with the injury and the pain on her own. The deeper into her notebook I delve, searching for clues as to why Tarasova wants her back so badly, the deeper my rage grows.

She's told me a lot over the last few days about what she endured, about the people they hurt to punish her for some perceived misdeed. One of the few people in Tarasova's world to show her any kindness was Ilya Lukanin. He convinced Tarasova to let her work with him, said he needed the help.

I think he did it to get her to the safety of his bar as often as possible. He didn't pay her, but he kept her as safe as he could for as long as he could, even telling Tarasova he needed her to work double shifts. The hours were long, and the work was hard, but at least when she was at the bar, Nikolai couldn't hurt her.

They did enough of that for far too goddamn long.

I climb to my feet, taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself when all I want to do is hunt down Tarasova, Sedov, and all the other motherfuckers who hurt her and tear them apart with my bare hands. It's less than they deserve.

Instead, I cross to the whiteboard and add the date of the phone conversation.

There's something about it that doesn't sit right.

Faith assumed Tarasova meant her mother, but even if he had gotten his hands on her, she wouldn't be worth much to him. Chances are that she and Palatov blew through the money they stole from him long ago.

I grab my cell off the desk and dial Roman's number.

"What's up?" he answers on the second ring.

"When did you first learn about Selena Ortega?" I ask.

"Early June. Why?"

"Any chance Tarasova knew about her before you did?"

"I don't see how. Finn passed the rumor on to me as soon as he heard it. Brady and I scooped her up in a matter of hours. Why? What's up, O?" he asks.

"Do you remember when she crossed the border into the US?" I ask instead of answering him.

"A couple weeks before. Late May, maybe. Why? What's going on?"

"Fuck, I'm not sure yet." I scrub a hand through my hair, staring with narrowed eyes at the whiteboard in front of me. Something isn't adding up. If he wasn't talking about Faith's mom and he didn't know about Selena Ortega until mid to late May…could he have been talking about Faith?

"I think I found something, but I need to look into some shit first. Are you home yet or is Luke still sitting with the girls?"

"I'm on my way there now. Why?"

"I need a favor."

"Name it," he says, not even hesitating.

"I need you to get ahold of Faith's medical records from when she was a kid. Before she went back to her mom. I need to check something."

"I'll see what I can do," he promises. "What are you thinking?"

I glance at the board and then back to the notebook and then back to the stack of news articles Franklin brought in last week about her dad. I exhale a sharp breath. "I think I know who Faith's father is, and if I'm right, I think Tarasova wants her back so badly because she's the heir to a fortune."

"How big are we talking?" he asks.

"Millions. Maybe more." I quickly fill him in on Teddy Jackson and why I think he's her father. "Before Jackson died, his company was worth millions. Since his death, that fortune has only grown. If he left her even a portion of that, she's easily worth fifty times what Tarasova is willing to pay to get her back."

"Jesus Christ," Roman whispers.

"The only thing I can't figure is why he'd pay to have her killed. If she's dead, he wouldn't ever see a penny of it."

"No, but her mother might," Roman mutters, his voice grim. "If he's worried she's slipping through his fingers, killing her and getting her mother to hand over at least part of the fortune might be plan B."

"I considered that too," I reluctantly admit, not liking the picture it paints. If her mother inherits in the event of Faith's death, it's quite possible Tarasova knows it. Either he knows where she's at and probably has all along, and he's been tormenting Faith with the threat of her mother's death for years just to get his rocks off…or her mother and Palatov didn't steal the money they skipped town with. Tarasova bought Faith from them and has been biding his time, waiting until she inherits to get his hands on her fortune.

"I'll get people on it," Roman promises and then hesitates. "If you're right, what are you going to do about it, O? They're not going to stop coming for her, especially if she's worth millions."

"I'm still working on that part of it."

"Whatever you need, you've got."

"Thanks, Roman." I disconnect and drop the phone to my desk, staring at the whiteboard. If I'm right about this, Faith's life is going to change drastically. I just hope like hell she still wants me to be part of it because there's no way I'm going to survive letting her go.

"You're so handsome," Faith whispers in my ear and then giggles. "I want to climb into your lap and get you naked."

I turn my head toward her, chuckling when I see the lazy smile on her face and her dilated pupils. She had two glasses of wine with dinner and she's feeling them. Even though she was a bartender, she's never drank before. I probably should have cut her off after the first glass, but she was too damn cute for words when she realized how much she liked white wine. I couldn't resist letting her have the second glass.

Her long black hair flows down her back in waves. She's dressed simply in a white sweater that fits her more like a short dress and black leggings, but damn. I haven't been able to take my eyes off her all night.

"Are you drunk, little bunny?" I ask, pressing my lips to her ear as conversation flows around us. Finn and his wife, Luke, Mila, and Roman are all seated at the table with us, but with Faith pressed up against my side, it feels like we're the only two people in the room. I can't resist pressing my face up against the side of her neck and breathing in that strawberries and cream scent that makes me crazy.

"No." She giggles again. "Maybe."

"Are you wet for me, angel?" I whisper, nipping at her ear.

"I'm always wet for you." She pulls back to look at me, her eyes wide and earnest. "We should be at home so we can do that one thing."

"What one thing?" I ask, smiling when she pouts.

"You know, that thing where we're both naked and you give me orgasms," she whispers, her eyes darting around the table like she's trying to make sure no one can hear her, but they're all wrapped up in their own conversations. Even drunk, she's shy.

I swear to God, everything this woman does gets my dick hard. But her talking about orgasms in public should be illegal. My cock goes rock hard, pressing against the fly of my slacks. I have to wrap my hands around the edge of the table to keep from snatching her up and putting her in my lap where she belongs.

"I like when you give me orgasms, Octavio."

"Faith," I warn her when my dick pulses.

"I like you." She giggles again, pressing her lips to my ear. "You're handsome and nice and you give me all the chocolate I want even though the doctor said you shouldn't do that so much."

"You can have anything you want, Faith." Fuck her doctor for trying to say she can't have it. She can eat whatever she wants. He can kiss my ass if he thinks I'm going to tell her no after those bastardos starved her for five years. She gets what she wants. Always.

"See? So nice." She reaches out and pats my hand like she's petting a dog.

I chuckle and shake my head at her. I don't know how it's possible that she's even cuter when she's drunk, but she is. She's so relaxed and happy. I haven't had a drop to drink, but she's intoxicating me.

"Octavio?"

"Yeah, conejita ?"

"I more than like you." She bites her lip and looks up at me, suddenly shy again. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, angel," I manage to whisper through the lump in my throat. My voice is thick and gravelly, emotion pulsing through me in powerful waves. "That's more than okay."

I lean forward and press my lips to her forehead. The words I love you are right on the tip of my tongue, but the first time I say them to her, I don't want it to be in a restaurant, surrounded by people. I want her naked in my bed, my cum dripping down her legs.

Dios. I need to be in her.

"You ready to go?" I ask, sliding one hand along her cheek to tilt her face up to mine again.

She bites her lip and nods, desire burning in her honey-brown eyes.

I motion for our waiter and ask for our check, ready to get out of here.

"Are you guys leaving?" Mila asks from across the table, her expression softening when she sees that Faith is cuddled up so close to me that she's practically in my lap.

Faith starts to pull away when conversation halts all around the table and everyone looks in our direction, but I tighten my arm around her waist, keeping her close. If anyone at the table has any problems with us being together, they're just going to have to deal with them because she's mine now and I'm not going to hide it. Based on the knowing looks coming from Finn and Roman, and the amused grin on Luke's face, I don't think it’s a surprise to anyone here that I'm claiming her.

"Yeah, pequena ," I murmur to Mila. "We have an early day tomorrow."

"We do?" Faith scrunches up her nose like she doesn't like that thought. I don't much care for it either. I'd prefer to keep her naked in our bed all day long.

"You have a follow-up appointment," I remind us both.

"Fine, but I don't like it," she huffs, earning chuckles from Finn and Roman and a giggle from Mila. Before I can kiss the pout from her face, she untangles herself from my arms and hops to her feet.

The waiter reappears with our check. I don't even look at it as I hand over my debit card, my eyes on Faith. She circles around the table to Luke's chair, a look of determination on her face.

"Do you really have to go?" she asks when she reaches his side.

"Yeah, little one. I really do."

The waiter leaves the table with my debit card.

Faith sighs sadly, her face in an adorable pout.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Luke promises her, his green eyes soft.

"Okay. Thank you for helping keep me safe," she whispers, her honey eyes shining like she's trying not to cry. She bites her bottom lip and eyes him for a moment, clearly thinking about something. "Can I hug you?"

Luke's shocked expression mirrors my own. If she notices everyone else at the table watching her with similar looks on their faces, she doesn't show it.

Luke quickly masks his surprise and glances at me, waiting for me to nod before he answers her.

"Yeah. Of course you can hug me," he says. He stays still, not making any sudden moves as she leans down and wraps her arms around him. He reaches up and pats her on the back once before dropping his hand back to the table, doing his best not to overwhelm her. She only hugs him for a moment, not long at all, but it's long enough.

Pride courses through me, making my heart soar with a welter of fierce emotion when she releases him and steps back. As much as part of me wants to be the only man she ever touches, I'd swallow my own tongue before taking this moment away from her. She's so damn perfect.

I climb to my feet and circle around the table to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into me. She leans her head against my arm.

I hold my hand out for Luke to shake.

"Take care of her, Octavio," he demands, grasping my hand and meeting my gaze so I can read the seriousness and affection in his eyes. He likes her. I think he's come to view her like a sister over the last few weeks. She clearly likes him too. He's the first man other than me that she's willingly touched, even if briefly.

"Thank you," I murmur to him, my voice gruff. He's been good to her, keeping her safe when I couldn't be there to do it myself. More than that, he's been kind to her and understanding. He's helped her start to realize that there are good people in the world. She needed that. Hell, I think I needed that for her. He's earned my respect, my loyalty, and my gratitude. "If I can ever do anything for you, I'm there, brother."

He nods, letting me know he gets what I'm saying.

The waiter returns with my debit card. I quickly tack on a tip, sign the receipt, and then tuck the card into my pocket.

Mila struggles to her feet and then wraps her arms around Faith, hugging her. She whispers something in her ear that makes Faith giggle, and then Mila releases her and turns to me.

"Be good, pequena ," I murmur, hugging her. Her pregnant belly gets in the way, making her laugh.

"I'm always good."

I laugh when Roman snorts, earning a glare from her. He just grins at her. She's sweet as pie, but she keeps him on his toes and everyone knows it. I think she messes with him just because she knows he'll let her get away with it. He's always been a lot like me—too focused on his job and protecting his daughter, Tahani. She's teaching him that there's more to life than work and worrying.

"It was nice to meet you," Faith says to Finn's wife, Lola.

"You too," Lola says, smiling up at Faith. She's a good decade and a half younger than Finn, with bright blue eyes and jet black hair. She's lovely and clearly head over heels for her husband. He seems just as enamored with her, his usually hard expression softening anytime he looks at her. "We'll get together sometime soon."

"I'd like that," Faith says.

Lola grins at her.

"It was nice to see you again, sweetheart," Finn says.

"You too. Bye, Roman."

"Bye, little one." Roman smiles at her before his gaze lands on me. "We'll talk tomorrow."

I nod at him and then say a final bye to everyone before leading Faith through the restaurant.

"Did you have fun?" I ask, wrapping an arm around her waist and tucking her into my side as the hostess holds open the front door for us to pass through. The temperature has dropped since we arrived. The cool wind blows Faith's long hair all over the place.

"Yeah," she says as we stroll toward my truck. "I'm going to miss Luke though."

"You really like him."

"He's nice to me. I think he's a good guy, like you and Roman."

"That's good, conejita . I'm glad you feel safe with him." She deserves to have people in her life who treat her the way she should have always been treated. I love seeing her opening up to people and finding her place in the world. She's grown so much in the last couple of months. I can't wait to see who she becomes a year from now, or fifteen years from now.

"I think he's still hurting about what happened with Remi. He feels guilty."

"Yeah, I think so too. But he'll work it out."

"I told Mila we're having sex," she blurts out a few seconds later.

I stop walking a few feet from the truck, glancing down at her in surprise.

"I hope that's okay." She bites her lip like she's worried maybe she shouldn't have said anything. "I mean…she figured it out and I couldn't lie to her. Are you mad?"

I frown at her. "You think I don't want people to know you're mine?"

"No, I…" She shakes her head and then shrugs. "I don't know. We never talked about it."

My brows furrow. I walk her the last few feet to the truck, popping the locks. Before she can climb in, I press her up against the side, crowding her with my body. "You can tell anyone you want," I whisper, tipping my head down until we're a mere breath from kissing. "I'm not ashamed of you, and I'm damn sure not going to hide you, Faith. I meant it when I said you're mine now."

"Okay," she whispers back.

"And for the record, when we're together, we're not having sex or fucking or whatever else you might want to call it." This isn't casual, and I don't want her thinking it is. We're clearing that shit up right now.

"We're not?"

"No."

"What are we doing?" she asks, face scrunched up like she's genuinely confused.

"Making love, angel. When we're together, even if it's quick and dirty, we're making love."

Her mouth opens into a little "O", like she didn't know that's what we've been doing. Like she didn't realize what's been happening between us. Dios. Maybe she didn't. She'd never been kissed before me. But I meant what I said. She's mine, and I'm not going to hide how I feel about her to please anyone. I'd like to ensure she's safe before my chain-of-command finds out, but I won't hide her. They can fuck off if they don't like it.

She looks so fucking cute with that half-surprised, half-joyous look on her face, I can't resist kissing her.

I crash my mouth down on hers, kissing her hard and deep. She wraps her arms around my neck, moaning into my mouth as she tries to climb up my body. I help her out, wrapping my hands around her waist and picking her up. Her legs wrap around me, my cock nestling against her pussy. Even through her leggings, the heat of her sex drives me crazy.

"Fuck," I mutter, grinding her against me because I can't help it.

"Octavio," she whimpers into my mouth, her nails digging into my shoulders through my button-down.

I press her deeper into the side of the truck, sink deeper into her heat. Everything but her disappears. My heart thumps unevenly in my chest as her tongue strokes against mine. Her eager hands run across my shoulders, pulling me closer, closer, as if she's trying to fuse our bodies together again. I love when she does that…when she wants to be as close to me as humanly possible.

Fuck, I love her. Period. Even if she isn't ready to say it back, I need her to know how I feel about her. I can't wait any longer to tell her. It's making me crazy that she doesn't know she's all I think about.

"Faith, conejita, I lo–"

A loud pop rips through the parking lot, halting my confession in its tracks. An instant later, the window beside her head explodes in a shower of glass. My heart stops beating for a second, terror ripping through me as realization dawns. Someone is shooting at us.

I drop to the ground with Faith still in my arms, shielding her body with mine.

She screams as a flurry of gunfire rings out, striking all around us. The back passenger side window shatters. Another bullet ricochets off the door, hitting the Mercedes next to us.

"Stay down!" I yell at Faith, pushing her halfway underneath the truck as I grab my gun out of its holster. I grab my phone too, tossing it to her. "Call for help, angel."

She stares at me, wide-eyed and frozen in shock.

"Faith, angel." I shake her hard, snapping her out of it. She blinks at me, her eyes filling with tears. "Call for help, little bunny, and don't get up until I say you can."

I don't have time to make sure she's doing what I told her to do. Instead, I send up a prayer that Roman, Luke, and Finn heard the shots, and then I duck walk around the side of the vehicle beside mine, staying down as whoever is shooting at us continues to unload in our direction. When I get to the far side of the Mercedes, I raise up just enough to scan the parking lot. There's a black passenger car parked in the middle of the lot, blocking the row. Whoever is shooting at us is in that vehicle.

The window is partially opened, a handgun pointed in our direction.

I take aim and fire off several rounds. The first glances off the driver's side mirror. The second shatters the partially opened window. The driver brings his arm up to shield his face as glass showers down, but I catch sight of him anyway. He's one of Tarasova's people I recognize. Victor Milonov, the one who gets off on torturing people. There's someone else in the car with him, but I can't get a good look at him. He's obscured by Milonov's bulky frame.

It doesn't really matter who he is. I'm going to fucking kill them both. I take a shot at Milonov, blocking out the sounds of people shouting and screaming from closer to the restaurant and nearby shops. I aim again, sighting him.

"Octavio!" Faith screams from behind me, sheer terror in her voice.

I spin in her direction in time to see Ivan Sedov trying to drag her away from the vehicle by her hair. He rears back and slaps her across the face so loud I hear the sharp blow from where I'm at.

I don't even hesitate as rage rips through me. I take aim and fire, hitting him in the shoulder. He grunts, losing his grip on her hair as I circle around the Mercedes toward the truck. Someone takes a shot at me from somewhere behind Sedov, barely missing me.

I hit the ground on my back, bringing my gun up. I aim at Sedov again, pure rage flowing through my veins. This is the motherfucker who tormented and abused Faith for years just because he could. This is the one she still has nightmares about, the one she's still so afraid of.

Not anymore. This motherfucker is mine now.

I fire off two more rounds. One hits him in the cheek. The other in the top of the head.

Faith screams, scrabbling backward on her hands when he pitches forward, his blood splattering all over the place. He hits the ground hard, landing partially on top of her. He doesn't move again.

I don't have time check on Faith. There are two other men still standing, not including Milonov and whoever's in the car with him. I don't recognize either of the two partially obscured by my truck, but they're both armed.

I fire again, hitting the first one in the chest. The second lifts his gun, but before he can get a shot off, a shot rings out from behind him. He jerks, the gun tumbling from his hands as blood spreads rapidly across his chest from an exit wound. He hits the ground hard, his head bouncing against the cement with an audible crack.

I see Roman, Finn, and Luke running toward us, guns in their hands.

Tires squeal as Milonov takes off in the black passenger car.

I jump to my feet and spin in the direction of the car, emptying the rest of my magazine. The back window shatters, but the car doesn't stop. It takes a hard left out of the parking lot, narrowly avoiding plowing into a cab. The cab's driver slams on the brakes, tires squealing and the back end fishtailing. The engine of Milonov's car roars as he hits the gas and quickly races out of sight.

Faith cries out behind me.

"Faith!" I drop my gun and charge toward her, not stopping until Sedov's body is off her and she's in my arms. She's soaked in blood. Sedov's handprint is an angry red welt across the side of her face. The sight of it fills me with rage. I run my hands all over her, checking for any other injuries, but not finding any. I don't think the blood is hers. It's his.

She sobs uncontrollably, wrapping herself around me and clinging.

" Está bien, conejita. Estoy aquí. Estoy aquí ." I bury my face in her hair, trying to calm the way my heart races, sending fury pumping through me with every heavy beat. I'm going to destroy Tarasova for this. I'll kill every single one of his people if that's what it takes to ensure they never come for her again.

"Is she hurt?" Roman asks, running up to us.

"It's not her blood," I tell him, pulling back to look at him.

His expression is grim and full of worry. He drops to his knees beside us, positioning himself between her and Sedov's body as if to keep her from seeing the blood and brain matter seeping out onto the cement a couple feet away.

"Are you good?" he asks me.

Fuck no, I'm not good. I almost lost her.

Dios. They could have taken her from me.

"I'm good," I lie, holding Faith tighter as she cries. I rock her back and forth in my lap, murmuring to her. She's crying so hard I don't think she hears anything.

"Sedov fucking slapped her," I seethe.

Roman's blue eyes darken with rage.

"Did you see whoever got away?" Finn asks from behind him.

"Victor Milonov. There was someone else in the car with him, but I didn't see his face."

"This one's still breathing," Luke calls out and then immediately follows it up with a cheerful, "Never mind. He quit."

No one makes a move to start CPR.

"Please don't go," Faith pleads with me, clinging when I try to pull back from her. She's tucked into the passenger seat of Luke's SUV, gripping my shirt so tight I know it has to be hurting her fingers. Officers mill all around, working the crime scene.

Finn called Knox Cooper to come get Mila and Lola. They left about an hour ago, headed to Luke's. Now that Faith has finished giving her statement, I'm sending her with Luke to meet them. He and Knox are going to keep them safe while Roman and I hunt down Milonov. I don't care if I have to plow through every Bratva member in the city to find him. He's going to die tonight.

I gently untangle Faith's hands, bringing each to my mouth to kiss her knuckles. "I have to go, angel."

"No you don't!" she cries.

"I do." I don't want to leave her either, but I'm not giving them a chance to come for her again. One way or another, we're settling this shit tonight. If I have to hunt Tarasova down and put a bullet in his brain too, I'll do it. But they aren't going to hurt her again. I promised her.

I lift my hand, running my knuckles gently down the handprint on her cheek. It's already bruising, darkening her tawny skin. The edges of it are purple. She flinches like my touch hurts. A knife twists in my guts. The urge to kill Sedov all over again rises hot and fast, blowing through me like a fierce wind.

"They hurt you," I whisper, my voice shaking with emotion. "They shot at you, conejita ."

"I don't want you to go after them," she whispers back. Tears shimmer in her lashes. "I don't want to lose you, Octavio."

"Angel." I tip my head forward, pressing my forehead to hers. "I swear to you that I'm coming back for you. But I have to go. I promised that you'd be safe with me. I have to keep that promise now. What kind of man would I be if I didn't?"

"The safe kind," she says, sniffling. If she wasn't currently breaking my heart, I'd smile at the sheer annoyance in her tone. "Promise me that you're coming back."

"I swear to you, Faith, I'm coming back. They aren't going to take me from you. I won't allow it. I won't allow them to come after you again, either. I have to go take care of this. It's the only way to guarantee your safety. I don't want you looking over your shoulder all the time, afraid they'll come for you or me."

She clings to me for a long moment and then nods once.

I crush her to me, breathing her in before I reluctantly release her and jerk my chin at Luke, letting him know they're good to go. He climbs into the driver's side and slams his door closed.

"Protect her, Luke."

"With my life," he promises me.

Faith starts crying again as I buckle her in, but she doesn't fight me. She just presses her face to my chest and whispers something I can't understand. It sounds like a prayer.

"I promise I'm coming back to you, little bunny," I vow once more and then close her door.

Luke rolls out of the parking lot with two LAPD units following behind him. They'll help him and Knox protect her, Mila, and Lola until this shit is over with. Every cop in this city will help protect them if that's what it takes to keep Faith safe. She's mine. And now everyone knows it.

Watching Luke drive away with her twists the knife in my stomach a little deeper.

" Te amo, mi conejita ," I whisper, wishing like hell I'd said it to her before she left. Saying in while covered in the blood of the man who tormented her for five years didn't feel right. But I should have said it before I let her drive away.

Fuck. As soon as I finish this, I'm telling her how I feel about her.

Letting her leave my sight when she isn't safe is fucking killing me, but I watch until the SUV is out of sight and then I shove everything down into a little box and turn to deal with the scene. It's the only way I'm going to make it through this shit without cracking. And the sooner I'm done here, the sooner I can concentrate on hunting down Tarasova and Milonov.

Roman and Finn are off to the side, talking to my captain and Major Jessup as the crime scene guys process the scene and detectives question the remaining witnesses. The bodies of Sedov and the other two we killed have already been removed. All that's left is the blood, broken glass, and bullet casings littering the parking lot from one end to the other.

"Octavio," Roman says when I step up beside him.

Major and Captain both eye me. Major is tight-lipped, his gray hair sticking out all over the place. He looks pissed, but whether that's at me or the situation in general, I don't know. Brass tends to get pissy when there are bodies involved. At the moment, I don't really care how he feels though.

Captain Franklin's expression is grim. He can't hide the worry glinting in his brown eyes. I think he knows I'm not going to let this ride. He's stayed out of it until now, letting me work it out myself. But he might not have that option any longer.

"I was filling them in on what you found today," Roman explains. "Finn is about to head out to the hospital where she was born to try to get his hands on her medical records. We've already sent two of your guys over there. If Jackson is her father, we'll know it as soon as they find her records."

"We need to go see Kincaid," I say, looking at Roman. I don't tell him why, but I don't have to do so. He knows as well as I do that if anyone can convince Tarasova to see me, Kincaid can. If he'll help me. Fuck, after everything he's been through because of me, I wouldn't blame him if he slammed the door in my face. But he won't. I'm not going to let him.

"We need your badge and your gun, Hernandez," Major Jessup says, making Franklin scowl.

I pull my badge out and hand it over without hesitation. It's not like I didn't know it was coming. It's standard protocol when an officer is involved in a shooting. The shooting was justified, but I don't really care if they give my badge back to me when their investigation is over or not. At the moment, I've got more important things to deal with.

"Your gun?"

"I've already relinquished my service weapon. Coulter has it," I tell him.

He jerks his chin in a nod and then looks at Roman. "I'm going to need yours too."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Roman says, crossing his massive arms over his chest. His brows draw down, his scowl making it clear he's not handing over a damn thing.

"You just killed a man, Agent Gregory."

"And if my boss wants to suspend me pending a formal investigation, he's welcome to do it," Roman snaps right back at him, not backing down. "You don't have that authority, Jessup."

Jessup glances at Finn like he's looking for backup.

"I'm not his boss anymore," Finn mutters, backing Roman without hesitation. "You want him suspended, wake up the SAC and ask him to do it. Until then, we've got shit to do. In case you forgot, at least two suspects managed to escape. I'd like to get on with finding them before they come back for Ms. Donovan a second time."

Major shoves my badge into his pocket, cursing under his breath. His blue eyes are hard, his face turning red with anger.

"Don't be a dick just because you had to crawl out of bed, Jessup," Roman warns him when he opens his mouth like he's got something to say. "His girl could have died tonight. They ambushed her. If it was your wife, you would have killed every single one of them and you know it."

" His girl is a witness in protective custody," Jessup argues.

"No, she isn't," Finn says with a shake of his bald head. "We cut her loose weeks ago. She may be a witness, but she's not in protective custody. Detective Hernandez has been letting her stay with him because he cares about her, and she has nowhere else to go. Whatever happens between them is their business, not ours. Let it go."

"Is this true?" Jessup asks Franklin.

Franklin shoots me a look I can't decipher and then nods.

"You already gave your statement?" Jessup asks me.

"Coulter took it as soon as he arrived on scene."

"I expect you in the office first thing in the morning." Jessup pins me with a hard glare before sweeping his gaze over Roman and Finn and then storming off. I already know that meeting isn't going to go well. Whether Faith was in protective custody or not is a matter of semantics and we all know it. Jessup is a stickler for the rules, and I broke them. At the very least, he'll recommend a long suspension for my relationship with her. Hell, he's pissed enough he might even push to have me fired. I appreciate Finn and Roman for trying though.

"Prick," Roman mutters when he's out of earshot.

Franklin snorts and then shakes his head, looking at me. "Go do what you have to do to protect your girl, son. But be careful. If you leave any more bodies behind, Jessup won't take it kindly." He reaches out and clasps my shoulder in a silent show of support before he takes off after Jessup, leaving us to do what needs to be done.

"You ready?" Roman asks me.

I nod, already headed toward his truck.