Chapter 19
ERIC
Gunfire splintered the doorframe six inches from my head.
I dropped low, back pressed against the wall, and returned fire through the opening. Two shots. Clean. Efficient. One of the Malatesta soldiers went down hard, blood spreading across his shoulder.
"Clear left," Ivan called from across the hallway.
"Right's got two more," I said, ejecting my magazine and slamming in a fresh one.
The building reeked of gunpowder and desperation.
This warehouse on the south side had been one of the Malatestas' last strongholds, and they'd fortified it like a fucking bunker.
Crates stacked to the ceiling, narrow corridors perfect for ambush, rats scurrying through shadows.
The kind of place you went to make a final stand when you knew you'd already lost.
We'd been clearing it room by room for the past hour.
Mr. Hughes, one of the Donati men, moved up behind me, weapon raised. "How many you count?"
"Five still breathing. Maybe six."
"They know we're here. They're cornered."
"Cornered animals bite hardest." I checked the hallway again. Empty now, but that didn't mean safe. "We push through to the back offices. That's where they'll make their stand."
Hughes nodded and signaled to his men. Three of them moved into position, covering angles while two more circled around to flank from the loading dock entrance.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I ignored it. Distractions got you killed, and I'd survived this long by keeping my focus razor-sharp during operations. But it buzzed again.
"Hold," I said to Marco, then pulled out my phone.
Two texts. All from Ivy.
Just checking in. Hope you're okay.
Be safe.
Something in my chest cracked open. Not broken. The opposite of it. Like something that had been locked tight for four years finally remembered how to feel again.
I wanted to respond, to tell her I was okay, but I didn't want to promise her something I might not be able to keep. I'd respond once the dust settled.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket, but the warmth stayed. She cared. Despite everything I'd done, all the ways I'd fucked this up, Ivy still cared whether I came back breathing.
That made surviving this clusterfuck non-negotiable.
"Ready?" Hughes asked.
I lifted my weapon. "Let's finish this."
We moved as a unit down the corridor, boots silent on concrete despite our pace. Years of training made it second nature. Hughes took point with two of his men while I covered the rear with Ivan and another of my people.
A door ahead burst open. Automatic fire sprayed the hallway.
I dove right, rolled behind a support column. Return fire came from Hughes' position, controlled bursts that forced the shooter back. I counted the rhythm of the enemy's shots. AK pattern. Thirty-round magazine. He was burning through it fast, panicked.
Amateur hour.
The shooting stopped. The click of an empty chamber.
I stepped out and put two rounds center mass before he could reload. He dropped.
"Clear," I called.
We pushed forward into what looked like a makeshift office. Desks overturned for cover, papers scattered everywhere, a safe standing open and empty. They'd already pulled their assets. Smart. But not smart enough to actually get away.
"Two more in the back," one of Hughes' men reported through the comms. "Barricaded in the storage room."
I moved toward the sound of voices. Angry Italian, the kind where you didn't need translation to understand the sentiment. They were arguing about whether to surrender or fight.
The decision got made for them when Ivan kicked the door in.
I swept in behind him, weapon up. Two men. One reaching for a gun on the table. The other already raising his hands.
"Don't," I said.
The first one froze. Smart.
"On your knees. Hands behind your head."
They complied. Hughes' men zip-tied them while I cleared the rest of the room. Nothing but boxes of cheap electronics and knock-off designer handbags. The Malatestas had been running penny-ante operations out of here, barely worth the real estate.
"Building's clear," Hughes said into his radio. "Six hostiles down, two in custody."
I holstered my weapon and pulled out my phone again. No new messages from Ivy.
I wanted to see her. Wanted it with an intensity that would've worried me a week ago. But I'd stopped fighting it somewhere between watching her almost get kidnapped and realizing I'd rather die than let anyone hurt her again.
"You good?" Ivan asked, eyeing me with the kind of knowing look that made me want to punch him.
"Fine."
"That the girl?"
"Not your business."
"Right." He grinned. "Not my business that you've been checking your phone during an active operation. Totally normal behavior."
I shot him a look that had made grown men reconsider their life choices.
He just kept grinning. Bastard.
We moved out of the warehouse, leaving Hughes' cleanup crew to handle the bodies and secure whatever evidence needed securing. Outside, the late afternoon sun felt too bright after the dimness inside. My eyes adjusted slowly.
Three more Donati vehicles pulled up. Leo stepped out of the lead SUV, Grayson right behind him.
"Status?" Leo asked.
"Clear. Two prisoners for interrogation if you want them. Rest are done."
"Any casualties our side?"
"Minor injuries. Nothing serious."
Leo nodded, satisfied. "That's the last of their holdings in Ironstone. Whatever Malatestas are left scattered to the wind. They won't be coming back."
"Not without a death wish," Grayson added.
I pulled out my phone again, couldn't help it. Still no new messages, but I reread Ivy's last text anyway.
"You keep checking that phone," Leo observed, "someone might think you've got somewhere to be."
"Just making sure my people are accounted for."
"Right. Nothing to do with a certain redhead who works at my club."
I met his eyes. "She tell you that?"
"Didn't have to. Sofia did." Leo's expression shifted, something almost sympathetic crossing his features. "Look, what you do on your own time is your business. But if you're going to be operating in my city, I need to know you're focused."
"I am."
"Are you?"
The question hung there. Fair, given the circumstances.
But also completely beside the point because my focus had never been sharper.
Ivy hadn't made me weaker. She'd given me something worth staying alive for, beyond obligation and family legacy and all the other bullshit that had been driving me for years.
"She's why I'm here," I said finally. "Not just the alliance. Her. I left four years ago because I thought I was protecting her. That was stupid. So I'm not leaving again."
Leo studied me for a long moment. "You know what being with someone in this life means. The risks."
"I do."
"And you're willing to put her through that?"
"I'm willing to let her make that choice herself this time. Instead of deciding for her like I did before."
Grayson made a noise that might've been approval. "Fair enough."
"Just keep your head in the game when it matters," Leo said. "Whatever's happening with you two, handle it clean. I don't need complications bleeding into business."
"Understood."
They left to supervise the cleanup. I stood there in the fading sunlight, gun oil and cordite still clinging to my clothes, and sent Ivy another text.
I'm safe.
Thank god.
I smiled at her instant response, like she'd been holding her phone. It shouldn't have made me feel the way it did, but I couldn't help it. Ivy had become too important to me, and knowing she cared just as much was everything to me.
Where are you?
Meredith's estate. Putting together baby furniture with the girls
Safe?
Very. Security everywhere. Pretty sure I saw someone in the bushes with a sniper rifle
Good
That's your idea of good?
My idea of good is you breathing. Everything else is negotiable
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
I'm glad you're okay
Me too
I pocketed my phone and headed for my car. Ivan fell into step beside me, mercifully silent for once. My mind was already planning the evening. Shower first. Change clothes. Maybe pick up flowers, though that felt too small for what I needed to say.
I'd killed many people today. Would probably kill more before this alliance fully stabilized. That was the reality of the world I'd brought Ivy into, the life I was offering her whether she wanted it or not.
But I'd also saved her life. Protected her. And I'd keep doing that for as long as she let me.
The drive back to my hotel passed in a blur. Ivan peeled off to coordinate with the rest of our people while I took the elevator up to my floor. Inside my room, I stripped off my tactical gear and stepped into the shower, letting hot water wash away the day's violence.
My phone sat on the bathroom counter. I watched it through the glass shower door, willing it to light up with another message from Ivy.
It did.
When will you be here?
I grabbed a towel and typed one-handed.
45 minutes. Need to clean up
Okay. I'll wait
Three simple words, but they meant everything.
I dressed quickly. Dark jeans, black henley, jacket to conceal the holster I wasn't stupid enough to go anywhere without.
The flowers idea still felt inadequate, but I stopped at a shop anyway on the drive over.
Came out with something the florist assured me was romantic.
Looked like red and white chaos to me, but what did I know?
The Donati estate sprawled behind its gates like something out of a movie. Security waved me through after a brief check, professional but thorough. I appreciated that. It meant they were taking Ivy's safety seriously.
I parked near the main house. My phone buzzed.
How far off are you?
I'm here.