Chapter 16 – Adrian
I step out of the panic room, the door sealing shut behind me with a quiet hiss. The two guards stationed outside straighten at once.
“Keep your eyes on her,” I say. My voice is low, but there’s no room for confusion. “No one goes in. No one touches her. If anyone tries—kill them.”
“Yes, Boss,” they echo in unison, fists to their chests.
I nod once and keep walking, jaw clenched. My strides are long, fast, unforgiving. The weight in my chest isn’t just from what is happening around me—it’s from the woman I just left behind.
Jennie.
She looked at me like she finally saw the truth. Like she finally understood.
And that’s the most dangerous part.
Because the moment she understands the weight I carry, she’ll also realize how far I’m willing to go to protect her.
Even if it destroys me.
I hope she understands that I protect those I love, no matter what. And I’m not sorry for it.
Kaz is already waiting in the main hallway when I come down the stairs, lounging like he owns the place, his hands in his coat pockets, that ever-present smirk tugging at his lips.
He straightens when he sees me. “How’s your wife after the explosion?”
I grunt, running a hand down my face. “She’s fucking strong. I can’t believe it.”
Kaz just smirks. “You sound surprised.”
We walk out together. Zalar joins us as we head toward the car. The security around the house has doubled since the blast. Triple-perimeter coverage. Every man armed. Still, I don’t feel settled.
The moment the doors shut behind us and the car pulls out of the driveway, I turn to Kaz. “What did you find?”
Kaz exhales. “We got him. Barely.”
My eyes snap to his. “Is he hurt?”
Kaz shrugs. “I had to rough him up a little bit. He was acting stubborn, and I don’t have the fucking time to coddle.
If we’d delayed even five more minutes, he would’ve been dead.
Whoever placed that bounty knew what they were doing.
We found him hiding in some back-alley motel.
Paranoid. Disoriented. He’s lucky we got to him first.”
I sigh and lean back against the seat. Relief is quick but fleeting. I’ve been trying to track Logan ever since I let him go after the wedding. Fool kept running. He thought I was still after him—didn’t know I was trying to keep him alive.
So I sent Kaz.
Kaz never misses. He’s a predator.
Kaz glances sideways at me. “Why the hell are you going this far for him anyway?”
I stare out the window for a second before answering.
“For Jennie,” I say simply.
And that’s the only reason I need.
We reach the holding facility—one of the safehouses I rarely use unless things get messy. Tonight qualifies. The air inside is still, heavy with tension. Zalar unlocks the inner door, and the three of us walk into the living space where Logan’s being kept.
He’s pacing like a caged animal.
The moment he sees me, he charges.
“You son of a bitch!” he snarls, his voice echoing in the small room. “Does my sister even know you married her for nothing? That you’re holding me captive again, you bastard?”
He’s in my face now, eyes wild. Fury rolling off him in waves.
I don’t flinch.
Instead, I close the gap between us, calm and deliberate, until there’s barely an inch between our noses.
“I’ll say this only once,” I growl, my voice low and lethal. “If you talk to me that way again, I’ll make sure you die for real this time. Don’t make me explain it to Jennie after the fact.”
His jaw tightens. I see the hesitation flicker in his eyes—somewhere between survival and blind rage.
I don’t care which one wins.
“You think you’re doing her a favor,” Logan hisses. “But she’s trapped. She hates you.”
“I’m waiting for you to back away from me before you regret it.”
My patience is already stretched thin, and only the thought of Jennie is keeping this fucker alive.
Logan’s still seething, his chest rising and falling like he’s one wrong word away from lunging again. I don’t move. I just stare him down, quiet, calm, dangerous.
Zalar steps forward, his jaw tight, and pulls out his gun.
“Boss,” he says, eyes locked on Logan like he’s already pulled the trigger. “Give me the word. He’s out of line. I’ll put this bastard down right now.”
Logan doesn’t even flinch at the threat, which tells me everything I need to know—he’s reckless, but not stupid.
I shake my head once, slow, deliberate, without breaking my gaze from Logan. My voice is even. Cold.
“Don’t worry. Let him make his decision.”
Logan holds the stare for a long second. Maybe two.
Then finally, he takes a deep breath—sharp, furious—and steps back.
He’s still pissed. That much is obvious. But he backs down.
For now.
Zalar doesn’t holster the gun, just lowers it a little, eyes still wary.
Logan mutters, “You think this makes you the better man?”
“I don’t give a fuck about being the better man,” I bark at him. “You’re not worth one second of my time. If I were you, I’d pray to Jennie every morning because she’s the only reason you’re still breathing.”
“Then why am I here?” Logan spits, glaring at me. “Why the fuck did you kidnap me like I’m some animal for slaughter?”
I fold my arms and glance at Kaz, then back at Logan. “Someone’s trying to use you,” I say. “To get to Jennie. And through her, to get to me.”
Logan frowns, brows tightening. “Why me?”
“Because you’re the perfect pressure point.” I keep my voice calm, even. “You’re her weakness. And if anyone wants to hurt me, they don’t go for me first. They go for the people I’d kill to protect. Like Jennie.”
Kaz exhales beside me, arms crossed, leaning back like this is all too familiar.
Logan shakes his head. “I haven’t done anything. I didn’t hurt anyone. When I worked with the Rusnak family, I didn’t steal shit. I didn’t take a single dime.”
His voice rises—conviction in every word. “I know you still don’t believe me. But I didn’t steal your money.”
I watch him.
He’s hot-headed. But he’s not soft. There’s steel in his voice, in his stance. He’s a man trying to stand on his own feet in a room where he knows damn well he’s not the most powerful one—and still refuses to cower.
He has my respect. Especially now that I know he didn’t steal my money. We found new evidence that exonerates him and exposes the fact that he was framed. But I’m not about to tell him that yet. There’s still danger around him, and he’s connected to Jennie.
“I want to see my sister,” he says suddenly. “Let me see her.”
“No.”
His jaw clenches. “Why not?”
“Because it’s not safe. Whoever’s behind this—they’ve already tried twice. They bombed my house. They’ve breached our inner circle. And right now, you’re a liability.”
He steps toward me, just a little. Testing boundaries. “You’re keeping her from me.”
“I’m keeping her alive,” I growl.
He flinches but stands his ground. “I can protect her, too.”
“You think this is about fists and bullets?” I laugh once, humorless. “You’re not ready for what’s coming. You’re still thinking like a man who believes in fair fights.”
I lean in, my voice low.
“Out there, there are no fair fights. There are only dead men—and the ones ruthless enough to stay alive.”
He sucks in a breath. “I can help. You can’t just keep me cooped up in here. Let me do something. I can keep Jennie safe.”
“You’re not qualified,” I answer. “Jennie is very important to me, and I’m not about to trust her with you, even if she’s your sister.
You want to earn your place? Fine. Stay here.
Stay alive. And keep your mouth shut until I say otherwise.
You so much as try to sneak out, and I will kill you myself. ”
Logan holds my stare. Angry. Humiliated.
“I’m catching the mole in two days,” I say. “So I’m doubling security and focus. I don’t have time for arguments or questions. Stay in your place.”
I turn to leave.
“Do you love her?” he calls out.
I stop. The words hit harder than they should.
I don’t turn around.
“I know you don’t owe me an explanation,” he continues, his voice quieter this time. “But please. Jennie doesn’t deserve this life. She’s better than all of this.”
There’s a lump in my throat I wasn’t prepared for. Something bitter and hot. I clench my fists at my sides.
What I want to say is:
I’d burn the world to keep her safe.
That I’d die before I let her suffer.
That this life was already dark long before she stepped into it—but now that she’s here, I’m never letting go.
But I say nothing.
I walk away, silent, my footsteps echoing down the hall as I leave Logan behind.
A moment later, Kaz leans back in his seat, smirking like the smug bastard he is. The car hums quietly beneath us as it slices through the night.
“I know the answer to the question Logan asked,” he says, his voice amused.
I don’t take the bait. I keep my gaze on the road ahead, jaw tight. Zalar, sitting in the front seat, glances at Kaz through the rearview mirror but says nothing. He knows better.
“Are you not going to be honest with yourself?”
I shoot him a look. “Careful, Kaz.”
“I’m just saying.” He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “This mole—whoever he is—he knows you’ve changed. He’s counting on it. That explosion today? That wasn’t just a warning. That was personal.”
A muscle jumps in my jaw. I replay the sound of that first blast, the smoke swallowing us whole, Jennie’s blood on her lip—her terrified eyes. I tighten my fist.
Kaz continues, serious now. “We know Logan was framed. And whoever did it wanted you distracted. Wanted her right in the middle of it. She’s the leverage. And you, my friend, are the prize.”
I nod slowly. “So we bait the trap.”
Kaz grins again. “Now we’re talking. What’s the plan? I want to see some blood.”
“We leak fake intel. Something juicy enough to bait them.”
Kaz tilts his head. “Like what?”
“That Logan is being moved. Say we’re relocating him tomorrow morning. But in reality, we tighten the circle. No one moves. No one breathes without me knowing.”
Kaz’s eyes narrow with satisfaction. “Nice. Make them desperate. Desperate men slip up.”
“They always do.”
I glance out the window. The trees whip past, but my mind is already three steps ahead.
“I want eyes on everyone,” I continue. “Everyone I’ve worked with for the past year. Zalar will run silent background checks. Financials, comms, family ties. Every fucking detail. If someone so much as sneezes out of place, I want to know. Tomorrow, we go in for the kill.”
Kaz hums low under his breath. “You think they’re working alone?”
“Who knows? Operations like this are usually tight.”
Kaz is saying something when we drive past the city’s older district, and something catches my eye. A flash of deep red velvet behind thick glass. A display of diamonds, elegant and sharp.
“Stop the car,” I say, tapping the window once.
Kaz leans forward from the backseat. “What the hell for?”
I don’t answer. Just tilt my chin toward the storefront ahead. The black letters etched across the sign say Lev & Sons—Est. 1905. One of the oldest, most discreet jewelers in the city.
The car pulls to a slow stop.
Kaz peers through the tinted window, then groans like I just asked him to wear a pink tutu to a funeral. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I unbuckle and open the door.
“This fucker is whipped,” Kaz mutters under his breath as I step out.
I smirk as the door shuts behind me.
I don’t turn to respond. He’s not wrong. But I’ve never minded wearing a crown for the woman who put fire in my chest.