Chapter 111
ROWAN
Bella’s scream nearly makes me drop my coffee.
“Theo!” she shouts, bolting past me and Reggie so fast her hair whips me in the face.
Her brother barely gets a chance to open his arms before she crashes into him.
“Surprise, Bel Bel,” Theo laughs, spinning her once.
“Yeah, you’re a couple of days late,” she huffs, smacking his chest. “I told you I nearly died two whole days ago.”
His grin falters. “I’m sorry, sis. I had to get things sorted before flying here. Mom—she had a turn.”
The way Bella’s whole body tenses makes my throat go dry.
“I-Is she okay?” she asks softly.
Theo nods, glancing around, he’s being cautious with his words. “Yeah. Her meds have been readjusted. You can call her soon, I promise.”
She lets out a shaky breath. “Okay. I have a lot to tell her.”
We walk further inside the office. I shake Theo’s hand, then Reggie does the same.
“Thanks for taking care of her,” Theo says, his eyes flicking between us.
“We always will,” Reggie answers, solid and certain.
Before Bella can get emotional again, Enzo clears his throat at the head of the table. The sound alone could stop a riot. The room goes still.
We take our seats. Bella between Theo and Reggie, me on Reggie’s right. Declan’s ready to talk, but the door bursts open with a bang.
“I made it!” Conan yells, completely unapologetic.
Finn checks his watch without missing a beat. “No, Conan. You’re ten minutes late.”
Conan rolls his eyes. “Nah. I’m one minute early to the time I set myself. I knew you’d all be chatting before the big man speaks.”
He nods toward Enzo, who’s trying not to laugh. Most of the time, he keeps his exterior ice cold. Yet, Conan is usually the one to crack that. And I’m then the one who gets in trouble for laughing at Conan.
There’s a short silence before Declan sighs, already exasperated. “Yes, Conan. Enzo and Theo flew in from different countries and still made it on time.”
Conan grins. “Wow. Impressive.”
I have to bite back my laugh. Bella catches my eye and smirks. She’s trying not to giggle too, which makes it worse.
“Thank you all for making it here,” Enzo says finally, cutting through the noise. His tone is sharp enough to slice steel. “Reggie, how’s the shoulder?”
“Fine,” Reggie says, in that tone that means absolutely not fine.
Bella puts her hand over his, thumb brushing the back of his palm. Her way of calling bullshit without saying a word.
Declan nods. “Good. I’ll pass to Drago for the update.”
Drago sits forward, calm and terrifying as always. His eyes land on me first, then flick toward Bella.
“I’ve spoken to my contact in Moscow. The name and club Bella gave us were a gold mine of information. Confirmed connections to Abram.”
A ripple moves around the table. Abram. I can’t say it’s one I recognize.
Drago’s voice stays even. “For those who don’t know, Abram ran a network in Russia years back. He’s dead, but his sons aren’t. They’ve got ties to The Preacher.”
I lean back, jaw tight. That name again.
“So we follow the trail,” Drago continues. “We choke every vein of their operation until we reach the heart. No survivors.”
Finn’s voice breaks through the tension. “Do we have names?”
Drago nods. “A few. Enough to start. But they’ve already started infiltrating Inferno. Lyla was a recruit of Madame Eve.”
The air goes cold. My stomach flips just hearing her name.
Enzo’s eyes narrow, murder simmering just beneath the surface. “You’re sure?”
Drago’s tone doesn’t waver. “One hundred percent.”
“So, how many others do we have right under our noses?” Reggie asks, looking directly at Enzo.
“We’re looking into it,” Enzo confirms.
Declan leans forward, palms flat on the table. “We have no choice but to shut it all down. Effective immediately. Inferno and Decadence both. Family only until we’ve cleared it.”
Enzo nods slowly. “I agree. Family safety comes before business. I’ll have my men lock down Inferno and start vetting staff. No one in or out without direct clearance.”
It’s starting to sound like the start of a war.
Finn speaks up next, calm but firm. “We’ll need medical checks on every girl who’s worked under Eve’s roster. Psychological evaluations, blood tests, full documentation. Anyone showing recruitment markers gets isolated and debriefed.”
Drago looks to Enzo. “I’ll need Mikhail Volkov and his family ready for this; it depends how deep our Russian search needs to go.”
Enzo nods.
The room tightens, like the moment before a fist closes.
Drago looks at Theo. “And our alliance with the Kings…”
Declan clears his throat. It’s been two days since the church. We’ve avoided the question, we’ve just pretended like it doesn’t exist. Letting Bella keep scheming.
Legally, we can’t both marry her, we know that. Yet, she’s adamant she’s not choosing one of us over the other, even for a marriage on paper.
I get it. Because it will, whether we like it or not, change the dynamic. One of us will not be her husband.
“Theo, we need your word that you’ll assist. We clearly missed the deadline for the marriage, but under the circumstances…”
The final choice was due to Theo yesterday.
Theo’s jaw goes hard.
“They went after a King, and you were prepared to die to save her. The alliance has been formed, wedding or not.”
The words hang like a verdict, and for a beat I let myself breathe. Relief washes through me.
Then Theo drops the other shoe. “Bella is coming home, though.”
The phrase slices the air.
“Excuse me?” I spit, heat in my voice I can’t hide.
“No. She isn’t,” Reggie says, his tone murderous.
Bella smiles at us, the small, defiant curl that makes me love her harder. She stands, feet planted, spine straight as steel.
“I’m not going anywhere, Theo. This is my home now. These two are my future. And if you don’t like it, you know where the door is.” She squares up to him, hand on hip, owning the room.
Theo’s face goes slack for half a second, surprise and calculation following. He opens his mouth, but she lands the next line before he can.
“This isn’t up for discussion, Theo. I don’t follow your orders anymore. I follow theirs,” she says, and then, sharper, “And the Quinns.”
Theo lets out a huff and stands, the fight in him flaring. “Bella. You aren’t safe here.”
That line has teeth in it—meant to claw at us both. Reggie moves without thought, palm cupping Bella’s hip, shoulder square as a shield. I position myself on her other side because we’re a line now: twin anchors set around the woman we both want breathing and intact.
“No one will hurt her, not while we are here,” I tell Theo, low and cold.
“I’ve taken a bullet for her. I’d take more. I’d die for your sister.” Reggie steps forward. “Don’t ever question her safety with us, Theo.”
The words land like hammers. You can feel the room hold its breath—waiting for Theo to respond, to explode, to accept. It’s a standoff written in muscle.
The silence is a thing that presses; you could feel it in your teeth. Finally, Theo’s shoulders drop an inch. “Fine,” he mutters.
“Enough,” Drago barks, and the sound cuts through like a blade.
“Bella isn’t going anywhere. The alliance is done. We have to work together to finish this. If we don’t, none of this matters because we’ll all be in a fucking grave.”
He’s not wrong. The reality of what we’re up against lands with a brutal, simple clarity: unity or rot.
Fuck.
We all take our seats again. The clatter of chairs sounds louder than it should. The plan is in motion, but the cost is still tasting in the back of my throat.
I glance at Bella, angled between us like a living vow. The fire in her hasn’t gone out; it’s been sharpened. I slide my hand in hers and squeeze, hard enough to say, “We’re with you.”
We start now.