Chapter Nineteen, Long Time, No See
I floored it, the truck’s engine roaring as I sped down the narrow dirt road, trees flying past on either side.
The headlights carved through the thick darkness, illuminating only a sliver of the road ahead.
My hands clenched the steering wheel so hard my tattooed knuckles turned impossibly white, and my foot pressed down harder on the gas pedal.
I wasn’t going to stop. I couldn’t stop.
Gio’s voice still echoed in my head, tense and urgent as he told me the power had gone out. Now I was racing against time, trying to get back to what was mine before a soon dead fool tried to harm them. I had no clue what I was driving into, but the knot in my gut told me it wasn’t good.
The night felt wrong. Too still, too quiet. Not even the usual sounds of insects or distant animal calls. Just the relentless hum of the truck’s engine and the pounding of my own heartbeat in my ears.
A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
I had to get there. I had to. My mind was racing, calculating all the possibilities—an ambush, a trap, an attack from Gio’s family.
We’d been careful for months, but we weren’t invisible.
Giorgio wasn’t the type to just let his son disappear.
And I fucking knew he was suspiciously silent.
That he was up to something wicked I couldn’t quite see.
My gut had told me something was wrong and, like a fool, I’d ignored it. Ignored it so I could play house and pretend that I was safe. That my rapidly growing blackmail pile would be enough to placate his vile ego and temper.
That I wasn’t aching to murder the entire De Luca line, aside from Gio and his siblings, just to make sure none could come and hurt him or my girl.
I ground my teeth, my jaw aching from the tension and the fact I’d allowed emotions to stop me from doing my fucking job and killing any threats.
As the cabin came into view, my heart sank. Two black SUVs were parked just off the driveway, their engines still running. That wasn’t a good sign. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I scanned the area, looking for movement, for any sign of who was here.
Then I saw him.
Gio.
He was being shoved into the back of one of the cars, his hands tied, his head down, his shoulders hunched.
A man with a gun was gripping his arm, dragging him toward the vehicle.
Gio was resisting, but there were too many of them.
At least a dozen armed men swarming around the cabin like vultures circling a carcass.
A surge of rage shot through me, blinding and hot. They were taking him. They were taking Gio.
Fuck no. Nobody touched my toys but me. Nobody tied them up with pretty ropes or manhandled them.
Nobody dared hurt them. Not unless they wanted to die.
And I was very good at death.
I didn’t even think. My foot slammed on the gas, and the truck lurched forward.
I aimed straight for the two bastards closest to Gio, not giving a damn about what came next.
They turned at the last second, eyes wide with panic, but it was too late.
The front of the truck hit them with a sickening thud, and I felt the impact shudder through the vehicle.
I didn’t stop.
I skidded to a halt just a few feet away from the group, jumping out of the truck before the dust even settled. My gun was in my hand, the safety off, and my focus was razor-sharp. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate.
I just became the wraith I’d been for so many years, like a single day had not passed.
The first man rushed me, a knife glinting in his hand. He wasn’t fast enough. I squeezed the trigger; the shot rang out through the night as he dropped to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. I didn’t have time to check if he was dead, but I didn’t need to.
I never missed a kill.
Never made a mistake.
The second man came at me from the side, and I spun, bringing the butt of the gun down hard on his skull. He staggered, dazed but not down, so I followed up with a kick to his ribs that sent him sprawling. Then another bullet to another of my victims.
“Atlas!” Gio’s voice rang out, but I couldn’t look at him. Not yet. I had to focus. To remember what I knew and what I did best.
Another man was on me, swinging a fist. I ducked, feeling the air whoosh past my head. My body moved on autopilot, twisting, delivering a clean shot to his leg. He collapsed, screaming in pain, and I put him out of his misery with a shot to the head.
Everything was moving too fast. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins. I had to get to Gio. I had to—
“Do another thing and I’ll put a bullet in your boyfriend’s head.”
The voice was smooth, calm, and cold as ice. Every muscle in my body froze. Every ounce of fight stopped in an instant because I knew it was true. It was not an empty threat.
And I knew I couldn’t let it happen.
Slowly, I turned, my blood boiling beneath my skin. And there she was. The newest bane of my existence. The one I’d been wary of being nearby, and once again had ignored my own instincts and pretended not to care about.
Danika.
She stood a few feet away, her gun pressed against Gio’s temple. Her black hair hung in long, straight lines down her back, her dark eyes glittering with amusement. She hadn’t changed. Not in the slightest. She looked just as dead inside as she had since childhood.
She still held herself with the air of a woman who was no woman at all.
She was just a monster. A monster like me, only she had no Heaven. No Gio.
She had nothing but death as her friend.
Gio stood rigid, his hands tied, his jaw clenched. He didn’t dare move, and I could see the fear flickering in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. My heart hammered in my chest, the rage bubbling just beneath the surface.
“Dani,” I said, my voice a low growl as I switched to Russian. “Get the fuck away from him.”
She smirked, her grip tightening on the gun as she pressed it harder against Gio’s head. “It’s been a long time, Atlas.”
In The Company, bonds were thicker than blood. And once upon a time, we’d been close. Too close. We’d shared everything—missions, pain, survival. Now, that bond felt like a lifetime ago.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Danika chuckled, her smile widening. “Oh, I was hired by your boyfriend’s father to kill him. And look at that—I found you too. What are the odds? Seeing as you’re dead and all.”
Of course. Giorgio. The bastard had sent The Company after his own son. Gio’s family had never been one to shy away from extreme measures, but this? Sending Danika? She wasn’t just any mercenary. She was one of the best. One of the most ruthless. And she never failed.
It was overkill. Extreme. A death sentence for Gio and everyone around him.
And entirely in my favor if an ounce of the girl I knew was still left inside her.
A dozen thoughts raced through my mind. I could take her. I’d been trained to fight people like her—hell, I’d been trained with her. But one wrong move and she’d pull that trigger.
I couldn’t risk Gio’s life like that. I wouldn’t. Not just because I didn’t want Heaven to hate me, or grieve him, but because I didn’t want him dead either.
I liked the arrogant bastard. Which meant I would play along until I was sure my actions wouldn’t harm him.
Then I was going to beat her ass for putting a gun to his head.
“Get into the car, Atlas,” Danika ordered, her voice sharp. “And play nice, or I’ll redecorate this driveway with your boy’s brains.”
My feet felt glued to the ground. I couldn’t just leave Heaven behind. I couldn’t leave her alone, not like this. But if I didn’t do what Danika said, Gio was dead.
Fuck.
Danika cocked her head, her dark eyes narrowing. “Don’t make me ask again.”
I glanced at Gio, my stomach twisting. His eyes were wide, pleading, but he stayed silent. He knew as well as I did that we were out of options.
Slowly, I lowered my gun, tossing it to the ground. My heart raced, the tension thick in the air. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to fight, to do something, but I couldn’t.
I walked toward the pair, my hands raised in surrender, my eyes never leaving hers. When I was close enough, I leaned in, my voice low, a whisper only she could hear.
“You owe me,” I hissed. “I saved your life once.”
Her eyes flickered, something unspoken passing between us. For a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of something—regret, maybe? But then she laughed—that cold, mocking laugh I knew too well.
“And that’s why I let you have your summer of fun, and why your pretty princess isn’t dead or with us, ready for daddy De Luca to rape and murder,” she whispered back. “Now be grateful and get in the fucking car.”
A wave of relief washed over me, so strong I nearly staggered. Heaven was safe. She was alive, and she was hiding.
For now.
I climbed into the car, my heart still racing. Gio was shoved into the backseat next to me, his wrists still bound, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might break. I reached over, my hand sliding into his, squeezing tight. He squeezed back, his fingers trembling slightly.
Danika got into the driver’s seat, the rest of her mercenaries piling in around us. The engine roared to life, and the car lurched forward, leaving the cabin—and Heaven—behind.
I couldn’t think about her. Not right now. I had to stay focused. I had to get us out of this mess. I had to—
“How fucked are we?” Gio muttered under his breath in Italian, his voice tight.
I glanced at him, trying to keep my own worries, mostly about our girl, under control. “They’re Company mercs,” I said quietly. “And they’re on your dad’s payroll.”
He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “So we’re dead then.”
“Not yet,” I replied, my voice firm.
Gio sighed, leaning back in the seat, his head resting against the window. He was quiet for a moment, staring out at the passing trees. His hand was still gripping mine, tight and desperate. “What about…?” His voice trailed off, but I knew what he was asking.
“All fine,” I said quietly. “She’s safe. Don’t worry.”
Gio didn’t say anything. He just closed his eyes, his hand still locked in mine, as if holding on for dear life.
I could see the tension in his body, the way his chest rose and fell too fast, too sharp.
He was scared even though he was angry and ready to fight.
But if our girl was safe and ready to carry on the next steps of our emergency plan, then I knew we were okay.
Heaven would wait until the danger went, then head back to the cabin. She would call Silver, and my sister would do the rest. A rescue. Protection. Everything we needed. It was all going to be fine…
I glanced at Danika in the front seat, her back straight, hands gripping the wheel like a predator driving toward its next kill. She hadn’t looked back at us once since we got in the car, but I could feel her presence like a shadow looming over us.
I knew Danika. I knew how she worked. She was ruthless, efficient, and always had a plan.
She didn’t make mistakes, and she never left loose ends.
Which meant she had something in mind for us, something more important than just killing Gio like she’d been paid to.
She was playing a long game, and I needed to figure out what that was before it was too late.
But there was something else. Something that made my gut twist in a way I didn’t like.
Despite her cold demeanor, despite the gun she’d pressed against Gio’s head, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t just following orders.
There was something personal here, something that went beyond the paycheck she was getting from Giorgio.
I stared out the window, the dark woods blurring past us, my mind racing through every possibility. I needed to stay sharp. I needed to figure out what her endgame was. But more than that, I needed to figure out how to get us out of this alive.
Gio squeezed my hand again, pulling me back from my thoughts. He was watching me, his dark eyes filled with questions he wasn’t asking. But I could see them. I could feel the weight pressing down on me.
“I’ll get us out of this,” I whispered, my voice steady even though my heart was pounding. “I promise. You just continue being nothing but my arm candy, and I’ll deal with the big boys and danger.”
Gio gave me a weak smile, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re always so sure of yourself, Atlas. Perhaps too sure, seeing as you’re the arm candy out of the two of us. So leave it to me. I shall play hero and make Heather proud.”
Both of us gave a bitter laugh.
We lapsed into silence after that, both of us lost in our own thoughts. The car sped through the night, the rumble of the engine the only sound cutting through the heavy tension that hung between us.
I had no idea where Danika was taking us, but I knew one thing for certain—I wasn’t going to let her deliver Gio to his father.
And I wasn’t going to let her destroy the life we’d built.
I didn’t care what it took. I didn’t care what I had to do.
I’d burn the world down before I let her—or anyone else—take what was mine.
And as much as Danika liked to think she had the upper hand, she’d forgotten one very important thing.
I had saved her life once. I had loved her. She had loved me. We were a family in the way Silver and I were, even if time had passed and memories had faded.
And that gave me leverage.
She owed me. And if there was one thing I knew about Danika, it was that she always paid her debts. Her letting Heaven go wouldn’t be enough. I knew I could push her for more.
My fingers tightened around Gio’s as I made a silent vow to myself, to him, and to Heaven, wherever she was.
I would fix this.
I had to.
For all of us.